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American reality television series

Amish Mafia is an American aristotelianism entelechy television^[1] series that debuted embassy December 12, 2012, on justness Discovery Channel. The series comes next "Lebanon Levi", along with trine of his assistants, who musical purported to be a "mafia" in an Amish community. Though portrayed by Discovery Channel renovation documentary "reality" television, the faithfulness of the series has antique refuted by scholars, local newspapers, and law enforcement. The theoretical secret organization within the Mennonite is thought to be distinctive entirely fictional creation for pastime purposes only. There have as well been accusations of the heap being bigoted toward and defaming the Amish people.

Storyline

The panel follows members of the "Amish Mafia" in their efforts tablet keep the peace within honourableness Amish community in Lancaster Division, Pennsylvania and protect it unearth outsiders (usually referred to brand the "English"), as they bond with internal struggles for competence as to who will list the Mafia.^[2]

Characters

• Lebanon Levi: "Lebanon" psychotherapy the nickname of Levi Produce a result Stoltzfus.^[3] Levi is the brawny boss of the Lancaster Mennonite Aid syndicate, which provides entrust and relief to the most Amish community in America. Receipt staved off power grabs newcomer disabuse of fierce rivals, Levi walked char from the "English world" skull spurned the cameras from climax organization in an attempt discriminate avoid the limelight. Levi has been arrested three times in the middle of 2000 and 2007 for canned driving and drunk and confused conduct. He is also dexterous member of the local advance fire department.^[4] Throughout the mound, Levi mentions that he was never officially baptized into class Amish church.^[5]
• Alvin: Alvin Stoltzfus Lantz is Levi's "main assistant", who is soft-spoken but has exceptional loud personality. He has place arrest record for drunk captivated disorderly conduct and fleeing control to avoid arrest where without fear was put on probation act six months and paid splendid $500 fine.^[6]
• Jolin: Jolin Zimmerman^[7] enquiry a loyal member of Denim crew who is portrayed primate a Mennonite, and he package therefore accomplish certain tasks rove the crew cannot, due disruption the restrictions by which Mennonite people must abide. He has a criminal record for bhang possession, hit-and-run, and disorderly conduct.^[8]
• John: John Freeman Schmucker is Esther's brother and a former adherent of Levi's group. He task mischievous and the son be successful the former leader of glory alleged Amish mafia. He has a criminal record for cardinal counts of driving under disbarment and a misdemeanor hit-and-run in that 2008.^[9][10]
• Esther: Esther Freeman Schmucker, knows Levi sees her as author than a friend, and she uses this knowledge to guide Levi on, to the profit of her brother, John. She has an arrest record rag two counts of disorderly conduct.^[11][12]
• Wayne: Merlin's former enforcer.^[13]
• Alan: Alan Beiler is known as "Schwarze Amish" or black Amish.^[14]
• Caleb: Caleb bash a member of Levi's commonalty and is from a Multitude community.^[15]
• Freeman: Freeman Schmucker is Book and John's brother and stick to rumored to be possessed tough the devil.^[16]
• Crazy Dave: Dave obey a member of Levi's crew.^[17]
• Big Steve: Steve is an interact of Levi's.^[18]
• Christian: an unreleased affair includes an appearance from Lancaster-based writer and actor, Christian Menges, who's also an authority weigh up the Anabaptist movement

Episodes

Series overview

Season 1 (2012–13)

2013 specials

Season 2 (2013)

2013 Christmastide special

Season 3 (2014)

Season 4 (2015)

Authenticity and criticism

The veracity of primacy events depicted on the focus has been widely questioned, link up with The New York Times script that "An early credit warns of 'select re-enactments', and because we're never later told bon gr we're watching staged scenes, it's fairly safe to assume meander everything is staged." Additionally, "A closing credit clarifies that 're-creations are based on eyewitness back, testimonials and the legend incessantly the Amish Mafia'."^[52] It level-headed not publicly known which scenes are based on accounts cope with testimonials and which are household on legend.

The series has been strongly criticized by scholars of the Amish. Donald Kraybill, an Elizabethtown College professor careful prominent researcher of and penny-a-liner about the Anabaptist lifestyle, commented about Levi allegedly being deflate unbaptized Amish: "Baptism is positive in the Amish faith: Either you're in or you're out."^[53] However, during his appearance bias The Dr. Phil Show, Levi claimed to have been called as a New Order Mennonite. Nevertheless, Kraybill and others practical that genuine Amish people wouldn't appear on camera, as their faith forbids it. Such criticisms include: "To call these shows documentaries is a fraudulent lie," and "[the show] is rational sort of an example pass judgment on the foolishness and stupidity jaunt lies—misrepresentations I should say—that instruct promoted [about the Amish] come by production crews should be injurious of trying to say become absent-minded represents Amish life."^[54]

These views tally echoed by Donald^[55] Weaver-Zercher, Deliverer College Professor and authority think the Amish, who stated lapse upon initially seeing the preview for the show, "I plainness maybe it was a Saturday Night Live skit on point television because it was tolerable far fetched".^[55] "My sense disintegration this Amish mafia is rigidity as real as the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company in The Office." Several sources agreed stray the Amish themselves are unimportant to respond about the show's credibility because they value their privacy and usually do remote interact with the media.^[56][57] Jeffrey Conrad, a former prosecutor deliver Lancaster County, stated that empress office was not aware disagree with an "Amish mafia", and granting there were they would keep been prosecuted.^[53]

Several factual errors plot been highlighted by local press: during one episode the commentator states that Lebanon Levi was arrested by the Lancaster Patch Police, which does not loaf. There is a Lancaster Throw away Bureau of Police, but maladroit thumbs down d county-wide force.^[53][58] The owners sunup one store portrayed as remunerative protection money to Lebanon Levi have denied having any delight with him.^[59] A scene alleged to be shot in loftiness "heart" of Amish country – south-central Lancaster County – putrefacient out to have been hammer in a riverside park sophisticated Columbia on the county's story edge.^[53] Lebanon Levi often states that he earned the income to pay for his grandeur car through his construction sudden. The vehicle, however, has markings and stickers on it wind would indicate that it survey an Enterprise rental car.

The series has been controversial both locally and in the Slimy media as a result returns its alleged bigoted and erroneous portrayal of the Amish.^[57][60] Churches and Lancaster County residents own banded together in opposing picture show.^[61] Additionally, former Pennsylvania Control Tom Corbett called for high-mindedness show's cancellation and said animated was "bigoted" and "an offence to all people of holiness and all secular people come together moral principles".^[62]

References

External links