Film Witness: The Right to Thesis

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Even though they seem small, they are also ethical problems, and must be included in the definition when someone asks 'what is ethics' or 'is that ethical'? This is the issue that is being faced with the Amish community and the film Witness, because there is more than one actual issue at work there. This involves a whole community, some of whom may feel very differently about their Hollywood portrayal than others.

A lot of the issue with communities like the Amish and whether they are treated fairly or exploited is situations like this has to do with duty ethics, which was introduced like Immanuel Kant. Duty ethics deals with having the ability and understanding to do what is correct regardless of the consequences (Yirmiyahu, 1998). In other words, one needs to do one's duty regardless of what the other issues surrounding one may be. This is often difficult to understand and is generally even more difficult to do. It is much easier to do what one wants rather than what one should be doing. However, Kant's argument deals with the fact that the only way to be moral and virtuous in society was to have a sense of duty not just to oneself but to all of mankind (Brink, 1999). That would imply Hollywood's sense of duty to the Amish people and that is something that it did not seem like the movie producers considered. If they did, it apparently did not show enough that the Amish felt comfortable with it or like they or their beliefs were being as strongly respected as they could have been.

It would have been much kinder to the Amish people if Hollywood would have built a set elsewhere and not forced themselves on people who clearly did not want them there, but this kind of thing happens every day and the Amish people, like any other group in this country, are not immune to what Hollywood wants to do. Both the tactics of shooting the film and the fact that Amish people were included were both things that could have been handled better.
Hollywood would not have seen that, most likely, but the Amish people did - and others did, as well. There were many great portrayals of characters in the film, and anyone who just watched it would probably not know of the concerns regarding it. They were certainly not visible in the film. Whether the portrayal was accurate, though, would be difficult to say without knowing much more about the Amish community.

What was learned in this film regarding the Amish community is slightly suspect because the portrayal was allegedly not completely accurate. However, it still shed light on something and a group of people who many individuals in this country do not even think about. Within American culture there are so many different subcultures, and they all have to be talked about and brought to light before people will really remember that they are there. Only then can people come to a better understanding of who we all are as a society and how we can best work together for the good of everyone involved......

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