Posted by John Nichols on December 06, 2007 at 14:51:44 from 165.91.196.36 user Mcneacail.
In Reply to: Re: Dorothea's imagination posted by David Meadway on December 06, 2007 at 03:39:14:
I think the point in AR's story is that the court may have let them off, but the court of Public Opinion probably would have convicted them and then not trusted them again. Shunning as practiced by the Amish is a powerful force to stop "deviant" behaviour.
AR's concepts of "deviant behaviour" are in line I think with the beliefs of a lot of the people on this Tarboard, but whether one could call this group mainstream is probably best summed up in the words of a TARS's wif:
"A genteel group of old grey haired men sipping tea and eating buttered eggs." - I paraphrased a bit, but you get the point. Apologies to the young ladies on the board, but in the quote sent to me the wif made no mention of ladies.
JMN