Dan
Dyck directs communications for Mennonite Church Canada, one of two of the
largest Mennonite denominations in Canada. I asked him a few questions about
his response to Pure, out of his experience as a communicator and from his
position with that church body.
What
is your experience with what the public and the media know about Mennonites?
Both tend to conflate
the culture and the faith. Both tend to stereotype Mennonites by the most
obvious visual distinctions of a small minority of Mennonites in Canada (e,g.
black dress and bonnets, horses and buggies, etc.). What most people don’t know
is that there are more Mennonites in Ethiopia than in Canada, and that
Mennonite culture in Africa (or other countries) is something entirely
different than in North America.
The show gets many
things about Mennonites wrong. But Mennonites are not an easy group to
understand, what with there being so many different kinds in Canada. Could
Mennonites do a better job of explaining themselves to the media and public at
large?
Yes,
undoubtedly, but it’s a challenging task to break through the noise of media
and culture until an attention grabbing opportunity arrives, like Pure. Mennonites
tend to let their lives and actions toward others speak for themselves, rather
than expending energy on explaining ourselves to an audience that probably
doesn’t care a whole lot until a controversy or drama like “Pure” comes along.
Additionally,
there is no shortage of information about Mennonites online. Anyone with access
to the Internet can at any time learn more than they probably want to know
about Mennonite faith and culture in Canada and beyond.
What
kind of problems do you find with Pure?
Like
many other Mennonites, I am surprised at what appears to be a poorly researched
setting for this story.
The
show depicts Low German speaking Mennonites from Mexican (Old Colony) with the
visual life style distinctions of Old Order Mennonites who have been in
Southern Ontario since the early 1800s. This is problematic for many, and
perhaps especially for the media-shy Old Order folks themselves as they are now
associated with criminal activity that to my knowledge does not exist in their
community.
The Low German speaking
Mennonites from Mexico depicted in the drama would not really be considered
“Old Order” in the context of Southern Ontario, where the show is set; for
example, Old Order Mennonites in southern Ontario do not speak Low German, and
would not have surnames like “Funk” or “Epp”.
Do
you think this show will be harmful for Mennonites in Canada?
I
believe the accumulated positive weight of Mennonite faith and reputation of
our churches and organizations helping out locally and internationally with
aid, relief, disaster assistance, poverty alleviation, feeding the hungry, etc.
will in the long run overcome any negative impressions the viewing audience of Pure will
generate.
Can
you see anything positive coming out of Pure for Mennonites?
A
hopefully positive outcome for Mennonites is that this show has the potential
to make us more empathetic and sensitive to other groups that have been
stereotyped by the media and popular culture, such as First Nations or Muslims.
Mennonites are by no means immune to stereotyping other groups. I hope Pure will
help us reflect on what are feeling, and I hope it makes us more aware of our
own assumptions of others.
The
other faith group to have recently experienced this kind of exposure are the
Mormons (the play The Book of Mormon). Mormon's decided not to fight it.
Instead, they used it as a way to talk about their faith. Do you think
Mennonites could do the same?
The Mormon response of
using the play as an open door, not being defensive, was the right response for
them, and even courageous in their context. I would say Pure also
gives Mennonites in Canada a responsibility to engage their faith, and walk
through the open door this presents with integrity, sensitivity and grace.
Angry, defensive responses to inquirers, whether in private or in public, will
not serve anyone well. But your question raises another question: Who has the
right to tell whose story?
Click here to read my Free Press column on this topic.
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