ABC's Stupid Weekend Hype: 'Obama, America's First Amish President?'

May 20th, 2012 7:40 PM

ABC News is hawking this stupid headline on their Facebook page Sunday: "Obama, America's first Amish president?"

Olivier Knox breezily reported his findings from the sappy spectacle of The View appearance: "Obama said this week that his daughters can use their cell phones only on weekends, are banned from Facebook, can't watch TV and are only allowed on the computer during the week when they have to do their homework." And that is Amish....how?

Earth to ABC: the Amish generally prohibit power-line electricity -- all the time, not just on the weekends. Can you imagine Michelle Obama churning butter in a frock and a bonnet? 

Knox doubled down by repeating Obama's claims "he was 'too long-winded' to use Twitter and that he likes to 'tape' things on 'this—what's it called, DVR.' It's almost enough for a national newsweekly to dub him 'America's First Amish President.'"

Perhaps Knox and ABC should check the Wikipedia page on the Amish:

Two key concepts for understanding Amish practices are their rejection of Hochmut (pride, arrogance, haughtiness) and the high value they place on Demut (humility) and Gelassenheit (calmness, composure, placidity), often translated as "submission" or "letting-be". Gelassenheit is perhaps better understood as a reluctance to be forward, to be self-promoting, or to assert oneself.

That is completely at odds with self-adoring Obama.

[Hat tip: Michelle Humphrey]