Yes, I saw the item about the Mennonite marijuana pipeline. As a veteran of the 60s
who never did surrender unconditionally to the mean spirit of these latter decades,
I had a good chuckle. But this story also bothers me. I still think marijuana is
demonized,
and am appalled that the minimum sentence on the books for importing it is seven years.
Some of my Mennonite friends who have not fallen away from their ancestral faith may
be offended by the identification in this story. I think it is a reflection of the
(mistaken)
esteem in which Mennonites are often held by outsiders. Example: I recall a
documentary on Hutterite colonies in Saskatchewan which referred to their
members as "withdrawn, deeply religious people". BULL! Some no doubt are.
But many of their men can be seen on Thursdays (late-night shopping) haunting
the bars, half-crocked and sometimes being berated by the women. The women,
on the other hand, have a reputation as shoplifters. And some of them are.
My conclusion is that Hutterites (and by extension Mennonites, Jews, Germans,
Blacks, etc., etc.) are more or less like everyone else.
Interestingly, I have found that when a group imposes tight restrictions on its
members, it is likely to create a whole new class of offenders. I suspect that
the Hutterite-shoplifting connection has to do with the restrictions placed by
the Hutterites on personal property.
Here is a true story: A few years ago, a Hutterite man in front of me at the
drugstore till bought a Lotto 6-49 ticket. I could easily see two out of three
scenarios if he won. (1) If it was a relatively large amount (say a million bucks),
he had the option of declaring his independence and leaving the colony. (2) On
the other hand, a small amount (say a hundred bucks) could be spent without
anyone noticing. But what (3) if he won an "awkward in-between amount"?
Ten thousand dollars is not enough to retire on, but too much to hide from
the rest of the colony... My curiosity on this point did not, however, conquer
my cowardice, and I did not ask this "deeply religious" man what he was thinking
of.