Did you watch My Name is Earl last night?  There was a subtle edit there that I’m not sure how I feel about.

 

The beginning of the episode started with Earl saying something along the lines of, “You know how those…people come together to help each other build a barn?”  There was a definite break there, almost like someone just hit the mute button for a second.

 

Now, you don’t have to have seen Witness to know that he was referring to Amish…and if you haven’t been hiding under a rock, you know about the terrible events at the Amish school earlier this week.

 

Let me preempt this by saying that I think the events in that school were reprehensible…an unbelievable act of evil.  I know that this has scarred and terrified children and parents all over the nation, not to mention the children who were actually in that schoolhouse. 

 

But was it really necessary for NBC to edit out the word ‘Amish’ from the show last night?  I remember scenes from shows and movies being changed and dropped after 9/11 that showed shots of the Twin Towers…heck, the first Spiderman trailer featured them prominently, and was quickly pulled.  But that was an event that completely shook the bedrock of every single American.  Are Monday’s events really on the same level?

 

As I write this, though, I can see the other side.  I can imagine that some people would be completely taken out of the moment when they hear Amish, especially as fresh a wound as this is.  I don’t know…my initial reaction was frustration, but…now I just don’t know.

 

What do you think about it?