"But Ahmed, I can't attack the infidel dogs! Baywatch is on!"
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| Afghanistan |
| A massive phenomenon in Afghanistan: Television |
| 2007-08-02 |
| SEVEN years ago, in a very different time in a very different Afghanistan, a medical student named Daoud Sediqi was bicycling from campus when he was stopped by the Taliban’s whip-wielding religious police. The young man immediately felt an avalanche of regret, for he was in violation of at least two laws. One obvious offence was the length of his hair. While the ruling Taliban insisted that men sprout untrimmed beards, they were otherwise opposed to scruffiness and the student had allowed his locks to grow shaggy. His other transgression was more serious. If his captors searched his things, they would find a CD with an X-rated movie. “Fortunately, they didn’t look,” he recalled. “My only punishment was to have my head shaved because of my long hair.” Now, at 26, he is one of this nation’s best-known men, someone sprung from a new wellspring of fame - not a warlord or a mullah, but a television celebrity, the host of “Afghan Star,” this nation’s “American Idol.” Since the fall of the Taliban in late 2001, Afghanistan has been developing in fits and starts. Among the unchanging circumstances that still give people fits: continuing war, inept leaders, corrupt police and woeful living conditions. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #16 Each night at 7:30, people in Kabul obey the beckoning of prime time much as they might answer the call to prayer. Fighting Islam one channel at a time. |
| Posted by: Icerigger 2007-08-02 15:19 |
| #15 The doctor proscribes free satellite TV for everyone in the muzzie world on the condition that every hour Randy Newman's I Love LA is played. Their world will collapse in two weeks. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2007-08-02 15:02 |
| #14 It's gotta be cultural shock I'm not so sure, Mark Z. As I understand it, historically Middle Eastern women have allowed hair only on their heads. Seeing women semi-clothed in public is a different story for the pius and backward, though. Not to mention being treated as equals. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2007-08-02 13:23 |
| #13 --chefs preparing meals that most people would never eat in kitchens they could never afford; -- Mebbe not them, but their kids..... Ahhh, I love the smell of greed in the morning.... |
| Posted by: anonymous2u 2007-08-02 13:05 |
| #12 You ever wonder what the muzzies are thinking when they see a woman without a patch of hair under her arms and smooth shaven legs? It's gotta be cultural shock |
| Posted by: Mark Z 2007-08-02 11:52 |
| #11 What they need is a bunch of B list celebrities playing Texas Hold'em while discussing the latest Kabul gossip in a house being rehabbed while somebody cooks them a nice meal. At the end of the show they all sing and the audience votes to kick someone out. Programming isn't brain surgery... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2007-08-02 10:26 |
| #10 "But Ahmed, I can't attack the infidel dogs! Baywatch is on!" |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2007-08-02 10:19 |
| #9 GORT, that was a coffee-nose moment. |
| Posted by: wxjames 2007-08-02 10:10 |
| #8 “We’ve just bought the rights to ‘24,’ the American show,” he added. “We had some concerns. Most of the bad guys are Muslims, but we did focus groups and it turns out most people didn’t care about that so long as the villains weren’t Afghans.” OMG! That's gonna leave a mark. Sums up neatly the one thing that trumps religion/Islam in many of these countries...tribalism. Of course, the more they think that all Americans are like Jack Bauer, the less they are to attack us, so this is a win-win for us. |
| Posted by: BA 2007-08-02 09:04 |
| #7 I saw the generator bit. How has creation of a power distribution network in Afghanistan progressed? |
| Posted by: 3dc 2007-08-02 08:59 |
| #6 This is good to see, the more of this that catches on the better. Every TV set makes it a little bit harder for the Taliwhackers to ever get their foot in the door again. |
| Posted by: bigjim-ky 2007-08-02 08:35 |
| #5 In related news, a coke bottle was found in Rigestan. There was much rejoicing. |
| Posted by: GORT 2007-08-02 07:48 |
| #4 In Europe we can watch Ariana (international) and Ariana Afgnistan through Hotbird. Some of the anchoress are really worth watching. (No, theyu don't wear Burkhas). |
| Posted by: JFM 2007-08-02 05:55 |
| #3 So far, so good. No mention of al Jazeera or al Manar. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2007-08-02 02:38 |
| #2 Welcome to the 21st century. More power to you. |
| Posted by: newc 2007-08-02 01:48 |
| #1 Oh, the Taliban aren't going to like this one bit! |
| Posted by: gorb 2007-08-02 01:45 |