On Tue, Nov 18, 2008 at 10:53 AM, Darren Glass <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > So I'm not really sure why you > are trying to get all 'holier than thou' about this right now.
If I am, it is because there is a substantial lobby for reality TV, from fans to penny-pinching network executives, but very few who lobby for the citizens of a nation I called home for more than a year. Unless Lance Armstrong joining Team Astana puts Kazakhstan on the map, very few Americans will ever see or visit the place. I am one of maybe 5,000 Americans who can even speak a few words of the native Kazakh language. Part of the mandate for those of us who serve as Peace Corps Volunteers is that we inform Americans about the countries we visited and try to correct any incorrect stereotypes. We actually swear an oath pledging to do that. When I see the country misrepresented, as I did, I do my best to correct it. It is, essentially, what I was paid a meager stipend to do. In a world where countries ending in -stan are assumed to be filled with Muslim extremists and terrorists, Kazakhstan stands out in its attempts to modernize and make itself friendly to western nations. In the city where I lived, the only thing bigger than the central mosque was the central church. It is still the launch point for all Russian spacecraft. It is a country that, as long as the government is bribed enough, sells oil to the US. So, continue to praise reality TV. If you enjoy it, or if it provides you an entertaining release after a hard day of work, fantastic. But I will keep doing what I'm doing because it is not in my nature to allow an entire nation of 14 million people to be made into a punchline for the sake of entertainment. If that makes me holier than thou, then so be it. -- Kevin M. (RPCV) --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Like TV only smarter. You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TV or Not TV" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
