On Tue, Nov 18, 2008 at 4:11 PM, PeterL <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > First of all, Kazakhstanians are not a race. So whatever it is you > are objecting to, it's not racism.
There is no such thing as a "Kazakhstanian," but the Kazakh people are a very real, very specific race, as are the Uighers, Uzbeks, and the half dozen other ethnicities who comprise the bulk of Kazakhstan's population. If Mongolians make up even .5% of the population, I'd be shocked (the CIA World Factbook doesn't even list them). The time the Mongols spent in Kazakhstan was spent killing and plundering. > Second, since you are not familiar with this series, it's not a > travelogue. The show works very closely with local tourism officials > to bring the racers to each country. So if you want to blame anyone, > also blame local tourism officials. I don't expect it to be a documentary series, but I also don't expect them to outright lie about what the country is like. Darren suggested the show was a teachable moment. It was. Many of my students watch the show, and I spent the morning undoing the damage that had been done. One of my students, a girl from China, said they did the same thing when they were in her country a while ago. Someone on the list asked me to point out the lies in the hour that I saw. It will take less time to point out the truths: - There is a place called Almaty, Kazakhstan - It has an airport - Some people drink milk > Other times they > disrespect country customs and even religious practices. They are > equal opportunity offenders Which is just one of many reasons why the show is trash. Equal opportunity sleaze is still sleaze. Seriously, Dave and others whose opinions I respect claim no instances of racism in the episode. I grant that I may be oversensitive when it comes to the Kazakh, and I even grant that the highly dysfunctional Kazakh tourist board aided in the stupidity (their online videos to promote tourism frustrate those of us who have been there, and supposedly inspired the character of Borat). I could describe in vivid detail the ceremonial meal involving the sheep's head, but it would bore you. Suffice it to say, each piece of meat consumed is accompanied by words of praise and thanks (and, occasionally, sips of vodka), and there are no belly dancers (if only). Nobody throws a tin plate of mystery meat on the table and tells you to dig in. People buy milk in the Ramstore (the Turkish run grocery store similar to a Target) or "magazines" (the equivalent of convenience stores), because Almaty is a modern city and not a stereotypical third world locale. It has casinos, a massive opera house, and a circus. The aforementioned falconry is not a place where costumed men parade around like fools. It is an awe inspiring place where the massive birds are trained to do everything from deliver messages to kill. The chickens were the result of George Bush throwing good money after bad; as a result, the nation has more chickens than they could possibly consume, and no viable means of exporting them. So they sit there, hoping to be groped by reality show contestants in search of golden eggs. Believe me, I could be critical of Kazakhstan, and even poke fun at some of the nation's genuine quirks. But the nation is attempting to build itself up into something more than a former Soviet republic. Corrupt as the Kazakh government is, the leadership has taken steps make the country more than the collection of nomads it once was. The capital city of Astana didn't even exist a decade ago, and now they are talking about putting a massive dome over it so people can walk around in shorts and t-shirts in the middle of a -40 degree winter. So while I wasn't expecting "Almaty: 21st Century City on the Go!," I was hoping for some sense, however small, of who the people actually were. For those of you who don't know, no part of that show reflected the people of Kazakhstan. They are not a bunch of descendants of Mongol savages who sit on the floor eating sheep's ass while belly dancers gyrate around them (again, if only). -- 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 -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
