| TV ruining Bhutan? | 2003-06-16 01:46 2 comments |
 by Flemming FunchBhutan is one of the most remote and isolated countries on the planet. Or, rather, it WAS very isolated. A buddhist shangri-la where people lived a basic and happy life, far away from outside influences. There were no public hospitals or schools until the 1950s, and no paper currency, roads or electricity until several years after that. Bhutan had no diplomatic relations with any other country until 1961. Still, after those innovations, it remained a peaceful place with strong traditions, where people didn't even hurt insects. But then it all changed, in 1999, when the government decided, as the last country on earth, to give the population TELEVISION. See the interesting article in the Guardian. Now there are 46 channels on cable, and kids spend their time thinking about Eminem and the Simpsons and The Rock. And suddenly Bhutan has crime waves, murders and drug problems. Is that really all just from TV? I don't know, but this certainly seems like the perfect laboratory for testing it. Rather depressing really, whether we're talking about crime or not. Depressing that remote villages in the Himalayas are aiming at being copies of the San Fernando Valley. Loss of cultural diversity. |