From: iview-AT-technologist.com
Date: Tue, 01 Sep 1998 00:17:15 -0700
Subject: Re: American Lifestyle Tied To Immigrant Health Woes


Hi, Annapurna,

I'm sorry, but I didn't realize that that was your original
question...nor do I imply that TV in the US has a higher quality of
programming...I personally rather enjoy Indian films!

to address your questions, some years ago, we in the US saw something
horrifying on "prime time" television news...an American news reporter
in Nicaragua, unarmed as he approached guards, was fatally shot, at
close range, lying on the ground thinking he would not be harmed if he
just listened to the guards...was shot in the head like an animal...I
don't even condone shooting animals...I was so horrified at what I saw,
I can't get that scene out of my head to this day...I feel as if it was
someone I had personally known...my simplistic response at the time was
to write a letter to his young wife...they had only just gotten married,
I think...there were no children that I can recall...what indeed do we
do? 

What is our response...first, maybe just a response from the
heart...second, not to forget the violence we're capable of...maybe
parents knowing instinctively that their children will respond
appropriately because of the value system that is instilled in
them...will help to improve situations so that innocent people will not
be harmed, will not be tortured and slaughtered...that's the only way to
effect change, I would think...because to shelter ourselves from
reality...to remain silent is to condone and accept...I would think...I
agree with you...all this violence is indeed somehow linked...and
technology has linked us in a way that reminds us daily how linked we
are all over the world.

-Manjusree


Annapurna Mamidipudi wrote:
> 
> dear manjusree,
> i actually agree with you on all that you have said...anc can take it
> two steps further...
> there is this story that the sufi syeds of persia were so revered by the
> hill tribes of the himalayas that when one of them died they made a
> shrine for them....soon in an effort to 'revere' more and more of these
> syed shrines they started killing the syeds so that more and more
> shrines could be made and more and more of them could be 'revered'....
> that the original sentiment is well intentioned i dont deny...afterall
> the rckshaw puller in hyderabad has as equal  a right to tv as anybody
> else...but if it becomes a matter of prestige and he insists it is to be
> part of the dowry that some poor man has to pay to get his daughter
> married to him...then where is the question of choice...
> 
> my point is that the illusion of choice is just that ...an illusion.
> 
> yes i moniter tv watching too in my house...i live in a huge family and
> my kids have 10 other kids in the same house...and i dont even have to
> say 'dont watch' because playing at being 'amma and appa' or 'teacher
> student' is way more interesting than mickey mouse...
> 
> i think that the day i have to fight the tv by having to force my
> children to stop watching it is the day i have lost...
> not because tv watching is so evil, but it means i have lost the things
> that used to be more fun.....
> 
> i am not so stupid as to think that this is universal...the quality of
> television here is a hundred times worse than maybe in the us...there is
> mostly popular cinema and as you said blaring music with not very
> tasteful dancing...directed at the 'poor' 'tasteless' rickshaw puller
> there are no safegaurds...anybody can put anything on to the cable
> network ..thanks to the new era of satellite television...
> 
> but i am not interested in bleating about this...:) i want to make sure
> that this is not percieved as some class or geographic problem and we
> all realise how linked these issues are....
> 
> i come back to my original question...
> what do we do when we see a recording of say rape on tv, what do we say
> when it comes on the email...what is our response and what is our
> responsibility......
> annapurna
> 
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