Television recently arrived in the remote Himalayan country of Bhutan,
and is having
a profound
impact. (via RobotWisdom)
``I see that suddenly there is an explosion of fashion as people try to
imitate things they saw on television... Television is a great agent to
make the world into one big market, a powerful agent to melt down all local
culture,'' Ura said during an interview in an office crammed with sacred
Buddhist texts. ``I wish it was not welcomed so early into our society.''
Instead of learning to long for the indulgences of the outside world, most
Bhutanese reacted with pride after TV arrived, he said. Until they saw the
violence and lawlessness in the world outside, ``we didn't know how well off
we were,'' Thinley said.
A 13-year-old student, Ugyen Phuentslo, wrote that he enjoyed watching World
Wrestling Federation matches on TV, but was plagued by doubts. ``I think human
beings can't take such big blows, kicks, etc. Some people say the fights are
real and some say they are not. So whom should I believe?''