Pandora Box of Television in Pakistan

the geometric increase in media channels is obviously a good thing.

it`s mass media and it caters to the common denominator. however, even the supposedly `low lives` know what has value and what doesn`t. with that belief one can accept that many of these channels deemed to be trash will disappear - many already have - due to weak content. the invisible hand and the market forces are a great leveller. give it some time and the media boom will turn the corner and become `maturer`.

the main criticism i`d voice however is how the musharafian construct has completely turned the news and political content into a govt. sponsored show. garbage.

Re: # 18

tahmed,

..... you are right about `kill bill` - my kids had probably seen it three or four times and always told us it was a `bad` movie and that we wouldn`t like it .... actually they said mama wouldn`t like it since, according to them, i am already `weird` ..... anyway, we have watched it together and have seen both of them at least twice - what a great movie !

.......... the kids would do just fine if their parents would leave them alone ......

Re: # 17

.... plats,

......... i think tony bourdain is on the travel channel .... i have seen him a couple of times and he appears to be entertaining but a little snobby - the kind of guy who can`t fix a dish worth eating without having fresh truffels flown in from the europe every day ..............not like sweet rachel ray who can tell you how to have three great meals in under fifty bucks ....... i believe he is the executive chef at les halles - i had dinner at their washington location a couple of years ago and it was so so, nothing remarkable .......

......... emeril kind of grows on you and they say he is a great cook (i have only had his pasta sauce in a jar!)

......... in any case, anyone who thinks food shows are sinful is a fool ......... i think cooking is more therapeutic and better for the soul than praying ..... and i have also discovered that any thing, including biryani and korma, tastes better if you throw in a little wine or beer or whatever it is that you are drinking at the time ........

Re: # 14
I have heard in West instead of walking or playing people watch sports all time and they gain hefty extra pounds. Then they go to doctor.Doctor says you need to exercise. The man says he never exercised in life. Then doctor says watch exercise videos. He likes videos nice men and women d0ing exercise . That is exercise just for fingures. Weight goes up. Can they develop viedo so by watching all men women and children loose appetite ? Idea is viedo makes you gain weight so use video to reduce extra weight.

hamidm #16 You are lucky your kids allow you to watch all these movies like `Kill Bill`, and dont think they are too violent or too risque for the parents. :-)

hamidm #16,

While we are on the topic of food channel, what`re your views on Tony Bourdain (sp?)
and his travelogues ? Emeril`s actually quite intolerable...never seen Rachel Ray.

Re: # 12

malikm

..... is that a trick question ?........... i believe in the rating system even though i think it is a little stupid sometimes - for example, we have been going to `r` rated movies with our kids since they were eight or ten and most of the time i could not understand why the film was rated `r` ...... a couple of weeks ago we went to see `departed` with my 14 yr old and personally i don`t think jack nicholson said anything that my child cannot better (if i let her!) ........ it was violent, but nothing compared to `kill bill` which is one of our all time favourite family movies ........ now, i wouldn`t watch y` tu mama tabien with my kids but i would certainly recommend it to them if they were over 18 ........the other day my older daughter came back from blockbuster with `miss little sunshine` and we watched it together without the girls going into shock or mr hamidm falling from the couch at grandpa`s dirty language - it is a great little film .....

........ now would i have playboy channel on my tv? ......... i wouldn`t pay for it, and i wouldn`t subscribe to it, but if it was part of the standard package with espn and the food channel i would certainly take it (if my kids were over 18) - there is no way i would give up rachel ray necause of some naked women with breast implants ! ..........for crying out aloud, i saw my first playboy when i was 12 and contrary to your beliefs i can still see and it hasn`t fallen off !

ok..should that be 16 or 18? I got my hands on a gurmukhi copy of condensed Kamasutra at 15...which was very troubling...I mean it is like knowing MS Office inside out but running it on your calculator.

#9 hamidm,

I agree with you totally.
I think the problem (with people like this author) is the people who don`t want to watch religious programming have a good many choices of channels to switch to. but the ones who want to learn about heaven, hoors and honeys from Mullahs mouth can`t bear the fact that there are awesome goris showing their legs and boobs on the next channel. Most probably they have to switch back and forth between mullah channel and HBO which bugs the crap out of them...you know how irritating it is while you are digging into your 3 scoups of chocolate chip icecream and someone on the table reminds you about your health.....now imagine that someone on the table being Doctor himself, I am sure you will be tempted to eat icecream but will have contend yourself with 1/2 scoup only....very unsatisfying and guiltful.

Having said that..there is all kind of programming and not everything for everyone. underage kids need to be protected from naked women and mullahs alike. They can watch naked flesh when they are 16 but mullah channels should be rated R38....(even that is risky looking at chowk)..may R65.

I still can`t figure out why author considers Food channels not good for society?

Re: # 9 by hamidm2

``...and choice is a lot more precious than any other `value` ....``

Noooooooooo,

Unwashed masses choosing between Baywatch and a strange script on a green screen?

Nooooooooo.

If you do not agree with me, just ask malik99 or urstruly.

hamidm # 9``........... and choice is a lot more precious than any other `value```

a question for you. a yes or no answer would suffice, but feel free to elaborate if you must.

In that same spirit of ``choice`` whereby you can simply change the channel, would you be ok with making Playboy and other sex oriented channels freely available on your TV?

#9 by hamidm2 on February 21, 2007 2:46pm PT


the food channel is my favourite


It`s awesome in HD...

Re: # 8

urstruly,

.... it is easy for you - you only have one book to read ........ i am still waiting for the movie

Re: # 6

dulla ......

......... it is kind of silly to complain about the `meaningless entertainment`, vulgarity and violence on a few channels when you can switch to the history channel to watch a documentary on waterloo or the animal channel to learn about the mating habits of the platypus or the disney channel to learn about how not to catch a coyote .......

...... and what really bothers me is when some idiot complains about the cooking shows on tv - i don`t think there are enough of them ! ...... the food channel is my favourite - there is nothing more entertaining than watching emeril lagasse go ``bam`` with garlic and the iron chef is much more exciting than a hockey game ........... not to mention that rachel ray is the sexiest woman alive ........

......... there is something horribly mean-spirited, narrow-minded and vulgar about people who want to censor television because it doesn`t meet their prudish standards and offends their values which, more often than not, are based on faith and religion instead of reason .......... why can`t they simply change the channel, or turn off the tv and go back to banging their head on the floor ? ....... personally i find the bearded mullahs speaking in tongues and reciting gibberish in arabic very offensive, but i simply switch the channel and go back to watching baywatch - we all have that choice ........... and choice is a lot more precious than any other `value`

Re: # 6

I have noticed very recently that many Muslims families with little kids and especially of Paksitani descent are increasingly disconnecting their households from the cable and TV altogether. Frankly, it is almost like an epidemic. I am thinking about doing the same. I have to catch up many many books that I have not read because of the idiot box, and promised myself to do so before I die. I have to convince myself that not all books can be converted into a movie. It must feel pleasant getting off the matrix.

Re: # 5

Hamid Sahib. That’s the impression I also got when I last visited Pakistan. Like you, I also believe that exposure to those religious and Quranic TV shows is more harmful to our younger generation than watching some stupid shows.