Afghan Woes

 Over the weekend, I watched BBC news.  They came to a new topic over the Taliban and Afghanistan....relating to TV productions.

After some review, the Taliban concluded that there was no decency in TV productions.  So there are some new rules.

1.  Foreign films shown on Afghan TV (Rambo for example), can't be shown, if they promote foreign lifestyles/cultures. Depending on how you interpret this.....about 90-percent of what used to be on Afghan TV.....can no longer be shown.  Alice in Wonderland, Little Shop of Horrors, Three Amigos.....out.  

2.  Any kind of show which might in some way....insult Islam....is forbidden.  

3.  Any show/movie which might show a bit of a guy's chest...is forbidden.  

4.  Any show/movie with women in a leading role....is forbidden.  It's ok to show them in the background, or demonstrate a woman preparing a meal for the husband.  Beyond that....no women in primary roles.

What'll happen to the TV networks?  I'm guessing that they will go to mostly scripted shows where Muhammad-Joe has transmission problems, and discusses this with Muhammad-Bob.  Or you might have four guys building a house, and discussing roofing strategies for an hour.  Or you might have a farmer discussing his foot fungus problem.

In simple terms....the DVD business is going to erupt and folks will be quietly renting the entire season of Amish Mafia, or the five Rambo movies.  

About a year or two into this....various Taliban members will comment to the top guy....it's just pretty boring at night....no one wants to watch three guys spend an hour cleaning rifles, or watch some 80-year-old guy tell one of his six snake stories over and over.

The senior Taliban guy will tell them to just shut up, and quietly go back to watching his 1982 DVD set of the Dynasty series.  He thinks that Joan Collins is 'hot'.