Sunday, May 15, 2005

On AZN tv right now

It's Bollywood day today. So they're showing an Indian movie about Pakistani support of Islamic terrorism in India. It's interesting, but very disturbing at the same time. I think it's a good litmus of what the relationship between the countries has been, but it's also unfortunate. The opening song was all about nationalism, and celebration of Mother India. Sounds kinda sweet and nice, but from studying history, I have a real itchy sense of nationalism. It doesn't often lead to good things. When a country decides that it is the best- uber alles, etc.- bad things tend to happen. Remember Anschluss anyone? No, well then look it up. Very unpleasant experience. Led to lots of death, plenty of ugliness and basically a fucked up Europe. So when I watch what appears to be the Indian equivalent of Rambo, it kind of unnerves me a tad. By painting the other nuclear power in the region as the equivalent of evil, good neighborhoods aren't fostered. It's like if we decided that Canada was plotting against us and needed to be hunted down...
Maybe that's the case, but if so- they're being awfully civilized about it. Perhaps it's all happening through the infiltration of their comedians into Hollywood. Culture first via humor- then come the nukes...

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