SAT必读演讲·D72/100 The surprising spread of Idol TV

CynthiaSchneiderlooksattwoshowsandthesereality-TVcompetitionsarecreatingintheirsocieties....

Cynthia Schneider studies culture and politics — watching how novels, TV shows and cultural engagement around the globe (and especially within the Muslim world) might lead to political change. She was the US ambassador to the Netherlands from 1998 to 2001.

Why you should listen

Cynthia P. Schneider is a Fellow at the Brookings Institution, where she leads the Arts and Culture Initiative within the Saban Center for Middle East Policy. In her work, she looks at the Muslim world through its cultural products (movies, films, books and shows), and searches for clues to deeper social change.0:11I'd like to ask you, what do these three people have in common? Well, you probably recognize the first person. I'm sure you're all avid "American Idol" watchers. But you might not recognize Aydah Al Jahani, who is a contestant, indeed a finalist, in the Poet of the Millions competition, which is broadcast out of Abu Dhabi, and seen throughout the Arab world. In this contest people have to write and recite original poetry, in the Nabati form of poetry, which is the traditional Bedouin form.And Lima Sahar was a finalist in the Afghan Star singing competition.

0:54Now, before I go any further, yes, I know it all began with "Britain's Got Talent." But my point in discussing this is to show you -- I hope I'll be able to show you how these merit-based competitions, with equal access to everyone, with the winner selected via voting by SMS, are changing tribal societies. And I'm going to focus on Afghanistan and the Arab world with the UAE,how they're changing tribal societies, not by introducing Western ideas, but by being integrated into the language in those places.

1:33It all begins with enjoyment. Video: We are late to watch "Afghan Star." We are going to watch "Afghan Star." We are late. We are running late. We must go to watch "Afghan Star." Cynthia Schneider: These programs are reaching incredibly deeply into society. In Afghanistan, people go to extraordinary lengths to be able to watch this program. And you don't necessarily have to have your own TV set. People watch it all over the country also in public places. But it goes beyond watching,because also, part of this is campaigning. People become so engaged that they have volunteers, just like political volunteers anyway, who fan out over the countryside, campaigning for their candidate. Contestants also put themselves forward.

2:33Now, of course there is a certain degree of ethnic allegiance, but not entirely. Because each year the winner has come from a different tribal group. This has opened up the door, particularly for women.And in the last season there were two women in the finalists. One of them, Lima Sahar, is a Pashtun from Kandahar, a very conservative part of the country. And here she relates, in the documentary film "Afghan Star," how her friends urged her not to do this and told her that she was leaving them for democracy. But she also confides that she knows that members of the Taliban are actually SMS-ing votes in for her.

3:15Aydah Al Jahnani also took risks and put herself out, to compete in the Poet of the Millions competition. I have to say, her husband backed her from the start. But her tribe and family urged her not to compete and were very much against it. But, once she started to win, then they got behind her again. It turns out that competition and winning is a universal human value. And she's out there.Her poetry is about women, and the life of women in society. So just by presenting herself and being in competition with men -- this shows the voting on the program -- it sets a very important example for young women -- these are young women in the audience of the program -- in Abu Dhabi, but also people in the viewing audience.

4:07Now you'd think that "American Idol" would introduce a measure of Americanization. But actually, just the opposite is happening. By using this engaging popular format for traditional, local culture, it actually, in the Gulf, is precipitating a revival of interest in Nabati poetry, also in traditional dress and dance and music. And for Afghanistan, where the Taliban banned music for many years, it is reintroducing their traditional music. They don't sing pop songs, they sing Afghan music. And they also have learned how to lose gracefully, without avenging the winner. (Laughter) No small thing.

4:52And the final, sort of, formulation of this "American Idol" format, which has just appeared in Afghanistan, is a new program called "The Candidate." And in this program, people present policy platforms that are then voted on. Many of them are too young to run for president, but by putting the issues out there, they are influencing the presidential race. So for me, the substance of things unseen is how reality TV is driving reality. Thank you. (Applause)我想问一下大家 以下这三个人有什么共同之处? 你们可能都认得第一位 我相信你们都是"美国偶像"的忠实观众 你们也许不认识Aydah Al Jahani 她是一位参赛选手，实际上 她是“百万诗人”比赛的决赛选手 这档节目不仅在阿卜杜比播出 在整个阿拉伯世界都有观众 这个比赛 要求选手创作并朗诵 原创诗歌，且为纳巴蒂体 这是一种传统的贝都因部落的诗歌形式 Lima Sahar也是一位决赛选手 她参加的是"阿富汗之星"歌唱比赛

0:54在我继续之前 是的，我知道"英国达人"是此类节目的鼻祖 但我所说的重点 是想向大家说明-- 希望我可以讲清楚 这些比拼才艺的竞赛 人人均可参与 通过短信投票选出胜者 它们如何改变部落社会 我将以阿富汗 和阿拉伯世界的阿联酋为例 他们改变部落社会的方法 并不是通过引入西方思想 而是通过融合各部落的语言

1:33一切以娱乐开始 我们来不及看"阿富汗之星"了 我们要看"阿富汗之星" 已经晚了 我们要晚了 我们一定要去看"阿富汗之星" 这些节目已经深入人心 在阿富汗，人们不远数里 为了能够看到这个节目 自家没有电视也没有关系 全国上下都在收看这一节目 甚至在公共场所都有得看 但不仅仅是观看这么简单 因为，其中的一部分 是拉选票 人人参与 甚至还有志愿者，类似政治选举的志愿者 他们跑遍全国上下 为他们支持的选手拉票 选手们也主动推销自己

2:33当然，一些人只把选票投给来自本地区的选手，但并非完全如此 因为每年的冠军都来自不同的部落 谁都可以报名参赛 尤其是对于女性来说 上一个赛季，有两位女选手闯入了决赛 其中一位的Lima Sahar是普什图族人，来自坎大哈 一个非常保守的地区 在"阿富汗之星"的记录片中，她告诉我们 她的朋友们劝她不要参赛 说她为了民主背离了他们 但同时她透露 她知道有塔利班基地组织成员 发短信为她投票

3:15Aydah Al Jahnani也是冒风险 去参加 “百万诗人”的比赛 我必须说，她的丈夫从一开始就支持她 但是她的部落和家庭都不支持 甚至极力反对她参加 但当她开始赢得比赛时 他们就开始支持她了 看来竞争和好胜是全人类的价值取向 她参加比赛 写的诗歌是关于女性 以及社会中妇女生活情况的 仅仅通过展现自己和男性同台竞技 从节目的投票结果可以看出 她为年轻女性做出了很好的榜样 节目观众中有年轻女性 在阿卜杜比，还有电视机前的观众

4:07你们可能认为"美国偶像" 会带来美国化的潮流 但事实却恰恰相反 通过全民动员的形式 弘扬传统本土文化 实际上促使海湾地区人民 重拾对纳巴蒂体诗歌的关注 传统服饰、舞蹈、音乐也开始得到复兴 在阿富汗 塔利班管制音乐已多年 这个活动重新向人们介绍了他们的传统音乐 他们不唱流行歌曲 他们唱阿富汗民歌 他们也开始学会体面地接受失败 而不是对胜出者进行报复 (笑声) 样样都很重要

4:52最后，一种 终极版的“美国偶像”形式的节目 在阿富汗新鲜出炉 这档节目叫做“候选人” 在节目中，人们提出 政策主张，然后进行投票 虽然许多参赛选手太年轻，不能竞选总统 但通过提出提议 他们影响着总统竞选 对我来说，潜在的意义是 看真人秀节目如何影响现实 谢谢 （掌声）

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