Page 155 - A Handbook Genre Studies in Mass Media

CHAPTER 6

Most of the people in the audience were hearing the music (and the
ideas contained in the lyrics) for the first time. Hussnia Zahriya, thirty-
three, a Palestinian American, commented, “I thought it was awesome.
I think we need more people like him to get the message out.” 14
Genres actually serve as an indirect form of American propaganda.
Despite international expressions of concerns about American foreign
policy, popular genres create admirers of America’s popular culture.
For instance, since spring 2004 numerous reality shows have begun to
appear on Iraqi television. The series Congratulations!, produced by Al
Sharqiya Iraqi satellite network, helps young, poor couples marry. The
Sumeria network has produced its version of American Idol: Iraq Star.
Journalist Edward Wong observes:

Reality TV could turn out to be the most durable Western import in Iraq.
It has taken root with considerably greater ease than American-style
democracy. The phenomenon is a testament to both the globe-straddling
reach of American popular culture and the ease with which people in
other parts of the world—even those who are hostile toward the United
States—adapt that culture for their own uses. 15

Majid al-Samarraie, the writer of Materials and Labor, agrees: “This is
the only good thing we’ve acquired from the American occupation.” 16
However, in some countries with traditional cultures, there is some
concern that genres that reflect Western culture may undermine their own
value systems. For instance, the Indian version of the game show Who
Wants to Marry a Millionaire (Kaun Banega Crorepati), is watched nightly
by more than 100 million people—particularly in slums such as Bombay’s
Geeta Nagar district, where living conditions are so abominable that there
are only 24 toilets per 6,000 people. By defining success in terms of mate-
rial success in this poor country, there is concern that the program breeds
discontent among the masses. Reporter Barry Bearak observes:

While the Indian masses are wild about [Kaun Banega Crorepati], some
of the intelligentsia have been sniffy. P.C. Joshi, a retired academic, said
he refused to watch the program but had an “instinctive revulsion” to it.
In 1985 Mr. Joshi headed a national commission that warned that careful
controls must be maintained on television programming or Indian culture
would be befouled. 17

In 2004 Saudi Arabia’s top cleric, Grand Mufti Sheik Abdulaziz bin
Abdullah al-Sheik, issued an edict against the Arabic version of the reality

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