Reply #7: I thought I did elaborate [View All]

[Boreas]

There is meaning here and I'll be glad to elaborate a little further.

One has to make a few small leaps here. It was certainly NOT praising the Arab version of American Idol. It elaborated effectively his thesis, the first sentence, that Arab culture is resistant to democracy, and that Arab culture is changing. It was about satellite tv becoming an instrument of the changing Arab culture, for the good, for the possible democratization of the culture.

There is much to despise about American Idol; it is mindless ego posturing that adolescents lap up, ok, most grow out of that. It gives them something else to talk about besides the end of the world. It gets them talking on the most basic level, that's good; they're talking to each other!

Here's the most important sentence in the essay: "In the Arab world, where few can speak freely, let alone vote, satellite TV is becoming a virtual Democracy Wall." If you don't get it, I don't know what else to tell you.