Funhouse Mirrors and Singing Crocodiles
I put a satellite dish on top of the house a few years back. After a few days and the help of some friends I got things going.
What I’m working on is called “Free To Air” satellite — that is, channels that haven’t been scrambled. While most common cable channels are scrambled, many interesting radio and TV stations can be seen just by putting up a dish for free. This certainly isn’t yet another sports channel and endless reality TV by C-list celebs. While I can get a number of professional ball games (sometimes in HD that would shame the local cable companies), it’s far more fun to watch camel races from Abu Dhabi and game shows from Asia.
(Before I get too much farther, please realize that I don’t mean “interesting” in the way most Minnesotans mean it. It seems “interesting” is Minnesotan for “weird,” “bad,” and usually “wow, that was terrible, but I’m from Minnesota and we’re nice, so I’ll refrain from calling it that.” When I say “interesting,” I mean it.)
Anyway, there are numerous religious channels for free. Protestantism, Catholicism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Scientology all show up in one form or another. After watching some of the Buddhist and Christian channels, I’m convinced that any religion is going to look silly and incomplete on television. If you want an honest view of Christianity, please do not turn on the TV. If you want a good view of Buddhism, please don’t take a celebrity’s word on the matter. And if you want a view on obscure Jewish sects, for the love of Metatron please don’t ask Britney Spears.
The question of whether or not TV reflects or changes culture has been raging for decades. Personally, I believe the TV is a fun-house mirror, and those that spend too much time admiring what they see won’t be able to view the real world rationally. Those who look will, even if temporarily, forget they are looking at a distorted mirror. Those who hope their religion will be well-represented should not get their hopes up. You can’t take a tradition that includes thousands of years’ worth of text and ritual and expect it to translate well into a medium that is primarily used for entertainment. And TV is entertainment, right down to the words chosen by a script writer and the self-grooming an anchor does seconds before he goes on the air (another fun facet of owning an FTA dish — you get to watch unedited “live” news reports). Even that which is not meant to entertain must still conform to the standards of an entertainment medium. Few downright ugly TV preachers exist, and — as I learned recently — the Buddhist monks and the Scientology peddlers always have a welcoming and encouraging smile on TV as well.
Anyway, the picture on the top is from Dhammakaya TV, which is from a Buddhist temple in Thailand. They have a little broken English now and then which is quite nice, but they still haven’t explained why singing crocodiles in drag pop up now and then during speeches by monks. Anyone with knowledge in Southeastern Asian languages is invited to help me out, since I’m at a loss. Check out the site at the link above; the little “animated” videos are worth the time alone. Here’s one in English, though what dressing up as Jessie from Toy Story and the old west have to do with meditation I do not know, but enjoy:
