Arabic Culture and TV Programs - Essay Example

 This paper is a discussion comparing the influence Arab and American TV programming have on shaping the cultural practices of these two groups.

One of the main issues that TV in programs, in the Arab world, focuses on is the conservative dress code, while in America, is dressing fashionably. Women who feature on TV in the Arab world in most cases put on veils, which cover their whole body and some parts of the head. The women in the Arab world, in turn, are influenced to continue with the conventional mode of dressing. Contrary to the Arab world, women who feature in TV programs, in America, embrace the culture of dressing according to the current fashion. This translates to society in that women copy the latest mode of dressing they watched on TV. TV programs have a great influence on fashion and cultural trends while in the Arab world, TV programs do not influence fashion because of their conservative nature (Monaco 15).

The other issue that can be compared in TV in the Arab world and America is the portrayal of freedom. It is evident that a lot of TV programs in America portray satire and irony, and at the same time, the themes are against government policies. People watching TV in America enjoy a sense of mental and intellectual freedom; this is because they can watch many programs that are critical of the government without being victimized by the government. Watching programs that are satirical to the government in America has made people mentally free, and that is why there is democracy in America. However, people watching TV programs in most countries of the Arab world are not mentally free due to governments’ control of most of the content to be watched. Satirical programs, which can instill mental freedom in individuals and address the ill-nature of the governments, are limited to the Arab world. This fact has seen to it that people living in the Arab are under dictatorship governments (Monaco 17).  

TV programs in the Arab world are conservative in that the programs do not portray a wide range of sexual depictions or uncomfortable acts, which makes it unsuitable for a whole family to watch it together. Watching TV programs together has enhanced family cohesion in the Arab world. However, in America TV programs have transitioned in a manner that a lot of programs appeal to only a specific age bracket in society. It is hard for a family to sit down and watch a program without being uncomfortable with its depictions. As a result of the above fact, family cohesion is weak in American Society (Monaco 20).