December 20, 2001

12:00 PM

Muslims blast CNN polling techniques.CNN apologizes and offers up an excuse to justify act. But is poll (1) out of place, (2) unjustified, (3) a fair assignment to get some interesting and/or useful information? (4) an overreaction on the part of those who would control what their children should and should not know and see.
posted by Postroad (20 comments total)

Geez, postroad, you're 0 for 2 in the last two days. Are you taking all the pills in the little white cup? or are you spitting them out after the nurse leaves?
posted by jpoulos at 12:06 PM on December 20, 2001

Yes. Very printfriendly indeed.

It might be wise to learn the diffrence between URL encoded information and POSTed info some day
posted by delmoi at 12:08 PM on December 20, 2001

This is the closest I could find. There's no mention of a poll, but CNN pissed off some Muslims by showing bikini-clad Jennifer Lopez pictures to some kids.
posted by jpoulos at 12:10 PM on December 20, 2001

Delmoi, there's no need to be a dick about it.
posted by jpoulos at 12:11 PM on December 20, 2001

is this what you're discussing?

I saw a bit of the piece on CNN, it WAS obnoxious, "Look what we have in the west! What do you think of this?"
posted by malphigian at 12:12 PM on December 20, 2001

is this what you're discussing?

Yes.

But is poll (1) out of place, (2) unjustified, (3) a fair assignment to get some interesting and/or useful information? (4) an overreaction on the part of those who would control what their children should and should not know and see.

The assumption inherent in these questions is that this actually was a poll and not a candid camera type stunt for the amusment of [american] viewers.
posted by iceberg273 at 12:23 PM on December 20, 2001

CNN suck. that's just plain stupid. how about we take a couple of CNN reporters, show them a parody on WTC and record their reactions? that would make an excellent piece of journalism...
posted by martz at 12:35 PM on December 20, 2001

Lou Dobbs made me do it.
posted by Postroad at 12:51 PM on December 20, 2001

Damn, I endup with my TiVo taping that stupid Newsnight with Aaron Brown thing every night and I 99% of the time just erase it (I started taping it back when then world was in a little more turmoil and I wanted to be able to see the news when I got home without stopping taping Letterman/Kilborn)... Too bad I already erased it from last night.
posted by QrysDonnell at 1:44 PM on December 20, 2001

Or how about we take some French reporters, have them show American schoolchildren pictures of topless women on a French beach and check out their reactions. The reporters would probably get arrested.
posted by bobo123 at 1:53 PM on December 20, 2001

Great analogy, bobo.
posted by jpoulos at 2:27 PM on December 20, 2001

I actually think it's a legitimate, if unorthodox story.

The Taliban were and Muslim terrorists are by their own admission at war with Western culture ... which, for better or worse, does not have a more acute representation (at least in its popular cultural division) than the sexualized-for-display female pop star.

A very signficant strain of the discourse since September 11 has been the effort to distinguish the sentiments of the Muslim people from the sentiments of the Taliban and Muslim terrorists. Claims are made that the people at large abjur violence targetting civilians, abjur the oppression of women, etc.

Showing vividly that an important aspect of the terorist / Taliban motivation is a consequence or exageration of a more broad communal rejection of key elements of Western culture, rather than alien to that community, is a worthwhile contribution to the discourse.
posted by MattD at 2:44 PM on December 20, 2001

Well, I guess it depends on the age of the children really. From the promos I saw I figured they were going to be interviewing teenage types.

Obviously they shouldn't have shown it to school age children. I mean, that is kind of obnoxious. But I doubt the kids will be irreparably harmed by seeing J-Lo's stomach.
posted by delmoi at 3:12 PM on December 20, 2001

As stupid and sensationalism-seeking this journalist was, can we really complain?

Allah forbid we allow these children to gaze upon a woman's exposed navel. I mean, I'm sure its an extreme insult to their "cultural sensibilities". Perhaps he should have stuck to their usual sensory intake of dead bodies, automatic rifles, amputated limbs, religious militias, and subjugated women.

How insensitive of him to willfully "cross the line" and emotionally harm such sheltered children.
posted by trick at 3:17 PM on December 20, 2001

How about (5) Yet another irrelevant poll with no statistical validity or bearing on reality.
posted by ilsa at 4:37 PM on December 20, 2001

New CNN video poll tomorrow...American first graders to be shown pictures of puppy dogs and kitty cats in various states of mutilation, live skinning, and preparation for a lovely Asian family feast!
Don't miss it...sure to be a HOOT!
posted by HTuttle at 4:52 PM on December 20, 2001

But I doubt the kids will be irreparably harmed by seeing J-Lo's stomach.

Consider bobo's analogy. Nor would your average american child be "irreparably harmed" by seeing a naked woman lewdly displaying her genitals. But there's no way that would fly in this country.
posted by jpoulos at 7:21 PM on December 20, 2001

"You have to know what the limits are. That's why I think that all journalists should take courses in Islam - Islam 101." Did'nt we get that on September 11th?
posted by Mack Twain at 8:09 PM on December 20, 2001

Nope.
posted by Mossy at 6:53 AM on December 21, 2001

American first graders to be shown pictures of puppy dogs and kitty cats in various states of mutilation, live skinning, and preparation for a lovely Asian family feast!



Are you saying that is the equivalent of showing some socially repressed children pictures of a beautiful female?



You really should get out more...
posted by eas98 at 7:26 AM on December 21, 2001