Collection Box for the Back of My Mind
Nokia’s in-house cultural anthropologist, Jan Chipchase, returns to Kabul and finds porn bootlegs for sale. Only a year ago, the stalls were stocked with, “Bollywood films, warlord showreels and the odd action flick.”
Chipchase writes, “It’s worth bearing in mind the 180 degree turn of events - under the Taliban the female form was removed from public view with hair shampoo packaging had female faces scratched out lest it drive the hot-blooded male to distraction.”
But the question he raises next could be more pertinent:
For many local males their primary/only contact with western foreign women will be through their experiences with pornography and other media. Ditto males and their experiences with action movies. How does this shift affect their view of the occupying/liberateing/stabilising forces currently in their country?
(His emphasis, Via Future Perfect)
