CNN and European politics - How NOT to cover the situation in Ukraine

Lately I have been following closely the situation in Ukraine in the media. It has as much been a lesson in Eastern-European/European politics as it has been a lesson in media criticism. I am a news junkie and typically when I read news I read newspapers and websites in both English and in my native language. I also read from various web resources as I find it important to get the news from several perspectives. I mostly read BBC, CNN and NBC and Al-Jazeera in English. However, lately I have found that CNN's coverage of the situation is Ukraine has been incredibly bad. It has been vastly historically inaccurate, overly simplified, ignorant of historical and cultural factors at play and very diminishing towards Ukraine. It has been woefully unprofessional and badly done.

There are several things which I would like to make clear about how wrong they are, especially in regards to a certain article - this opinion on CNN - which is absolutely terrible. So settle in because I am about to go politically European on y'all.

1)First of all, Europe is not an unknowable mass or the same country - it is an entire continent with many complicated factors involved. 

Europe is not a single mass of countries, it is an entire and vibrant continent of around 50 countries - each of them different from each other and each with their own culture, history, language, geography and feelings towards Europe/EU. There are a lot of cultural and historical factors at play in Europe and European culture. There is an uneasy balance as some countries share more common history and heritage than others, some countries are more at odds with each other and the relationships between countries are different. Each country has a different perception of Europe and what it means to be a European. It is not a simple black/white picture but instead a very complicated one. It is not the benevolent West versus the Evil East. There is no evil Russian/old Soviet Union versus the good EU/EFTA/Any country west of Poland. It is so much more complicated than that. Believe me, I am a staunch European that has lived here my whole life and there are still so many things I am learning.

2)The situation in Ukraine does not in any way threaten the independence of other European countries and certainly not the independence of the USA.

Anyone who gets this idea knows nothing about European politics. To begin with, European countries are masters at being empires and colonizing others - Italy, Spain, Germany, France, Belgium, Portugal and Britain being the biggest culprits. All of these countries have throughout history been independent. In fact, they have all at one point or the other dominated European culture and still do. These are European powers that have never been threatened by Russia (instead they threaten others... ) And, none of them were a part of the Soviet Union. So their independence is not in any way threatened by the situation right now. The same goes for the Nordic countries. Aside from Finland. Some were independent from the beginning and others were under the rule of other Nordic countries but have been independent since the early 20th century. None of the Nordic countries has ever been threatened by the Soviet Union/Russia and it continues to this day. To suggest otherwise is mad.

Russia does not rule the roost in Europe - if anything the European Union does and trust me, they are strong and will not go down. Many countries in Europe have never been under the threat from Russia and that isn't going to change. There are so many factors at play and considering the control and power the EU has, no one dares go against it. So no, in no way is the independence of my own Nordic country threatened by this. Neither is the independence of Portugal, Spain, The Netherlands et cetera.

And let's not even begin with the US. Who in the world gets the idea that USA's independence is being threatened? I mean, USA is the most domineering and leading country of power in the world today. There is no possible way that Russia will go against it like the article assumes. Not when USA is the world's leading military power as well.

3)It's about Ukraine and the people's rights for a better future, not about the USA.

I am going to be honest - I am so bugged and annoyed that the author of the article turned it into a simpering article about the USA, how everything is at stake for the USA in this. Therefore, they should care about it, not because Ukrainians are fellow human beings but NO - because it potentially (in some arbitrary and strange sense) harm USA. I mean seriously! 

USA has done a lot for Europe - no argument there. As a country is has done a lot for European countries and sacrificed a lot and believe me, we are thankful for it. I mean, really thankful. But the fight in Ukraine right now is not about the USA, it is not about the independence of other European countries - it is about the fight of a nation that has been to hell and back and suffered a lot. It is about people claiming their rights to live in more safety, better economic prosperity and the right to belong to Europe in more ways than geographically. It is about Ukraine, through and through. And let's keep the focus on that.

Having said all this I urge whoever comes across this blog to ignore CNN and their coverage on the topic and instead read BBC. I find it provides by far the best coverage. Read about Ukraine, read about the subject and keep yourself educated. But most importantly, ignore CNN!

The Soviet union, Ukraine and NCIS:LA

This post will be political. I have been following closely the political situation in the beautiful country of Ukraine over the past few days and I've discusses both with friends and family. It has given me much to think about, especially in terms of European politics and what the political situation in Ukraine means for Europe in general. And as I've thought this through, my mind inevitably passed to NCIS:LA and their treatment of the USSR.

I'll attempt to provide some background for those that read this blog but have not followed the political situation in the news. Ukraine is a European country situated in Eastern-Europe. Geographically it belongs to Europe but culturally and politically the situation is more complicated. Ukraine has been through a lot as a country over the centuries but the 20th century was exceptionally bad.  It was a part of the USSR during the 20th century and was during that time like other Eastern-European countries in terrible circumstances. The USSR did not treat anyone kindly.It has only been truly independent since 1991, ever since the USSR dissolved. Due to the close proximity to Russia and having been a part of it for a long time, Ukraine shares a lot of political, historical and cultural ties with it and more so than with Western-Europe. As a country, Russia has always been in many ways the antithesis to Western-Europe, both in terms of culture, politics and history, and it continuous to be so to an extent today. And it seems it that even if the USSR has dissolved, Russia still tries to exert control over it's former countries. And that is what has happened in Ukraine.

In Ukraine, many people are now looking towards Western-Europe and in particular the European Union for collaboration. The Soviet Union exists no longer and they want to move from it and establish a different Ukraine. And a part of that is moving away from Russia and its influences. One German official said that (paraphrased): 'The hearts of the demonstrators beat with a European beat' - what he is referencing is that many Ukrainians now want to move away from the Russian influence and belong to Europe not only geographically but also gain more proximity culturally and economically. That does not mean cutting all ties with Russia but it means a change and the right for Ukraine to carve out its own niche in Europe as a country. Ukraine was going to sign a collaboration agreement with the EU that would benefit them economically. However, the president backed out at the last moment, many believe due to influence from the Russian government. Russia was not keen on Ukraine signing the agreement and was encouraging them to sign an agreement with Russia and Kazakhstan instead. 

This rightfully angered many people and they have been protesting ever since. They protest that Ukraine is no longer a part of the USSR and they should not be coerced by Russia and kept away from making their own decisions on what would best benefit their country. They want to become a part Europe. I want to make it clear that Ukraine has always been a part of Europe geographically but the cultural and historical factors at play have in many ways isolated it from Western-Europe and the European Union. There are plenty of countries in Western and Northern Europe that do not belong to the EU but they still enjoy the benefits of the collaborations it offers and take advantage of it. Belonging to the EU is not a prerequisite of belonging to Europe in more ways than geographically in Western-Europe. But it seems to be in Eastern-Europe. I know people want this to change. I as well as everyone I know want this to change for Ukraine and we support them in their protests. We want them to have the chance to decide what is best for themselves on their own and we want them to be able to participate in the many things Europe and the EU offers. As I follow the protests, I truly hope they can get what they want and rightfully deserve.

And how does this tie all in wit NCIS:LA?

I have covered here so many times how strangely NCIS:LA deals with the USSR and Russia and how the wrong the image they present is. One would think from their coverage that the only thing the USSR ever did was to produce nuclear weapons and threaten America. But what history shows and the political events that are taking place right now is that the reality is so much more complicated than that. The USSR first and foremost affected and hurt countries within Europe. What happened after it dissolved and how the situation has played out has happened strictly within Eastern-Europe. It are Eastern-European countries that suffered the most and have had the most to deal with and work out. I encourage all readers to look into the fight for independence in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia and read about how the USSR changed their countries and how they shape their identity and culture now. It is fascinating and sobering to learn about.

My point is this: I am well aware of that TV is not meant to be a political commentary and that the way in which it presents reality is skewed. NCIS:LA is a prime example of a show that changes and plays around with reality. I am well aware of the fact that what NCIS:LA presents is not meant to be an accurate view of reality and that they expect their viewers and allude to them the sense of knowing so. But that does not change the fact that history, reality, culture, politics are always so much more complicated than TV makes them out to be and it is important that people know that. I encourage all that read this blog to look beyond the simple, superficial way in which things are presented  on TV and instead look into reality. Granted, it is challenging and it may change the way you think but I find it to be more than worth the while. It makes you view media in a different way and value things differently.

(And never to trust NCIS:LA's opinion of Russia/Eastern-Europe)

Dear NCIS:LA - there is nothing fascinating about force-feeding and gulags are not lovely

NCIS:LA has managed it again. I am pretty much speechless with what's been said in the past two episodes. In my opinion it goes well beyond all boundaries of decency into being despicable.

In the last episode 5x08 the NCIS:LA characters threatened a suspect with possibly sending him to Guantanamo. They speculated they would need to send him there for his own protection. And then there came the ultimate kicker line: "I hear force feeding is fascinating!" in a sarcastic tone

I am at a loss here. Guantanamo bay as a prison is a serious human rights violations. Deathly, utterly serious violation. Force feeding is a form of despicable torture.
These are serious matters that need to be discussed, people need to be aware of. Many people are campaigning against Gitmo and this use of torture and actively fighting against it.
So why on earth did NCIS:LA decide it was okay to reference it in this way? No one would dream of calling the gas chambers in Bergen-Belsen 'fascinating' or slavery 'an interesting experience'. Because doing so is highly disrespectful, indecent and insensitive. It would be beyond any boundaries of civility. So why on earth is it then okay that force feeding referred to as fascinating, even if it is in a sarcastic tone?
I love sarcasm, I really do but there are boundaries to the ways in which it can be used - and in this case it did not work. It was just despicable and a low for the show.

And today's episode did not improve on anything. Russia was yet again the enemy and they breezily broke into the house of a Russian consulate as if it's the easiest thing in the world to do and even if, according to Granger, it damaged the already precarious relationship between US and Russia. And there was of course a reference to the Cold War being far from over apparently. And it seems Russians are still obsessed with using nuclear weapons on USA. And NCIS:LA gets less than zero points in managing international relations.
I am starting to debate whether the NCIS:LA universe is still stuck in the eighties while the rest of the world (Europe at least) has long since moved on. The Cold War ended in 1989, there was a historic meeting in the 1980's in Reykjavik between Reagan and Gorbachev which change the course of the war. It's been 24 years since it ended and yet, the powers that be NCIS:LA continue using it as a plot point, recycling over and over again the plot of Russians trying to get their hands on nuclear weapons and wanting to attack USA. It gets old, stereotypical and displays a serious lack of creativity.

And the kicker was that when they decided to infiltrate the Russian consulate they discussed they might face criminal charges or be expedited. And then there came two of the quite possibly worst lines ever to be heard on the show:

"I have never been to Russia"
"I hear the gulags are lovely this time of year"

Gulags are not something to joke about. Never ever. They were prison labour camps during Stalin's reign. These were terrible, horrible camps akin to the Holocaust camps were people were systematically tortured and killed. Millions of people were wiped out in these camps, millions were sent to them for no other cause than being Jewish, being educated, being from the Baltic country, even just being alive was a sin. They were used as a serious form of political oppression. I have read stories from these camps on my own and it left me shivering, sad, terrified. It is a tragic and horrible part of Russian and Eastern-European history.

So I have to ask? Why on earth does NCIS:LA then think it's okay to reference those things as being lovely, even if it's sarcastic. I've said it once and I am saying it again: No one refers to the Holocaust in this way, or slavery, or genocide. So why is it then okay to refer to the Gulags? There was practiced a form of genocide, systematic killing of people. It is estimated that over 20 million people were killed there. Let it sink in, over 20 million. And yet it is used flippantly.

What I am questioning here is the way in which serious human rights violations both contemporary and historical are treated and referenced on TV. There have got to be some boundaries to this and in my opinion NCIS:LA as a show has overstepped it. I firmly believe that historical events such as the gulags need to be dealt with, discussed, taught about, learned from. But they should never ever be referenced lightly or be joked about. Never. It is as simple as that.

And I hope I'll never hear things like this on NCIS:LA again.

(If people want to learn about the gulags, my favorite fictional book about is 'Between shades of grey' - it's a book that changed my life.)

NCIS:LA - The grand Europe edition

I have frequently written about NCIS:LA's seeming obsession with European bad guys, particularly Russian, French and German with a good dash of Eastern-European thrown in like Serbia, Romania, Ukraine, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Chechnya and other countries. I have also covered how their less than smooth approach to German and Russian history and the cultural and historical factors at play in Europe. Watching NCIS:LA is sometimes equal part fascinating and horrifying in this regard.
As I have thought this through, many things have crossed my mind so I've decided to do a one massive post dedicated to NCIS:LA and their strange fascination with Central and Eastern Europe.

What about the North and South?
The thing is this: Northern and Southern Europe have been been left out of the picture pretty much entirely. They have made passing mentions about Iceland, Sweden and Norway but Finland and Denmark have never been mentioned. And the times they've mention Nordic countries it has been in good jest - Something called the Swedish handoff (what it is is beyond me), Sam's determination to visit Iceland and Deeks's Norwegian ancestry.
I do not remember a single mention of Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Malta or any of the other Mediterranean countries in the series, except perhaps naming their main cities in passing.
My guess as to why these areas are left out is at that none of these countries have ever engaged in negative communication with America so it'd be really difficult to come up with and justify a believable plot involving these countries and the question of national security.

What makes Central Europe so interesting?
NCIS:LA has this weird obsession with French and German bad guys, Janvier and the evil guy from the season 2, two-parter being the most notable one's. And I have yet to figure out a plausible reason for why they are so obsessed with these two countries. I get having a French and German villain every once in a while but NCIS:LA includes it so often it has stopped being a coincidence, rather it seems they like the idea of Central European bad guys. France and Germany both have terrible and bad things in their past in regards to oppressing other people, colonizing, Nazi, WWI and WWII , the cold war and many other things. But their activities have generally been concentrated on Europe and Africa, not America. So I find it rather strange that the French/German villains would always be aiming for America in the show when it is far more likely they'd be concentrating their efforts within Europe or Africa. I wouldn't mind if NCIS:LA would one day explain the motivation of their French and German evil guys.

What is up with the obsession of Eastern-Europe?
NCIS:LA has a mad love for Eastern-European villains. Practically every single episode involves a least one Eastern-European villain and there is almost always a Russian involved. One can always count one NCIS:LA delivering more than enough Eastern-Europeans plotting evil deeds and attempting to do one scandal or the other. Yet, their motivation is never explained and only once have they featured a normal Eastern-European and shown the team working with someone from Eastern-Europe that is on their side, even then said character was Chechen and a former soldier. NCIS:LA seems to me to be so sold on the idea of the evil Russian/Eastern-European person that it leaves little room for actual character development for such characters, explaining their motivation or even attempting to feature them as more than evil villains set on threatening national security.

It seems to me that for a show like NCIS:LA which is often bursting at the seams with creativity, always going for the same kind of villain gets boring and dull and diminishes what the show is capable of, not to mention employing outdated and unfair stereotypes of people which serve no purpose.

New and fresh ideas involving Europe!
In order to take the focus from Eastern-Europe I propose two ideas that involve different European countries than NCIS:LA has used before and I have never come across plots like that in other shows. Can you say Jackpot?

Why not future Scandinavian enemies? Or better yet, have a band on European villains that all come from tiny European countries, that have the common goal to prove to America that little countries can hold power as well. I am thinking along the lines of having Malta, Iceland, Faroese Islands, Luxemburg, Lichtenstein, San Marino and all other small European countries unite to create a bigger European power

Current issues NCIS:LA could deal with concerning Europe - that is if they want to go down the road of political commentary
-Spain and Britain are fighting over to whom the country Gibraltar belongs, it is a part of Spain geographically but belongs to Britain as a colony and the issue is causing friction at the moment.
-The situation of Roma people in Europe - the biggest disgrace here at the moment and a very complex and sensitive matter but one that needs to be discussed
-Economic crisis - take your pick, most countries are suffering terribly
-The Golden Dawn party in Greece and the effects of the economic crisis there and the rise of Neo-Nazism there.

The biggest issue at the moment is the fact that NSA likely spied on many European leaders and on the public in countries like Spain and Germany. To say people are mad here would be the understatement of the century. Try something more along the lines of absolutely furious. This issue is highly complex and does not help relation between European countries or America. NCIS:LA is notorious for how easily it spies on people so I am honestly very interested in seeing how they would deal with this issue. NCIS:LA regularly takes on issues that concern spying and the battle against terrorism with varying degrees of success but I would like to see their take on this. I do hope they will cover it.

My best posts concerning the issue for those too lazy to scroll through the blog

NCIS:LA - look on foreign policy
Implications of the focus on Russia in NCIS:LA
Implicating history - sensitivity is needed
European stereotypes on TV
The continent syndrome - European edition

And with this long and enjoyable post I hope I've covered all bases. If not I will strike back with a vengeance. 

'Welcome to Sweden' comedy coming up - 'TV matters and me' approved!

I just found this out and I am so excited I am grinning from ear to ear.

NBC acquires comedy 'Welcome to Sweden'

I mean it is a combination of some of my favorite things: Nordic countries and culture, good humour, cross-cultural communication and international cooperation. The series will be shot in New York, Los Angeles and Sweden and will be based on Greg Poehler's real life experience of falling in love with a Swedish woman and moving to Sweden. The cast and crew will be both American and Swedish.

I am honestly very excited about this - it'll be so interesting to see how they will work out the dynamics of the show and how the cross-cultural communication and adjusting will go. And it'll be interesting to see how Sweden and Swedish culture will be represented - the language, the health care, the literature, the beautiful countryside and everything else. And of course, they're gonna have to poke in some other Nordic references as well. I am also looking forward to seeing how they will deal with the main character's cultural adjustment to Swedish society. I have a feeling it'll be a blast.

But most of all, I am more than excited to see how the cooperation between the American and Swedish producers, actors, cast and crew will go. I think it'll create a very interesting and creative dynamic. I am all in for international cooperation and I got a feeling this production will be in good hands. TV is a very creative medium and so much is happening in the TV world right now, on both sides of the Atlantic. Nordic TV industry is booming at the moment. It seems that TV shows can get very narcissistic and focused on their own cultural area. So this will provide some great creative opportunity and bring together two very different but equally invigorating TV worlds.

I am well aware off that this can go wrong. Believe me, I have enough distrust as it is towards anything Hollywood attempts to recreate that is European in origin. In fact I distrust anything that includes remotely European elements when it is in the hands of Hollywood. Yes, I am the cynical European but honestly, generally those things go down the drain. The vast amount of historical and cultural inaccuracies, cultural approbation and what not that have the potential of being made.

However I believe this will be different. It will be based on cooperation between two countries and will be based on real-life experience. So I am feeling quite optimistic about it. One can never get enough of good humour and all and anything Nordic.

So I am looking forward to seeing how this will develop! So consider it 'TV matters and me' approved by a highly egotistical and overly proud Nordic.

PS. - I'll be waiting eagerly for the day they introduce Eurovision and Abba - two of Sweden's favorite things.

Seasons Premiers - TV Matters and Me Opinion Column 102

After seeing that my post about the NCIS:LA finale last season has become my most read post for some odd reason I decided I needed to cover the season premieres - so settle in!

NCIS:LA - Well.. I am happy to report that they managed to redeem themselves. The season premiere was certainly not without its faults but it was a definite improvement on the finale. It was amped up NCIS:LA but it was not on steroids thankfully. All in all I was impressed. What I enjoyed by far the most was how vulnerable everyone was and the way the feelings came across the scene. Rarely, if ever, have I seen the characters so jarred and pained. I have to hand it to the actors that they all did a frigging amazing job - especially portraying emotional vulnerability and difficult feelings. But what surprised me most was the depth by which Sam Hanna was portrayed and how he behaved throughout the episode. I did not expect it to be honest and getting such a good exposure of the character' vulnerable side was wonderful. Never has Sam been so human. For me, the star of that episode was LL Cool J hands down - he did an incredible job with Sam. If this continues, the series will be on a roll. 

I do have a special post coming up however covering how spectacularly badly they portrayed Deeks's oral trauma. As someone that has been through oral trauma after surgery I am well versed on the subject. 

NCIS - All in all the premiere was excellent. It wasn't particularly exciting but the story line had some crazy twists and turns I was all over trying to discover. Most of all it was pure NCIS and I loved that. I do admit it was strange not to see Ziva there though. All the characters returned in their glory but I most enjoyed seeing Palmer and Ducky interact. These two are such a wonderful pair and keep me laughing all the time. It seems this season will be taking some good twists and turns and I am looking forward to seeing the new agent Emily Bishop, I've got a feeling she will be lovely. And of course the actors were good - I mean it's NCIS!

Castle - The best premiere hands down. It was sooooo good. I was glued to the screen the second it started and stayed glued till the end. The plot was tight and controlled and superbly exciting. I mean it was the perfect Castle - wit, humor, nail-biting action, tension and incredible character interactions. And I absolutely enjoyed the twist of Beckett being a federal agent. It felt quite natural and it displayed a new side of the character. I honestly really liked that part in the episode. It will be good to see Beckett at the precinct again but they did this bit incredibly well. I instantly liked all the agent characters. And I have to mention Lisa Edelstein as Rachel McCord - she was amazing! I enjoyed the character so much. She was a nice mix of spunk and professionalism. She reminded me of Alex Blake on Criminal Minds who is a character I really enjoy and I enjoyed her and Beckett's interaction. So nice to see two professional women working together.

And yes, I grinned like an idiot when Beckett got engaged to Castle. I mean!!!!!

Parks and Recreation - To be honest - this was not a good episode. Considering the incredibly high standards Parks and Rec has set for itself, the premiere fell really short of it. I do not think I've ever before been bored before while watching or even offended. But I was both. I mean, the premiere had some good points but mostly it was just really thin - the only interactions I liked were Andy and the British gentleman and Leslie interacting with Ulee. Leslie somehow did not feel like Leslie in the episode. I personally found it incredulous she would stoop so low as to help a woman remove slugs from her lawn. Leslie has always been portrayed as being a woman of great self-respect and dignity and responding to people's petty demands did not feel like the character at all. Doing this just to stay in office just did not feel right. Leslie as a character is not a doormat in the slightest so I found this strange. 

Somehow all the characters felt off in one way or the other. Even Gerry and Donna.

But the worst example was Ron. It is common knowledge that Ron dislikes Europe and I have enjoyed that tidbit about him. When praise of Europe can often be so senseless it is a refreshing thing. But what I did not expect was Ron's behavior in the episode. I was honestly surprised at how disrespectful they portrayed him to be towards Britain and European culture. I mean, he refused to use pounds and insisted on using dollars as the finest money there was, talked about the 'stench of European socialism' and referred regularly to 'the godforsaken continent' and referring to everything before 1776 as rough draft instead of history - to me, this is not funny at all, instead it played really badly on a stereotype of the American traveler that can not handle anything European and insists on everything being like in America. Something which really frustrates Europeans. I get the point that Ron Swanson does not like Europe and I am fine with that - I enjoy how they poke fun at Europe regularly. But what irked me was how disrespectful Ron came across. He has been portrayed as someone that values education and is respectful towards people so this shift in his character was not something I enjoyed.

Parks and Rec has never before relied on stereotypes and it is something I really enjoy about the show. So I hope this is just a hiccup and that Parks and Rec will return in all its glory this week. 

So all in all - I enjoyed the majority of the premieres. There were some bad moments but on the whole, they returned with a bang. 

So stay tuned!

European stereotypes on TV - reflection on being European

This has been on my mind somewhat for the past few days. I have been doing a lot of thinking about stereotypes and racism in media and how it intersects with racial issues and prejudice in general. I might be wrong but the conclusion I have arrived at is at that when people of racial minority (other races than white in American/European media) are mocked in media it is a case of racism, when minority groups such as women, LGBT, Muslim, Jewish, single parents, immigrants are mocked it is a case of prejudice. In both cases, stereotypes are generously involved. But in these two groups racial issues and minority issues intersect.

But it got me thinking, in cases of white people being mocked in media, what is then used? Because that does happen - there are times when I watch TV when I feel like grinding my teeth which the stereotypes that are being used. In such cases, the focus of the mockery often becomes perceived stereotypical notions of people based on their nationality and background.

Before I am going to have someone throw torches at me for writing about this, I'd like to point out this is something that does happen. As I focus on American media here, my specific annoyance arises from the way in which Europeans are often portrayed on TV. Yes, I am aware that Europeans are generally perceived to be the most economically advantaged people in the world and they do have certain racial privileges based on the fact that they are Caucasian and the culture is considered 'better' than culture in other parts of the world. But that has not stopped great poverty from arising, economical disasters from happening Europeans from hating each other and employing genocide as a vehicle to get rid of people that are in some way 'wrong' (concentrated within Europe) and attempting to take over the world with disastrous results. European history and communication is in short, a complete and utter mess. I am proud to be European but at the same time, it feels conflicting. I love where I come from but at the same time I get so angry when I realize how badly people have been treated here and the incredible extent of the damage Europeans have done throughout the world. The continent is a royal mess. But despite the complicated mess there are some incredible and delightful things in between and little secrets to discover and respect. Europe is a mess but there are jewels hidden in between. Not to mention one important thing - Europe is an entire continent with 48 countries and millions of people; that naturally leads to great diversity of culture and religions so there is no one European identity, instead there are many. My Nordic view is but one of millions.

Therefore, I so much dislike it when I see all the stereotypes that are being used of Europeans, especially in regards to sensitive cultural matters, behavior and history. There is no middle ground. Either, Western-Europeans are portrayed as being the cream of the crop and the world's coolest people that come from a superb culture and speak with  British aceent. Or the other way, all Europeans (no matter where they come from) are portrayed as being mad hooligans. In both cases in terms of stereotypes. Not all Europeans are mad hooligans and in no way are Western-Europeans the cream of the crop. I especially as people to take notice of the fact that I refer specifically to Western European countries, namely U.K., Ireland, France, Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland. The rest of Europeans are represented by employing offensive stereotypes. Northern-Europeans are either superbly sexy Vikings or serious country bumpkins with no knowledge of the world, Southern-Europeans are all sexy and exotic and ride on scooters saying 'ciao' and Eastern-Europeans are just plain mad with thick and heavy accents and are all communists. Oh, and either all Europeans speak with a British accent, with an Eastern-European accent or speak no English at all. I find that hilarious.

So why am I covering this? I am looking at you NCIS:Los Angeles and your senseless use of the 'mad' Russian stereotype, along with some French and German thrown in just for the heck of it. NCIS and Castle have largely escaped employing those stereotypes but NCIS:LA seems to have the personal agenda of employing as many stereotypes as possible of Europeans (I have covered this in some detail). As I have stated in another blog-post, NCIS:LA has blessedly so far restrained itself from employing Northern/Southern European stereotypes and will hopefully continue to do so. But it sure keeps the material coming and keeps my teeth grinding with annoyance. But NCIS:LA is not the only show to blame, tons of shows employ stereotypes with glee.

I know many will argue that using stereotypes of white people is not bad as they are not a minority in any way and I am fretting over little things. And in a way I am. But as someone that dislikes stereotypes more than anything this is something I want to bring attention to.

And to end this - I have just complained of how American media uses stereotypes of Europeans. We have tons of stereotypes of Americans here in Europe which we employ with glee pretty much every day. So it goes both ways. 

NCIS:LA - a look on foreign policy

Now, I am a long term clandestine (my favorite word ever!) fan of the NCIS:LA series that feels embarrassed about liking it so much, cannot get enough of watching it but has ended up loathing certain episodes. One of the things that I have come to find interesting on the show is their view on foreign policy. I want to make it absolutely clear that I am more than aware of the fact that this is a show that plays around with reality and that the viewpoints expressed in the show do certainly not express the view of the people behind it. Having said that, I still believe it offers an interesting insight into American foreign policy.

I having an affinity for acquiring strange hobbies and one of the things that interest me randomly is American foreign policy. During the last presidential election, it was the issue I put most focus on researching and forming an opinion on. And today I read an article on NBC news that stated that Obama was busy with trying to rebuild America's reputation within Europe that had been badly impacted by the Iraqi War. It'll take time, I can tell you that much. Also it was losing its credibility as a leading world power.

This got me thinking about NCIS:LA and their affinity for weird foreign policies. One specific episode comes to mind which confused me greatly. It was episode 2x19 which dealt with Venezuela. In the episode Nell stated that a man that was preparing to step forth as a presidential candidate for his country was pro-American which was a rarity. She also went unto explaining that Venezuela had ties with Iran which was very bad apparently.

At that scene my brain was in a muddle and this episode continues to confuse me

For one thing, is being pro-American really a rarity? From what I can tell, the biggest majority of the countries in the world have a pro-American stance. Of course that does not mean that we (speaking as a Scandinavian)  approve of all of America's actions (I know I can think of a few things I do not like) but we are certainly all America's allies and work with the country diplomatically. My own country for example shares a very positive relationship with America and I am assuming that is not a rarity.

Secondly, does Venezuela really have ties to Iran and if it does, does that really pose a threat to America? No South-American country has ever attacked USA in recent decades. And if it is bad that Venezuela has ties with Iran, wouldn't that by definition mean that all countries that have ties to Iran are bad countries and pose a threat? Does a connection to a specific country automatically make another country bad and an enemy?
And then what about Russia? Scandinavian countries all have very positive and respectful communication and ties to Russia and there is mutual friendship between the countries. Would that then make Scandinavian countries bad, even if they also have a good relationship with USA?

At the end of the day, how do we define who is an enemy and who poses a threat? What measures do we use to tell? And what the precise difference between being pro-America and anti-America? Would it make me anti-American that I criticize racial relations and history within the country, the Iraqi War and that I do not agree with their view on foreign policy, drones, gun laws and many other issues. Does it make me pro-American that I consume the culture on a daily basis, know the language, have traveled there and am a big fan of American literature and love researching the history of the country and find it very fascinating?

At the end of the day, where do the lines lie?

NCIS:LA is certainly not a poltical commentary and it should not be. It is entertainment. But it does give cause to think. When, in episode after episode, national security is threatened from countries abroad ranging from Germany and France to Ethiopia, can anyone that is not American really be trusted? Are all other countries just out there to get Americans? Does everyone pose a threat on some level?

It is a hypothetical muddle but I find it interesting. Who is enemy and who is not. How do we define loyalties between countries and who can be trusted?

And since I am the topic of foreign policy and. TV and NCIS:LA loves pulling the crazy European card why not go all out? Why not future Scandinavian enemies (except Norway for obvious reasons)? Or better yet, have a band on European villains that all come from tiny European countries, that have the common goal to prove to America that little countries can hold power as well. I am thinking along the lines of having Malta, Iceland, Faroese Islands, Luxemburg, Lichtenstein, San Marino and all other small European countries unite to create a bigger European power.

You see, the possibilites are endless and everyone is a potential enemy! It is just a matter of being creative.

But could you NCIS:LA folks please have an episode in the future where the agents actually cooperate with foreign intelligence agencies instead of constantly viewing them as threat? Because not everyone is crazy.

Eurovision - Part 4 - American vs. European: The way cultural influences go

One of the unexpected delights I had recently was reading an interesting piece at the Huffington Post from the castle actor Seamus Dever. He is a Eurovision fan and I thought is insight into the contest was interesting. It was fun to read about the contest from the perspective of someone that was introduced to the competition only a few years ago and views it from an American perspective. I am a European and grew up with the competition so Mr. Dever's insight was particularly interesting to me and I have spent some time mulling it over and thinking about it. And I have some thoughts.

Here in Europe (broadly sweeping obviously, but this attitude is prevalent in my own area of Europe) we consider popular culture in a very simple manner when it comes to American culture. We divide popular culture into two categories; American and European. We view European culture as being better and more cultivated than American culture and make fun of American culture all the time. European popular culture is a strange animal and has certain features which make you want to shiver. Such as telenovelas and soap operas, our phenomenally bad pop music (boy band galore) and just all around craziness. It makes one sigh and shake one's head and feel very embarrassed. We make fun of our own culture all the time. But enter someone American making fun of our culture and it all goes south. We get defensive and state that while European culture is strange, it is way better than American.

I gladly acknowledge this attitude is entirely wrong and diminishing but it does exist.

So when I read the line from the article that stated that in the songs of the competition one could clearly hear the influence of American pop music, I bristled a bit. My first thought was sarcastic: "Well yes, quite obviously Europe cannot have it's own, unique pop music culture but is always trying to copy American". And then I shook my head and thought with myself that we have our own specific and unique pop musc culture that has done just fine without American influence. How could that not be obvious? This is a classic case of the Eurocentric idiot I sometimes am and it is not something I am proud of.

Then the article came with the interesting point that while American pop music influence was certainly present  each nation brought their own specific traditions to it and made it their own. And that it very true. I pondered this in work today and the more I thought about it, I realized how true it was. American pop music has definitely influenced Eurovision songs but at the same time, European cultural influences also have a strong presence so onw ends up with an eclectic and exciting mix of two very different things
American and European cultures and influences come together and it is rather fascinating to witness it. I also find it very interesting to see the cultural influence that Eurovision is. The songs from Eurovision have been playing on the radio here endlessly since the competition and it never crossed my mind it wasn't the same in America, Then it hit me, why should it be? Eurovision is a European phenomenon not American so naturally its cultural influence is felt more here. But Eurovision did introduce the incredible awesomeness that is ABBA.

This interplay between two different cultures or rather one versus like 40 different one's is absolutely fascinating to follow and says a lot about today's world and how globalization is affecting us. All in all I thought the article by Mr. Dever was very interesting and it gave me a lot to think about and ponder. And I am happy that other people are discovering the cultural oddity that is Eurovision and I hope it leads to people discovering more of our music because some of the Eurovision music is spetacular.
But I will say, I do no think American pop music will ever be able to reach some of the awesomeness that goes on in Eurovision. There are certain things only Europeans can think of ;)

Examples
The raising of the singer and a 'vampire' singing

Or having a turkey represent the country

Or performing in monster costumes

Or the crazy Germans singing

Or having having weird gymnastics performed on stage

Or having it "all" during a performance

Or this 'gem'

I could go on and on. Like the Danish song "Fly on the wings of love" actually has really sensual Danish lyrics but they were made more modest for Eurovision :)

The point is.that American pop music certainly influences a lot but when it comes to crazyness. you can depend on Eurovision and the European nations to deliver :)

And here is the lovely article on Huffington Post

"The Dubious Awards" 2013 - NCIS:LA edition

I am not leaving on my grand vacation until next week so I'll be popping in a few times over the next few days to share some posts that have been swirling around my brain lately. One of the things I enjoy getting from writing this blog is that it encourages to evaluate culture and how I view it from a new angle. It challenges me and I really like maintaining this blog. I hope people enjoy reading it as well.

The next few posts will in part be dedicated to the little 'dubious' things I  see on my favorite shows which make me sigh. I genuinely like the shows I watch but sometimes they go overboard and feature things which either make absolutely no sense or lose their grounding. And as always, NCIS:LA is my favorite series to pick apart, evaluate and judge. And they are the definite winners of the dubious contest. And here is why:

1) For some odd reason, there is a regular appearance of either a bikini bar or a strip club as a major part of an episode (and even once a pole dancing studio!) on the show. And let us not forget the scene where they had Kensi enter undercover at a call girl agency (a segment I thoroughly hate for many reasons and was a complete disservice to a great character!). It never fails; The male characters enter the place wearing tuxedos, there are plenty of scantily clad women dancing all around (and all with Russian accents) and the agents chat to some seedy villains that have either an illegal operation going on there or this is their meeting place. And of course, there are also regularly young navy males that go to such places to entertain themselves.

I am going to go knock my head against the wall now. Is this really the best place the writers can think off for an undercover operation or as an evil villain hideout? I am not going to elaborate on my feelings and views towards such places (let it suffice to say I am an ardent feminist) but this regular appearance makes me groan. I did enjoy the scene when Kensi ask Deeks what was the difference between a bikini car and a strip club (I had no idea there actually was a difference) but I had to agree with her response of incredulity. And apparently Deeks had spent quite some time in such places. Not to mention this constant objectification of women seems to serve no purpose except "sex up" the show which is has no need for. It stands on strong ground already.

You writers and producers can do better than this!

2)Product placement. Now, NCIS:LA will never be a very smooth show. It operates on embellishment, big things, testosterone and a freaky version of reality. And of the areas in which they are extremely obvious is their product placement. I can think of three examples which are noticably bad:

-Every time they pull out a camera, you always see the sigh "Nicon" very clearly visually. It is almost front and center just so that we can definitely see who sponsors them with the camera
-LL Cool J's music. He is a great actor and I respect the man but I am no lover of his hip hop music (classical musician). I made an very honest attempt to get into his music last December but found out that it did certainly not suit my music taste. "Accidental racist" had me sitting open-mouthed and shaking my head as it was one of the worst songs I have ever heard.  I have since come to the conclusion the song was made intentionally bad to raise awareness of racial issues and I have to say that was a clever ploy because it did certainly get people talking. But aside from that, one can regularly hear his hip hop music being a prominent part of certain scenes.
-The discussion of Cross Fit in season 4. It had me grinding my teeth. Last year I worked in a place where everyone was pretty much obsessed with the sport and it dominated all cafeteria discussions. So the episode where the opening scene began with Kensi and Sam praising the sport gave me an eerie flashback to all those discussions. Rarely, if ever, have I witnessed such incredibly bad production placement on TV. It was so blatantly obvious I have decided to deem it: "The worst production placement ever!".

3)Number of kills. I have already written here about gun culture, how I view violence on TV and how it is treated. So, when you have a series like NCIS:LA which operates to a certain extent on gun violence and deaths, you have people like me sighing/grinding our teeth. It never, ever fails, that in every single bloody episode at least 5 people are killed. Granted, it is always in self-defense but still. One can guarantee that no matter what subject they are dealing with, it'll bring along a major death toll in its way. And the characters hardly ever answer to their actions or are reprimanded for their insane death toll. And why hasn't there been a single mention of angry families of they people they've killed pursuing them demanding justice?  They always enter the scene guns blazing and killing everything in their path. There seems to be the rule "Shoot everyone in our way and to hell with the rest!"

Again, writers and producers, you can do better than this! Look to series like NCIS and Castle that have built up a strong and solid fanbase and are very popular and well crafted without major death toll.

4)Display of violence. Yet again, a major pet peeve of mine which plays into my dislike of the prominent gun violence on their show. Another feature of the NCIS:LA agents is that whenever they arrest a subject or take  someone down they always do it with as much violence and physical harm as possible. They've slammed people into walls, the car, the ground, hit them, attacked them, punched them and what not. And they have also threatened torture and displayed it which is something that should never bedone in my opinion. It never seizes to amaze me how they manage to pack violence into pretty much every scene in which pursuing a subject is involved. The characters seem to resort to violence in everything they do which is terrible and again it undermines the characters they have built.

5)Kensi's seeming inability to handle another female agent/law enforcement/a strong woman entering the scene without going crazy. I think the character of Kensi is great on most levels and it is one the reasons I love watching the show. But it has come to my attention that every single time a strong female enters the scene Kensi pulls back, becomes jealous and resorts to threats, defensive and bitchy behavior. It happened when Ava Espinoza came and they had Kensi threatening her and attacking defensive in every scene. It also happened when Monica entered the scene in season 4 and yet again, Kensi sparred with her. It amazes me she is always displayed as being incapable of handling another female entering the scene that is as strong and capable as she is. It shows genuine insecurity in her which is frustrating to see. Someone like her should be able to handle things like that without feeling threatened or resorting to violence. I am not saying Kensi should be perfect (her imperfections are one of the reasons why I enjoy the character so much) but she should be portrayed as being more mature. She could be shown handling things in  her own way but being insecure as well (without the violence). I've noticed Nell clearly has a much better ability of handling people.

6)Their foreign policy. Everyone is an enemy and anti-American and apparently Europeans have a mad desire to destroy LA. One of these days, I will write about   what it's like for people to travel to America from here. It all begins and ends with A) The cost of flight which is super high B) The terrible logistics of travelling there and C) The terror it is to deal with security at American airports.
It is an experience in itself for us Europeans. Because of the Schengen agreement over here, when travelling within Europe, we only flash our passport at the airport we fly from. In general, when we land at our destination, we just go on our merry way. It's one of the perks that comes with being a European :) So, the security at American airports throws us for a loop. Last time I went to the country I got into a hazzle as I have a very ethnic name that is written in two different ways, one is the Scandinavian one and the other is the International one. Try explaining that to airport authorities as they thought it was very suspicious I had one name on my green card and another one in my passport :)

And sometimes you just gotta love the NCIS:LA logic of things. It has passed through my mind that one of these days they might go for Nordic villains. I am thinking they'd have Icelandic and Faroese villains conspire to do something crazy in L.A. And frankly I would not put it past them to cook up something like that :) Or a conspiracy between all the smaller nations of Europe. The possibilities are endless!

And to conclude

NCIS:LA is a good show but there are also areas they fail in, in my opinion and hence the dubious awards. And since I take it so much apart and criticize it then why do I watch it? I genuinely enjoy the show on many levels, not least because it makes me laugh and smile which is something I look for in a show. I love laughing, smiling and feeling happy and NCIS:LA never seizes to make me grin and laugh. I watch an episode and it makes me happy. And that it something TV shows do not generally manage with people like me. It has on many levels excellent characterization and the story line is often great. And it has brilliant actors that do a wonderful job. Good acting is certainly not always a feature of TV and I appreciate the fact that NCIS:LA always has top-notch acting. Not to mention that there are truly great episodes in between that I can watch over and over again (The Job, Human Traffic, Personal, Kill House, 4x17).

So I will continue watching and picking apart.

And next up for the dubious awards is Criminal Minds!

Language galore - The 'European' culture of subtitles and dubbing - Part 2: We resist English and love our native language

This post is heavy on the linguistic side and more culturally than media related.

One defining characteristic of Europe as a continent is the sheer number of languages that exists here. There are never more than 2-3 countries that share the same official language. Most countries have their own, unique language. European languages are all derived from the same roots so there are very distinct similarities  between certain languages. Spanish and Portuguese are a good example. Both of these languages have their roots in Latin and and their vocabulary and spelling is quite similar. The biggest difference is in pronunciation. I have read my way through a Portuguese language book and I breezed through it as I already had a good ground in Spanish. I actually got annoyed as there was so little challenge involved! However, listening to Portuguese is like listening to Russian in my opinion with the harsh pronunciation and it shares many sounds and the harsh quality with my native language which interested me. In my opinion it is as if French (alphabet) and Spanish (vocabulary) had a child (Portuguese) and it was then raised by a Russian (pronunciation).

This similarity between languages means that knowing one language opens the doors to many others. This makes it easier as one does not have to study a lot of languages to be able to understand many others. This linguistic similarity means that people are both able to understand each other with ease but it also sheds a light on the incredible linguistic variety that exists here. It amazes me that there can exist so many languages that are derived from the same root (there are several sources of European languages) and have some similarities but are also so different from each other. I find it absolutely amazing, the fact that within the continent there is such an incredible array of languages that share so much and yet so little. This is one of the things I love about living here. It is a heritage and trait that needs to be nurtured and kept alive.

But then there enters into the picture the English language which has become a global language. In Europe there are only two countries that have English as their official language, Ireland and Britain. And yet, English is taught in every European country and good command of English has become a necessary trait in today's world. It seems that everything is in English these days. I grew up with the English language all around me and looking back, it amazes me why I did not find it strange before that in a country that does not have English as a native language and very few people are native speakers of the language English was everywhere. 

Why is it that English has overridden everything in today's world; media, culture, academics, science, humanities, cross-cultural communication?

In a continent like Europe that has such an incredible array of languages, why did English become so important? And should it really be so important? Because we have survived fine without it for centuries.

I am a speaker of a minority dialect and words cannot describe how much I love my native language and how much I treasure it. It is a big part of my world and who I am as a person and it is one the priceless treasures God has blessed me with and I am thankful he did. Because with my native language does not only bring a startling array of strange speech sounds (there is a reason for why I laugh when I listen to Portuguese as it is funny to find a language that has similar crazy speech sounds), an amazing vocabulary of funny words, a frighteningly difficult grammar and terrible accent but also culture, heritage, literature, ideas, values and traditions that I treasure. It means the world to me to be able to have that and it is what my native language brings. I would not trade it for anything and am proud to be a speaker of such an amazing language.

I am also proud to be able to speak English and another language fluently and to be able to understand some others. I am proud of the linguistic variety I have access to and what an incredible treasure it is.

This is what English threatens. With English taking over everything it threatens linguistic variety and the existence of minority languages and there is an abundance of them over here. 

This is something that we resist here. We want to protect our languages that mean so much to us and our heritage and the linguistic variety. 

And that is a part of the reason for why we dub things.

The roundup of Scandinavian references on TV

As an overly proud and egotistical Scandinavian I am always on the lookout for references to my own darling home place on TV. And this year proved to be very sad when it came to referencing or acknowledging Scandinavia on the TV shows I watch.

The roundup is following

Criminal Minds - 0

Castle - 0

NCIS - 1

In episode 10x12 I believe, when they were hunting for Bodnar. They were trying to find a mysterious assassin and it turned out it was actually a Swedish man. I laughed so hard when I discovered that. They managed to reference the bad exchange rate, pronounced the word 'krona' right, got a Scandinavian last name completely right and truthfully, I was a bundle of delight listening to them. It is not often that TV shows opt for a Scandinavian assassin. So I did definitely enjoy that

NCIS:LA - 2

In episode 4x17, Deeks is in a spa and says he expects Viggo Mortensen to jump out of nowhere and start pummeling him. How on earth did he get that idea into his head? More importantly, how in the world did the writer think of this? Because as I´ve written before in the post "The Viggo Mortensen of it all", he is not known for hiding out in spas and randomly attacking people. Unless this is meant to be some very strange and unorthodox reference to the fact that both Deeks (and the actor himself) and Mortensen are Norwegian-Americans I am not getting it.

And on the case of explaining jokes. I am still trying to figure out the Gesundheit joke from episode 2x08.

In episode 4x02 the happy little Norwegian in me got very delighted when Deeks suggested to Kensi that they should travel together to Norway, the land of his ancestors. So finally it was established that: the character is Norwegian-American who happens to have the least Norwegian name ever. So for future reference: "Dear NCIS:LA people. I am delighted that you have a Norwegian-American character. I say here are never enough Scandinavians on TV. But the next time you decide to have a character with an established Scandinavian ethnicity it does not hurt to have an ethnic last name as well. Because 'Deeks' is very much not a Scandinavian name :)"
And I would really like to see Kensi and Deeks travel to Norway. It'd be interesting to say the least to see them trying to navigate the weather, the cultural oddities and most of all the language.

So NCIS:LA wins the price for having mentioned Scandinavia two times and NCIS is in second place. But those instances did definitely nurture the ego of many Scandinavians. It actually happens regularly here than whenever a Scandinavian country is mentioned in famous films or on TV, people clap and cheer and act delighted. Yes, that is how crazy we are. But I would not have it any other way.

Eurovision Part 3 - The Scandinavian psyche

So Eurovision was last night and surprise, surprise Denmark won! It was a great song and the leader singer was wonderful so she absolutely deserve it. on the other hand, this is the 4th time in ten years that a Scandinavian country has won. Is there perhaps a conspiracy going on?

This is a huge boost to the Scandinavian ego. As I have written earlier, Scandinavians are notorious for our overly large egos and pride in our countries. Scandinavian countries are neither big, much populated nor very powerful. So while our egos are large they are also incredibly sensitive. So for us, Eurovision and winning it is showing off to the world and proving ourselves as something to be reckoned with. We can win Eurovision and host it with aplomb. We. Are. Awesome!

The Scandinavian psyche can be hard to understand, even for those of us that were born here and grew up here. I am personally proud of where I come from, I love my country and feel happy to be able to live here.  I love the culture, the language and the odd little things that make this home. There are so many things that are great about Scandinavia and make it a wonderful place to be in.. But because we are small, at the fringes of Europe geographically and were for the longest time economically disadvantaged as well (my country f.ex. was very poor until the 1950's), we were never a superpower and did not make our voice heard or influence much in history or international matter. We were to busy focusing on trying to survive So now when we are at a better advantage than before we feel that must constantly be proving ourselves all the time, shouting out that we exist and that we matter.

We've developed overly large egos to compensate for the feeling of that we do not matter. It is a funny place to be in for us. Knowing that you come from,what you consider to be a great place, where there is so much going on and is filled with such wonders. And yet you know that in the large scope of things, your country and place which you hold dear does not matter. At the end of the day, it does not influence the world or anything. It is just a place where people live. No more.

That's why Eurovision is so important to us. We get to show off ourselves and shout out to the world:"Look at us! We are cool!" and most importantly: "We are here, we matter, please notice us".

And there is always the lingering question: "Do people really notice us or are we just desperately trying to trick ourselves into thinking that they do?".

Eurovision Part 2 - a display of Europe's "finest" and European languages

The 1st semi-final of Eurovision is coming up next Tuesday and I am getting really excited. The songs this year are so many absolutely amazing and great to listen to. But they also offer a display of the craziness that goes on here. Where else would you find a display of such random and nonsensical music but precisely in Eurovision. It seems that every year the European nations go on a competition to see who can show the strangest performances and have the weirdest song. And every single year the countries try to outdo each other. The most recent trend is electric-pop and crazy techno music along with a weird dance performance thanks to "Euphoria" that won last year.

This year Romania pulled out all the stops and decided to have an opera/techno inspired song inspired with some weird dance moves. But the singer has an incredible voice

We also got this gem from Finland which is a glee-inspired pop song about gay marriage. I've been told by one relative that the song sounds like a Bratz pop song and I have to agree.

Norway decided to go for electric-pop this year... Not a very wise decision if you ask me but the singer is good.

And Denmark decided to go for a Sweden 2012 inspired performance with the whole shebang, floating dress, weird dance moves and they even put the tin flute in to go Irish. I am eerily reminded of Sweden 2012 every time I watch the performance. But the singer has an incredible voice and great energy.

And who can forget last year's Russian Babushkas. Only in Eurovision do you find something like this

And this song  from Finland won Eurovision in 2005. Yet again, displaying Europe's finest, or should I say, the Nordic cool?

But another trend this year which I love is the fact that 50% of the songs are sung in the native language of the country they represent. Europe is an entire content with incredibly many and varied languages. In recent years, most people have sung in English as that is the language most likely to be understood by the majority of the watchers. Except, only 2 countries in Europe have English as a native language. and English isn't spoken as widely in Europe as people generally think. Knowledge of English isn't always desired and is even resisted in many areas (I´ll explain that later when I delve into the culture of subtitles, dubbing and just how much we love our languages). And it's not always the case that the performers know English properly. So instead of singing in a language they are not comfortable with they use their native one. And that lends depth to the performance and makes the singer so much better.
Plus, doing this is a beautiful display of one of Europe's assets, the incredible linguistic variety that exists here. It is one of the things I love about it. And I personally love the songs which are performed in languages I do not understand. I am a linguistic nerd to say the least and linguistic variety is something to be treasured and used. And people here are very proud of their national tongue and want to keep it and show it to others. So singing in one's native language is a strong example of national pride.

Iceland is going for a song in Icelandic this year. It is a minority language spoken by a very small people so very few will understand it. But the song is nice

Israel has an amazing song in Hebrew. It really is a beautiful language.

Estonia had an amazing song last year called "Kuula" which means listen and it was one of the most popular songs. I love it

Serbia one in 2007 with an incredible song in Serbian. I do not understand the lyrics one bit but the song was very popular here and everyone loved it. It was a song that was strong without understanding the language.

And Serbia's song last year was nothing short of amazing. I can listen to it endlessly. And it was in Serbian!

Eurovision is a strange animal and many more things. But it displays also passion and love for music and as I've said before. For a continent as divided and complicated as Europe is but still very much for cooperation, it is wonderful that we are able to share and participate in it and show not only our national pride but also cheer for others. It brings people together all around the world.

When TV teaches English

I have expressed my annoyance before with the word "comfortable" and how on earth it should be pronounced in English. TV shows have proven to be quite the linguistic tool for me and I've enjoyed the linguistic challenges I get from watching TV. Last night NCIS answered my request. I watched episode 10x23, "Double Blind" and loved it. But what made me laugh was the fact that the word "uncomfortable" was said two times within a very short period of time. So I could finally here the way it is properly pronounced. Thank you to NCIS!

And life goes on in TV language land. NCIS:LA proved to be another linguistic tool. The country Montenegro was mention, although it was first called Monaco (they were referencing a James Bond film that takes place in Montenegro). I couldn't help but laugh when Kensi not only corrected it but asked Deeks to say where it was. He got it right, it is indeed in Europe, but it did sound like he wasn't completely sure and Kensi picked up on that. Sometimes you just gotta love the geography puns.

This interested me for several reasons. First of all, in my language we do not refer to the country by the name of Montenegro. We use the translated version of the name in my language. That sounds completely different from the title Montenegro so it took me a moment to connect the two. But I did and the reason why I know where Montenegro is, is because of Eurovision. I have been watching Eurovision snce I was little and that includes watching the countries giving out points every single year. Eurovision is such a tradition here that every Scandinavian knows the phrase "Country, 12 points" in both French and English.  And every year I've heard the phrase "Serbia and Montenegro" together. So that's why I know where it's located on the map. But this year Serbia and Montenegro are competing separately. 

The same goes for the country Belarus. Belarus is Russian for "white Russia". And in my language we refer to the country as "White Russia" not by the traditional title. So a few years back when I was looking at a map of Europe from an American geography atlas I got frustrated when I saw the name Belarus and I did not know what country it was. After some googling I discovered it was the country that I call "White Russia".

And another language reference I completely enjoyed was in episode 2x17 of NCIS. Ducky was explaining to origin of the phrase "red herring" and what it means. I thought his explanation was very interesting and it highlighted one of my favorite points of language, how much is behind each word and the history. I loved the explanation of that people used red herring to train dogs for fox hunting to smell and then they'd drag red herring over the tracks of a real fox to see whether the dogs would be fool and hence the phrase.
Then I realized I didn't know what the word herring actually meant. I always connected it a fowl of some sort but it turns out it's fish.

So for an English major, I still have a lot to learn. But I love it. Discovering and using language gives me great joy and I love learning new things and how the English language continues to surprise me. And watching TV does help. And I have discovered the reason why. I learned English mostly through the medium of reading so  I am very strong in that area. English on TV is more colloquial and that is not an area I am as strong in.

Europe in media - Icelandic/Swedish edition

I recently wrote about the 'continent syndrome' and four silly fails when it comes to Europe in media. And to my delight I found this video this morning. This incest app has been all over the news lately and I am fearful that some may believe it is meant to be a serious app when in reality it is a fun, nonsensical app for Icelanders. It pokes good natured fun at not only the teeny, tiny size of their population but also their obsession with genetics and family history and the fact that ethnic Icelanders share ancestors because until the middle of the 20th century, the inhabitants were less than 100.000 and today they are a measly 320.000. So it can be said that all Icelanders are related!

This is so very representative and  a completely non-stereotypical image of Icelanders obviously.

I do not watch Jimmy Kimmel but this sketch certainly made me laugh. It is always fun to see people make good natured fun of Scandinavians and the crazy things that go on over here.

And this scene from Conan O'Brien trying to pronounce Jake Gyllenhaal's name right. I can assure that he is way off with the pronunciation :)

But still, it is necessary for us Scandinavians to be reminded off that despite the fact that we consider ourselves to be really cool and suave, we're not. We have some extraordinarily inflated egos when it comes to our nationality and pride in our culture and language. The only people that are allowed to poke fun at Scandinavians are us, ourselves. Heaven forbid anyone else should do it. So videos like this are a good reminder of how silly we really are.

But this gem is Scandinavians making fun of themselves and our languages. As a speaker of Scandinavian languages,  I can vouch for that this video is spot on. This is how we speak. I personally feel that one of the Scandinavian languages I speak (Danish) is the ugliest one on the planet. And it is features in this video.

And this - a personal favorite of mine

When the media is forced to teach a geography lesson

In light of the terrible recent events in Boston, things have spurred into a frenzy. Mainly a geographical frenzy. The two brothers that were apprehended were of Chechen origin. However, a lot people seem to have decided that meant they were from the Czech Republic.

Those are two entirely separate countries. The Czech Republic is in Central Europe and Chechnya is located in south Russia. There are 1700 miles between those two countries. These are two entirely different nations with very different background and history. Chechnya is unfortunately known for being a violent country. The Czech republic is however a very peaceful nation.

The ambassador of the Czech republic shouldn't have to release a statement warning people that these are two different countries. It is terrible that people are shouting bad things and threatening violence to a nation that was not involved in the attack. It is a stupid and cowardly action. One should never answer violence with violence

I am not making light of what has been happening recently. I never will. Put I urge people to be calm and think rationally and not jump to conclusions. Threatening others is not the way to deal with things. The suspects have been apprehended, their family (who I feel very sorry for) has condemned their actions. Now is the time to grief, come together and think how events like this can be stopped from happening again. Not to rise to stupid action and make a bad thing incredibly worse. Because it serves no one. Least of all those that were most impacted by the attack.

Independent article on the subject but please ignore the comment section

And if people want to see an explanation of where the Chechen republic is and the political situation there - Episode 4x13 of NCIS:Los Angeles provides a good explanation early in the episode. It makes me sad to watch it now, knowing that what they dealt with in the episode really did happen :/

(And for the record, everyone I know can locate the Czech republic on a map comfortably but I don't think many of us could locate the state of Maine f.ex. so the geography stupidity goes both ways in some respects)

When the news gets it wrong - Fox News, Norway edition

Yesterday I looked up videos from Fox News on youtube on the Utoya terror accident - what a big mistake it was. I wanted to see how they reported on that act of terror compared to the recent events. And boy did Fox News bring it on or what. Some may think that I am being too sensitive and that this happened years ago. But when you see clips like this about a place that you truly love there are no words

Norway is not a democracy because not everyone owns guns

Every Scandinavian country is a democracy! We have strict gun laws to protect our society and guns are not a part of our culture. For us, owing guns is not our civil right. It is people in the military, police, law enforcement, forest rangers that need them. Not the majority of the public. But apparently that is undemocratic. All I am going to say is this - human lives matter infinitely more than the right to own a gun.

Breivik apparently did the act of terror because he was 'conerned' about Muslim fundamentalist

There are no words for this..... It makes me want to it my head against the wall listening

And then Glenn Beck came with this gem which made my blood boil

First of all - likening the camp to Hitler Youth camp is disrespecting the victims terribly. It is making light of terrible events and is victim blaming
Secondly - Germany invaded Norway. I have been where people were mercilessly murdered by the Germans and know the history. They even set up breeding camps in Norway where they put together German men and Norwegian women to breed the ultimate Aryan race. With history like that.... nothing is further off for us than to follow in Hitler's footsteps

The power of media to screw things and represent them badly is amazing. Absolutely stunning.