Culture Clash？ It was the World Cup Final of France '98 that sparked the introduction

Culture Clash？

It was the World Cup Final of France '98 that sparked the introduction of television into Bhutan. The 3-0 victory of the home side over Brazil was watched by thousands on a big screen in Bhutan's National Square,__16__Six months after that, global TV broadcasting was allowed in. It was this second development that really made people wake up to life in the twentieth century and caused profound change, according to TV analyst Shockshan Peck. 'Young people are now much more in tune with globalisation and what is happening around the world,'she says. 'The risk is that the more we learn about the world, the more we lose of our own culture.'

Bhutan has no film industry to speak of, and after a diet of cultural and educational programmes from BBS, some Bhutanese began to look for something a little more spicy.__17__ The TV avalanche began, and along with it came a change in people's lifestyles. Residents of the capital, Thimphu, say they are now glued to the TV for several hours a day, and often stay up late to watch the non-stop stream of programmes. Long-running Indian soap operas beamed from across the border ire hot favourites. One viewer, Choki Wangmo, says that her children go out and play less, and that television dominates family discussions these days. Her son, Ugyen, admits that his studies are affected because he cannot concentrate in the classroom. 'I keep thinking about what will happen next in the story,'he says.

Also popular are cartoons, football matches, and the wrestling series from the US.__18__ Kinley Dorji, editor of Bhutan's only newspaper, says that when TV first came in, he received several pained letters from students, saying they were shocked. 'Bhutanese kids who have grown up in this quiet country, this very rustic society, suddenly saw these big men beating each other upon television. They couldn't understand it.'__19__ 'We received a report from a school where a student broke his arm after being thrown to the ground by his friend, who was emulating the wrestlers.'

Kinley Dorji says that television is 'splitting' Bhutanese society. He explains that the thinking in the country is that it will never be a military or economic power, so its strength must be its unique society. He believes that TV represents a direct threat to this. __20__ 'If you look at the items being stolen, like TV sets, tape recorders and clothes, it' s directly related to what they're seeing,' he adds.

A. The latter is at the centre of a debate about the influence of television on Bhutan' s young people.

B. He also links television to a rise in crime over the period that it has been broadcasting.

C. It was such a success that a year later, on the twenty-fifth anniversary of his coronation, the king decided to begin the Bhutan Broadcasting Service (BBS).

D. However, it was not long before the children started doing it themselves.

F. So they turned to multi-channel TV, through satellite in the countryside and cable in the towns.