“Immigrants love Danish TV” 3
I am so sick of Danish news articles about immigrants and immigration that are written as though immigrants themselves were not reading the newspapers. Danish journalists write as though they were carrying on a very private conversation between themselves and other “real” Danes.
Well, here’s a piece of breaking news – Danish immigrants actually watch Danish television. It took a research company called MediaCom more than 1000 interviews with families originating in different countries (that have very little to do with one another) to discover this.
D’uh. They live here! Of course they watch it, and their kids watch it too. And so what if they also watch Disney Channel, CNN, and… (wait for it)… Arabic satellite TV? A number of Danish newspapers and television stations all quoted the same Danish professor who has researched media and ethnic minorities.
He says, “It points in the direction of a strengthening of consumption of Danish media among ethnic minorities, and nuances the hypothesis (sic) about it being so dangerous that they are sitting watching satellite TV from their home country and thereby isolating themselves from Danish society.”
What hypothesis?? If we want immigrants to feel included in Danish society a good start would be to stop talking about them like they’re not listening. For the record, I would like to let Homeland Security in the United States know, that I occasionally watch Danish television on the internet while living in New York. I would also like to confess that I have watched Hispanic television at my grandmother’s house in Puerto Rico.
Anybody who thinks an Arabic soap opera is dangerous – or God forbid news from a different perspective – really needs to get out of the house more. You don’t automatically isolate yourself from a society by looking outwards and beyond it.
I think you’re putting up straw men here, Solana: The folks who worry about immigrants isolating themselves aren’t worried about “an Arabic soap opera” and “news from a different perspective”.
Perhaps – but what other “dangers” might there be associated with watching Arabic TV? I know lots of Danes who can’t be bothered to watch Danish TV and they seem pretty harmless… I think I know what you’re saying – but I feel provoked by these constant suggestions that immigrants shouldn’t be maintaining their alternative (primary or secondary) cultures/identities just because they are living in Denmark.
Ah right, the Danish integration hypocrisy: Immigrants to Denmark should integrate fully (speak Danish without an accent), while Danes who move abroad should maintain their Danish culture and language and not integrate too much.