"Meet the natives"

Liberator · September 30, 2007, 01:34:25 AM

Here in the UK there is a new TV show called "Meet the natives".

Basically, they take 5 of the senior tribe members (tribal leader, head pig farmer, farmer, doctor and the one man in the tribe who had been educated in an English speaking school in Tanna) from a village in the nation of Tanna and bring them into western civilization (the UK). They have showed them how to use video cameras for video diaries and the one educated in English narrates the series as he is the only one who speaks English (very well, might I add).

This first episode, the Tannan's lived with a middle classed pig farmer and his wife, in Norfolk. The farm was obviously some sort of B&B because you could see some plaques outside the door. I imagine the rest will be to match the other members to their UK equivilents. Next week is a working class family in Manchester.

Anyway......

The show is just purely designed to ridicule the values of an island tribe to which human values are alien.

Even after one episode, its scarey to see such a backward tribe be faced with real culture and humanity. Their ideas are stupid, their customs laughable, they have no idea of human rites and their views on the value of human life are frightening. It's so obvious that the culture shock is too much for them and they are completely lost when faced with real human values and so laugh in the face of things that they obviously can't and are decades or maybe centuries away from understanding.

I find myself laughing at their comments and lack of understanding in the face of progress.

The Tannan's on the other hand are very respectfull of such foolish people and try to make sense of our stupid tribal traditions and customs.

The naration by the bilingual tribe member is excellent and the subtitles for the others show how understanding, tollerent and respectful of our ridiculous behaviour they are.

The tribe believe that Prince Philip is the embodied representative of their gods that traveled to England to reunite their long lost brothers (us) and they have been sent to try and convince him to return home as part of their visit and so hamonise the world.

To us, this is a joke, but thats only because we know too much about him, it also makes me think that it will finally end in an audience with said royal.

I for one will definately be watching the rest of this very well constructed programme. We British love to laugh at how ridiculess we are.

delanvital · October 04, 2007, 10:24:48 AM

I so wish I could see that :sad:

Benny · October 04, 2007, 10:06:17 PM

what side and what night Lib?

Eternaluk · October 04, 2007, 10:19:54 PM

Quote from: Benny;208768what side and what night Lib?

Ugh.. about one hour and 18 mins ago.

It's on every Thursday I think on channel 4, at 9 o'clock.

Aquilifer · October 04, 2007, 11:22:06 PM

Quote from: Liberator;208070The tribe believe that Prince Philip is the embodied representative of their gods that traveled to England to reunite their long lost brothers (us) and they have been sent to try and convince him to return home as part of their visit and so hamonise the world.

That sounds like a good idea, doesn't it? :norty:

Seriously... If you were sent to their tribe, don't you think they would act the same way. Laugh at your manners, customs and how you have no idea how to survive in the wilderness.

Hektor · October 05, 2007, 12:22:47 AM

there are many different cultures in the world and they all have different definitions for moral values.
even in europe there are big differences. not only in social norms, but also in legislation. - its ok when i do it in germany, but in spain i must go to prison for that action...
well, most of the people, no matter where they were born or under which political or economic conditions, think that their own moral is the "best", resp. their way of life is superior.
nowadays espacially in the so-called civiliced world. we think we have a "better" life than people in other societies. with "better" i mean not only intellectually or scientifically, but we live particularly happier, juster, and freer.
the point is: logically, when there are many societies and they all have different values, whereas those perceptions form a contrast to each other, there can be at most one! who is "right".
with right i mean that this is the right moral for everyone, ergo an ethic...

an example:
imagine there is a native tribe. they live in the rain forest in south america.
they have an old culture with many traditions. for example they kill everyone who does a crime, no matter how "bad" the crime was, nor how old the culprit is. so they even kill small children...
are we allowed to interfere in that society, in that tradition? can, resp. must we interfere to stop them? when yes, what is the argumentation?
can we dictate terms to other societies? can we command them how they should live? and use force to ...force them?
how do we know that our values and our laws are "right", and that they are the best for all the humankind?
well, every society thinks their own values are good for all humankind. -when they are convinced about their values, does that mean that other societies are allowed to impose us their lifestyle?
are we really happier and freer than "uncivilized" peoples?
what do you think?

Liberator · October 05, 2007, 01:14:04 PM

Thats what I was getting at with my original post

Backwards Island Tribe = Britain
Cultured peaceful blokes = Tannans

They are approaching things that we have become accustomed to with fresh eyes and asking 'why?'.

In the first episode they are with a pig farmer and they are shown how to artificially inseminate a pig, the elder can't bear to watch because it should be a private thing between a boar and a sow.

The others also don't like it because there is no pleasure in it for the pigs even though they understand why we do it that way.

It just shows how they see the animals around them and the way we just see it as meat and profit.

The person they really bonded with was the local gamekeeper, they went out with him to hunt rabbits and then he skinned and prepared them for lunch. They asked why we didn't use the pelts in our clothing and he explained about the anti-fur campaign.

They just thought it was funny that he'd hunted a wild animal for food and that we didn't use the skin.

You just find yourself laughing at our own "civilisation" and thinking "they're right you know, we've just overcomplicated everything".

But I suppose thats the problem with "progress", you have to leave certain common sense approaches behind because they don't fit as well as you want them to.

Hektor · October 06, 2007, 04:35:19 AM

i agree with you.
its definately right, that our lifestyle isnt very natural anymore.
i wouldnt go so far to say that everything which is natural, is also "good".
the nature is full of pain, dead, killing, catastrophes...
but with our lifestyle nowadays, which is far away from the human nature, the estrangement of the humans enlarges.
for example, we throw so much food away. it doesnt has a value for us, merely the financial value. means, food or an animal has only a value, when it cost money -as you said.
we dont have a sane connaction to nature anymore.
when someone wants to eat a chicken, but first, he must kill it with his own hand, then deplume and disembowel it, he would have much respect for it. he wouldnt throw it away when he is replete. it becomes clear to him, that he had taken a life. so he will be deeply grateful and he will estimate.
but we just buy a steak in the supermarket. its only a produkt, so we dont care about it...
well, the most important question is, which way of life makes us more happy?
will our happyness improve with our technical improvement?
are we more satisfied, or those people who life a more "natural" life, resp. a life which is closer to the human nature.
was rousseau right, or kant? :flirty:

outofsync · October 08, 2007, 05:00:00 PM

Well said Lib this programme has been vv good so far and I look forward to watching its conclusion this week. Their thoughts on the plight of the homeless in the UK were spot on.

Dingo · October 10, 2007, 12:45:14 AM

Lib, your'e my Hero.....are you a Sagitarrean by any chance?

We in the "West" have forgotten that we too are animals (Hello Sheepy!) and try to distance ourselves from common animalistic behaviour......but as anyone can attest at a LAN meeting, the animal (hi Ron) is always present!!

I blame Benny, for his fornicastic ways, and regardless of culture or creed of the individual, there's always the Bennies of the World ,who are willing to perverse the course of the Islamic ideals:boxing:

Burn Benny, burn!!:boxing::woot2::taz::devil: