Censorship

While total immersion is our ultimate ideal, we still enjoy a few small comforts from home: peanut butter, the occasional secretive sip of alcohol, and American cartoons.  Every night from 7:20 - 8 we watch Family Guy and The Simpsons on Arab World FX (which I think is based in Saudi).  It's the perfect homework break, but it's hard not to notice the strange alterations and cuts that have been made.

The following words are bleeped out:

1) Lesbian
2) Gay, but only when used to mean homosexual.  When it means "bad" or "stupid," it is left in.
3) Jew
4) Jewish
5) Pork
6) Any nudity is blurred out (including paintings in the background of live action shows)
7) Scenes depicting anything sexually suggestive are cut
8) Scenes depicting Muslims, Arabs, or even Sikhs are cut

I guess I appreciate the last one, since the last thing we need is "sarcastic" Islamophobia from American TV being seen all over the Muslim world . . .

The Jew thing is pretty uncomfortable though.  Not all that surprising, and we have gotten some glimpses of the type of anti-semitism that Western folk think is extinct (Mein Kampf sits prominently displayed on every corner bookstand, and we did meet a taxi driver who, after telling us about how he "always makes [his] dreams reality," shared that his current dream is to "make all Israelis food for the fishes".  He hears their meat is very delicious.  "I'm not a terrorist, but who knows, maybe there will be another Hitler!")

The issue of homosexuality is a little more subtle.  It actually seems that people aren't really bothered by the existence of gay Jordanians (in small numbers).  Like in the US, the idea of a "gay agenda" is the real threat.  Sure, there are a few queers in Amman, no big deal, but they aren't organized, they have no political voice.