blackfox
Nov 21, 2004, 04:18 PM
In Romania, Show Turns the E.U. Into A Laughing Matter
By Daniel Williams
Washington Post foreign Service
Sunday, November 21, 2004; Page A26
BUCHAREST, Romania -- Romanian television has an unlikely hit on its hands, a sitcom with a cast of racy characters who sit in a country pub and get laughs discussing the fine points of the bureaucracy and regulations of the European Union.
One recent episode of "The Winding Road to Europe" delved into cattle breeding. As with just about any aspect of economic life, it is the subject of pages and pages of rules laid down by the E.U., which Romania hopes to join in 2007.
"It's quite simple," said the town crier, one of the show's regular characters. "A young bull in its first year on the job can do 30 to 40 females. In the second year, being more experienced, he can do 60 to 80 sweethearts. But in all cases, no more than one a day."
"Uh, I see, from now on animal sex life is standardized," said the town drunk. "They will do 'it' according to the minds on the European Commission. . . . That's what I call respect for animals."
Many here hope that membership in the bloc, now composed of 25 countries, will bring prosperity and a cure for Romania's myriad social ills. But the show's producers say it's important that people understand what they would be getting into. "Winding Road" skewers the bloc -- but at the same time it educates viewers on the union's many technicalities, such as its often strange ways of saying simple things.
In E.U. literature, cultural exchanges between countries are referred to as "horizontal aspects of culture." Labor talks are called "social dialogue." Edible fish are "living aquatic resources." The language confounds quite a few people in a country where oxen still draw carts and farmers walk their pigs on leashes.
So the "Winding Road" team decided to provide lessons in E.U. life in a country pub where the language is, to put it mildly, bawdy.
"The country pub is where Romanians traditionally talk things out, exchange news and ideas," said Gabriel Giurgiu, a former engineer who is the show's producer. "Everyone speaks in a language everyone can understand, so we thought this was the best place to explain the E.U." The show has also been a hit among city dwellers. ...SNIP...
..."The Winding Road" is E.U.-funded, but Giurgiu is looking for private money to avoid the bureaucratic tangles of getting funding from Brussels. The program is shot at Romania's public television studios and is shown Sundays at noon -- the time farmers typically return from church for a midday meal. "Priests tell me that they run out of church to get home," Giurgiu said.
The pub is called La Europa and its clientele are the stereotypes of Romanian village life: the conservative farmer, the drunkard, the wily bar owner, the dreamy barmaid, the city cousin who maintains a country house, the town crier and a teacher. All frequent La Europa for a shot of plum brandy and news.
The professor has started to raise snails in anticipation of trade with the E.U. The barmaid dreams of travel. The conservative farmer is a skeptic. The drunk is the voice of truth. Puns and off-color jokes provide most of the laughter.
During the episode on animal husbandry, the villagers contemplate E.U. rules that lay out details on how, when and where to breed farm animals. "The activity is to be performed in a special place, in solitude, but in easy reach of the animals," explains the town crier to the laughter of a studio audience.
"Winding Road" is not the only TV primer for the E.U. Romania's public television network is also producing a series of quiz shows for children to introduce them to the rest of Europe. Called "Little Stars," the show familiarizes children with European cultural and popular icons, whether it's the Roman Colosseum, Don Quixote or famous soccer players.
It stops short of directly propagandizing E.U. membership. Steluta Matios, the "Little Stars" producer, said that after the long rule of Nicolae Ceausescu, the communist dictator who was executed in 1989, Romanians were wary of being told what to do. "We don't want to say 'Join the E.U. or else,' " Matios said. "Our goal is to make Romanians feel at ease in Europe."
Does anyone else think that this is an excellent idea? I think the idea behind this show is inspired. Important and relevant information about political and economic issues are presented in an easy-to-understand way to the average man, while at the same time being entertaining and satirical.
Could the US do something like this? Should it? God knows our electorate obviously needs some education on the larger picture and the workings of our Political and Economic system.
Shows like the Daily show, have already proven that you can have an entertaining and informative show at the same time, so I could see there being a market. People have also been interested in Politically themed shows such as the "West Wing". I could see there being an audience.
Comments on any of this?
By Daniel Williams
Washington Post foreign Service
Sunday, November 21, 2004; Page A26
BUCHAREST, Romania -- Romanian television has an unlikely hit on its hands, a sitcom with a cast of racy characters who sit in a country pub and get laughs discussing the fine points of the bureaucracy and regulations of the European Union.
One recent episode of "The Winding Road to Europe" delved into cattle breeding. As with just about any aspect of economic life, it is the subject of pages and pages of rules laid down by the E.U., which Romania hopes to join in 2007.
"It's quite simple," said the town crier, one of the show's regular characters. "A young bull in its first year on the job can do 30 to 40 females. In the second year, being more experienced, he can do 60 to 80 sweethearts. But in all cases, no more than one a day."
"Uh, I see, from now on animal sex life is standardized," said the town drunk. "They will do 'it' according to the minds on the European Commission. . . . That's what I call respect for animals."
Many here hope that membership in the bloc, now composed of 25 countries, will bring prosperity and a cure for Romania's myriad social ills. But the show's producers say it's important that people understand what they would be getting into. "Winding Road" skewers the bloc -- but at the same time it educates viewers on the union's many technicalities, such as its often strange ways of saying simple things.
In E.U. literature, cultural exchanges between countries are referred to as "horizontal aspects of culture." Labor talks are called "social dialogue." Edible fish are "living aquatic resources." The language confounds quite a few people in a country where oxen still draw carts and farmers walk their pigs on leashes.
So the "Winding Road" team decided to provide lessons in E.U. life in a country pub where the language is, to put it mildly, bawdy.
"The country pub is where Romanians traditionally talk things out, exchange news and ideas," said Gabriel Giurgiu, a former engineer who is the show's producer. "Everyone speaks in a language everyone can understand, so we thought this was the best place to explain the E.U." The show has also been a hit among city dwellers. ...SNIP...
..."The Winding Road" is E.U.-funded, but Giurgiu is looking for private money to avoid the bureaucratic tangles of getting funding from Brussels. The program is shot at Romania's public television studios and is shown Sundays at noon -- the time farmers typically return from church for a midday meal. "Priests tell me that they run out of church to get home," Giurgiu said.
The pub is called La Europa and its clientele are the stereotypes of Romanian village life: the conservative farmer, the drunkard, the wily bar owner, the dreamy barmaid, the city cousin who maintains a country house, the town crier and a teacher. All frequent La Europa for a shot of plum brandy and news.
The professor has started to raise snails in anticipation of trade with the E.U. The barmaid dreams of travel. The conservative farmer is a skeptic. The drunk is the voice of truth. Puns and off-color jokes provide most of the laughter.
During the episode on animal husbandry, the villagers contemplate E.U. rules that lay out details on how, when and where to breed farm animals. "The activity is to be performed in a special place, in solitude, but in easy reach of the animals," explains the town crier to the laughter of a studio audience.
"Winding Road" is not the only TV primer for the E.U. Romania's public television network is also producing a series of quiz shows for children to introduce them to the rest of Europe. Called "Little Stars," the show familiarizes children with European cultural and popular icons, whether it's the Roman Colosseum, Don Quixote or famous soccer players.
It stops short of directly propagandizing E.U. membership. Steluta Matios, the "Little Stars" producer, said that after the long rule of Nicolae Ceausescu, the communist dictator who was executed in 1989, Romanians were wary of being told what to do. "We don't want to say 'Join the E.U. or else,' " Matios said. "Our goal is to make Romanians feel at ease in Europe."
Does anyone else think that this is an excellent idea? I think the idea behind this show is inspired. Important and relevant information about political and economic issues are presented in an easy-to-understand way to the average man, while at the same time being entertaining and satirical.
Could the US do something like this? Should it? God knows our electorate obviously needs some education on the larger picture and the workings of our Political and Economic system.
Shows like the Daily show, have already proven that you can have an entertaining and informative show at the same time, so I could see there being a market. People have also been interested in Politically themed shows such as the "West Wing". I could see there being an audience.
Comments on any of this?
