Shoe talk show

Who said that ignorance about the Middle East does not extend to Arab media? Not me. Yesterday, LBC-TV (owned largely by Prince Al-Walid) aired a discussion of the shoe. They invited an Iraqi tribal leader who wrote poetry about the shoe. The host asked him to read a few lines. He said: from which poem? I wrote several poems about the shoe. The show aired several stupid rerports that resorted to the worst "cultural generalization" that did not know that many Asians take their shoes before entering a house. And many Americans I know noted that Arabs are keen to keep their shoes on (slippers or sandals) while at home. The show (very right-wing and pro-Saudi and all Saudi media are unanmiously condemning the shoe and the thrower in the name of "journalist standards"--ironic, eh? The media of Saudi princes want to lecture you on journalist ethics) aired a live poll: some 77% supported the shoe. The host was not amused.