Katie Couric - co-anchor of the Today Show - did a report on the cultural lives of Iraqi women on the January 13, 2003 broadcast. Then she interviewed an Iraqi anchorwoman of supposedly equal status to herself. The report focused on the every day lives of Iraqi women pertaining to fashion, career, education and social freedoms. And the interview with the Iraqi anchorwoman, in which the anchorwoman was obviously on the defensive of her country's culture, consisted of a type of social "peer-pressure" questioning from Ms. Couric.

The women of America just cannot understand how the women of Iraq can live their lives like they do, supposedly limited to the so-called social inequalities and injustices of the Iraqi government and lifestyles. Never-mind that this has been a way of life throughout that country's history and from the beginning of time, but just because their customs and fashion taste does not mirror that of the United States, somehow they are considered "third world."

The Iraqi anchorwoman tried unsuccessfully to explain to Couric that this life is considered normal to them so how can the women of America deem their customs strange. She repeatedly emphasized to Couric that though America considers them a "third world" country that does not make America a "first world" country. And as far as the Iraqi government and society is concerned, America is considered "third world" to them. The worldview can go both ways, however, America does not seem to see this.

It is typical that any country or group of people with similar qualities would view differences in others strange or foreign, but with all the so-called educated and worldly people in America, it is funny how they do not understand they are being very hypocritical. To judge and then label another culture as second or "third" to their own is not only closed-minded but also childish.

The segment from the Today Show revealed shots from one of Iraqi's major cities. It looked no different from one of our own cities. There were skyscrapers, busy streets, and nice automobiles, fashion malls with all the latest American shops such as The Gap, Saks Fifth Avenue, and other types of fashion shops from around the world. The pictures did not seem to show the "undeveloped" images of a "third world" country that the news media in America would have Americans believe.

The main differences in Iraq and America are government structure and culture. Because it has been difficult for America to get Iraq and other "third world" countries to switch to outright capitalism and so-called Democracy, now they are attempting to transform their culture into what they deem as civilized, as in American culture. What better way to do this than to go after the weakest link? Just as Satan seduced the woman in the garden who would eventually get to the man, this is how America has strategized their conversion of Iraq, through their women. Corrupt their women and you got the whole country.

The only problem is, Iraqi women seem quit content with their culture and lifestyle. Which brings us back to the beginning. American women just cannot comprehend this. How can a woman be content without a career, without a closet full of seductive and business style fashion wear, and how can these women put up with the sexist practices of settling for second-rate jobs and pay.

Not all cultures think like America does; some of them still have a solid moral base. As far as economics, governmental structure, and technology is concerned, America reigns as the world's most prosperous, organized, and witty, but when it comes to basic human morality, this is where America comes up short. America seems to think that if the rest of the world adopts the same economic, governmental, and technological standards and practices as they, that country and the rest of the world would be better off. However, if the entire world were as powerful as America in the above areas, there would be no more morality left in the world and we'd all be bound for hell.

© 2003 by AfroStaff