Laureates hit out at reality TV war game
Source: Agencies |
August 15, 2012, Wednesday
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NINE Nobel Peace Prize winners are speaking out against a new NBC competition TV series they say treats military maneuvers like athletic events.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the other Nobel laureates protested in an open letter that the show, "Stars and Stripes," glorifies war and armed violence.
The series, which premiered on NBC on Monday night, pairs celebrities with US military personnel for simulated military challenges. Celebrity participants include boxing champion Laila Ali, Superman actor Dean Cain, Olympic skiing gold medalist Picabo Street and former Alaska governor Sarah Palin's husband, Todd Palin. The program is hosted by retired Army General Wesley Clark.
"I'm doing this series for one reason," says Clark at the top of the show - "to introduce you, the American people, to the individuals that sacrifice so much for all of us."
The letter, sent on Monday to Clark, NBC boss Robert Greenblatt, producer Mark Burnett and others connected with the show, argues "this program pays homage to no one anywhere" and criticizes it for "trying to somehow sanitize war by likening it to an athletic competition."
Besides Tutu, other letter signatories include American anti-landmine campaigner Jody Williams, Iranian human rights attorney Shirin Ebadi and Rigoberta Menchu of Argentina.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the other Nobel laureates protested in an open letter that the show, "Stars and Stripes," glorifies war and armed violence.
The series, which premiered on NBC on Monday night, pairs celebrities with US military personnel for simulated military challenges. Celebrity participants include boxing champion Laila Ali, Superman actor Dean Cain, Olympic skiing gold medalist Picabo Street and former Alaska governor Sarah Palin's husband, Todd Palin. The program is hosted by retired Army General Wesley Clark.
"I'm doing this series for one reason," says Clark at the top of the show - "to introduce you, the American people, to the individuals that sacrifice so much for all of us."
The letter, sent on Monday to Clark, NBC boss Robert Greenblatt, producer Mark Burnett and others connected with the show, argues "this program pays homage to no one anywhere" and criticizes it for "trying to somehow sanitize war by likening it to an athletic competition."
Besides Tutu, other letter signatories include American anti-landmine campaigner Jody Williams, Iranian human rights attorney Shirin Ebadi and Rigoberta Menchu of Argentina.
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