The effects of watching too much TV?

Did anyone read the story of captured soldiers in the papers today ... Faye feared she was going to be raped and killed. This was based on the fact that when they realised they had a female prisoner one of the captors started shouting "woman, woman", she was asked to strip out of her military clothes and she heard sawing and hammering outside her cell and a woman came in to take her measurements. Do you really think that the mere sight of an uncovered female is going to send the Iranian men into a sexual frenzy? And come on measuring you for a coffin!! Let's be honest if they were going to torture, rape and murder you do you think they would have bothered to measure you for a coffin!! Another youngster, Arthur, said they tortured him by likenening him to Mr Bean and flicking at his neck!

The only thing that tortured them was their own vivid imagination. We do all watch too much TV ... lets think about it ... in TV land what's more likely to happen to you .. you are captured, tortured, raped, humiliated and murdered or that they are going to ask you a couple of questions, realise that you are just a bunch of young kids and then give you a new suit and send you home with a goodie bag!

But depending on what you watch sometimes TV can prepare you for reality too. Cream and I were watching a report on Al-Jazeera today about the Police in Mumbai ... they arrested three suspected kidnappers and took them back to the Police Station for interrogation. Now I know what was going to happen next ... I've seen plenty of Asian movies! Cream however stood in shock as he witnessed a couple of officers beating the guys with a leather strap and then poking at them with a cattle prod while they cowered in a corner begging for mercy. When the reporter asks whether this is a little harsh, the inspector shakes his head unconcerned and replies ... "No, we're just frightening them a bit."

"What the hell is that about" Cream says ... "That" I say " is an interrogation. Were you expecting a glaring competition across a table until the suspect broke and told the truth, CSI, NCIS, Law & Order, Cold Case style?" (I know I watch too many of these!) This is what is involved when you go down to help the Police with their inquiries in Asia which is why I know that our UK soldiers had it lucky if the worse that happened to them was being called Mr Bean and not getting his i-pod back!