Wednesday, November 9, 2016

Telenovela Influence


As we learned about Dr. A’s trip to Istanbul, I realized that this topic of telenovelas we have been learning about all semester is much bigger and relevant that I expected. Telenovelas are not simply a Hispanic culture tradition, but they are worldwide. They are available and produced through many, many countries including places such as Turkey, Brazil, and even Vietnam. The telenovelas that I once considered as simply soap operas contain much more depth and construction than American soap operas.

These telenovelas provide so much for the viewers. For some, it’s an escape out of the harsh reality they live in where they might not have enough to eat or drink or their children might not be enrolled in school because of the corruptness of the government. For example, Vietnam is a very communistic and corrupt government where very few original or new telenovelas are produced. Mainly, they use voiceovers for shows that are imported from other countries in order to change the language to their own. Because of their government, they have to compromise and do whatever they can to provide relief and happiness to the people of their country.

For others, the telenovela shows the true and harsh reality to outsiders of environments that people actually live in and portrays the true issues the government has and why the country is the way it is. Telenovelas are so much more than a soap opera. As Dr. A has showed us throughout the semester and even further showed us on her trip to Istanbul, so much goes into these shows behind the scenes that we as viewers and outsiders would never consider.

For most outsiders, it is simply entertainment. It is an inside to the culture of whichever country is being portrayed. Regardless of what the view one has on telenovelas, time, effort, money, and many sleepless nights are just a few sacrifices made to ensure that these telenovelas are of the highest quality before production and being shown to thousands of people. Hopefully telenovelas will become more prominent in America, so we can all enjoy them too!

2 comments:

  1. It is definitely easy to forget the power and importance of telenovelas because they are entertainment. Having free speech and freedom of the press is something people from the United States sometimes take for granted. However, it is still incredibly impressive that countries like Vietnam can still produce anything given the resources they have.

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  2. Montanna, I relate so much to your comment about not realizing how much telenovelas really impact the world around us. I always though they were just for your third purpose - entertainment. I have really enjoyed learning about the different reasons people get hooked on these shows. I agree with your comment on people escaping their harsh realities, too. I think we all do this sometimes - I know for me, I love to watch TV after a tough day to escape into another world for a little bit. Thanks for bringing up such a great point!

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