5/4 - Vietnam Idol

n the article, “Globalization and the Public Cartographies of Vietnam Idol” by Long Bui, the author demonstrates how the model of capitalism and glorification of Western ideals are pushed on to other countries, like Vietnam. However, this model is not realistic for third world countries because the accessibility to resources differs between each region. For example, the author states how auditions for the show is often in populous urban areas, but most of the country lives in rural areas. Additionally, the votes are counted through a text/website, but in reality, most of the county also don’t have access to that either. These unconsidered factors demonstrate how unrealistic it is to replicate a popular western show as a way to shift the country towards a more capitalist framework.  In parallel to the idea of meritocracy, Vietnam is forced to promote their television show and they believe they can be successful if they try hard enough. But in actuality, even if they try hard enough, their reality would not fulfill their expectations.  

In reference to a prior reading, “In Truth and Power” by Michel Foucault, he argues how imperative it is to challenge the ideas of what we hold as truth, since systematically, institutions are the ones that creating and reproducing hegemonic ideas. In the case of Vietnam, Western ideas are constantly framed as the best, even when it is not realistic or true.