Careful what you wish for...

<--My book recommendation for the New York Times.

Special Thanks to C, for bringing this story to my attention.

So in my last post, I complained that there was not enough political news happening, forcing me to complain about the sci-tech section of the virtual paper:

Come on politics. Get me some funny/interesting news so I can stop with these sciency human interest fluff.

I should be careful what I wish for. Today, the NYTimes is reporting on the preparations for the first parliamentary elections of Bhutan. Oh wait, that was not nearly dramatic enough to describe a country in the Orient. Hey New NYTimes, can y'all give me a hand?

they undertook a sort of fire drill for democracy and set down an important marker on their carefully ordered journey toward modernity.

That is much better. Has that certain Asian Spice to it. And as a bonus, you get inserted into the telos of modernity. But wait, what exactly does modernity consist of?

Having once sealed itself off from the world, the lair of the Druk has cautiously and deliberately begun opening up. Television, including foreign cable stations, was introduced only in 1999 (and more recently featured an episode of “Desperate Housewives” on election day). The Internet came soon after.

There are no McDonald’s golden arches poking out from the blue pine forests yet, though the influence of global consumer culture can be glimpsed in the Pepe jeans on young men and a convenience store here that calls itself 8-Eleven.

The government is considering joining the World Trade Organization. Foreign tourists are allowed to come in somewhat larger numbers than before, though still chaperoned from one high-priced resort to another.

So we have three paragraphs on capitalist consumption now? Wasn't this just an article about elections and democracy? How did democracy become Desperate Housewives, the Internet, and the WTO. Of course, they have not officially reached modernity yet, seeing as how they do not yet have any McDonald's in their country yet. But they'll get there:

But all that is in its infancy. For the moment at least, Bhutan does not resemble a democracy, particularly compared with other countries in the region.

Aww... Cute wittle Bhutan. You're such a good little country. Yes you are! Yes you are! Who's a good country? Who's a good country?

Oh, and for a real bonus keep on reading 'till the last two paragraphs on the article.