Blake Goes to Uganda, v. 1.0

Sagala ku-nwa malwa!!!

1.22.2006

Mr. Bean as Cultural Universal

The concept of cultural universals is suspect at best. Anthropologists have for years described the incest taboo as the only culturally universal principle. But, feminist anthropologists have done a fairly good job at debunking that assertion, at least in terms of how it has encouraged social scientists to overlook how cultures deal with and internalize sexual abuse.

That being said, there are a number of cultural icons that have achieved almost universal status as celebrities among the world's various cultures and people: Michael Jackson and Bob Marley have often been described as such. But, these seem naive to me... especially with Michael Jackson's vanishing notoriety outside the US. Bob Marley certainly seems close to being a universally recognized celebrity. I heard Bob Marley even in the most remote villages I visited while in China and Bolivia. But, I think it is time to recognize someone who has superceded even Bob Marley's fame: Mr. Bean.

I have never visited a country without at some point coming across a group of ten or fifteen people applauding Mr. Bean's genius. Last night was my second encounter with "Bean" in Zzana.

Twenty five people, adults and children, were watching him on a small television, all laughing their respective asses off as Mr. Bean changed into his swimming suit without taking off his pants.

Because Mr. Bean's humor is almost entirely physical and language-free, it trancends all language barriers. But like Laura Bohannon in her essay, Shakespeare in the Bush, one cannot overlook how Mr. Bean is interpretted differently from culture to culture.

There is one question I have been asked twice about Mr. Bean in Uganda that disturb me greatly. It first came from a nice woman who looked as if she were in her mid-forties. After she caught her breath from laughing at Bean's blowing his nose into the lining of his coat pocket, she looked up at me and patted me on the back. "Do you Muzungu think Bean is as handsome as I do?" she asked.

"No," I said. "For us, his ugliness is part of the humor."

"Ohhh. I don't believe you. He is very handsome. He looks like your father."

"Yes," I said. "That's true."

She went back to laughing at Mr. Bean as he proceeded to fall asleep during church and fall into the fetal position by the pew.

"Bean!" she cried. "You have no wisdom, knowledge or understanding."

Another woman cried later, "Bean! You look handsome in that suit."

Since that night, I have been wondering what it would be like to be Mr. Bean's lover. I have a sneaking suspicion that Mr. Bean is great in bed.

4 Comments:

At 1:25 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Great entry Blake! Good luck on your mission.

 
At 10:40 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

yuk yuk!!
-ju

 
At 9:54 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Someone once told me I looked like Mr Bean. Though saddened, I did think "well he is pretty popular." He must have his admirers.

Great entry indeed.

 
At 9:54 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

that last one was me

 

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