When 2M TV Sells Illusions to Moroccan Youth

Sidi Ifni – For many years now, 2M TV has been offering Moroccan youth opportunities that usually turn out to disappoint them later in their lives and at the same time negatively affect their identity as Moroccans. 2M offers promises of stardom. It offers opportunities of being what one is not, so to speak.

Through its so-called variety of programs, it also offers chances of becoming famous overnight. Yet, to put it frankly and bluntly, over the past years and at present, it clearly appears that 2M has only been selling illusions to Moroccan youth, who regrettably believe them and become more French than the French in the process.

Basking in their stardom, Moroccan youth do not stop to wonder whether their identity is jeopardized or not. They do not care if the programs 2M offers run contrary to the principles of their families and the values and conventions of Moroccan society. As their ‘idolized’ channel promises, they blindly aspire to fame and recognition no matter what the price is.

Many prospective female stars once had to change their style of dress in their debut so as to fit the French or Western expectation. Oddly, this makes some of our youth proud of themselves on the grounds that they are becoming more “civilized” than their peers when they adopt French lifestyles or ways of life. At this point, 2M does not have consideration for the fact that Moroccans must always be Moroccans in terms of their attitude towards their own way of life.

There have been many implicitly-shown programs on 2M whose aim is to teach Moroccans principles of tolerance. These programs have ‘beckoned’ our youth to integrate themselves into the culture of the French so as to attain a sense of tolerance and therefore to be accepted as tolerant. As usual, our youth has met this initiative with approval and have gone on to take part in the programs so fervently that they even begin to look down on some of our invaluable traditions.

What Moroccan youth are unaware of is that if others teach us the values of tolerance, this must simply mean that we are far from being tolerant. And when others do not accept our intolerance, as if there is any basis that our traditions are deemed as less civilized than theirs, they too must be lacking tolerance in their programs. In this respect, we begin to lose some of our youth. At other times, it is even worse, especially when we lose the noble values we have made great efforts to instill in our youth.

It is normal that like any other channel, 2M is making great efforts to boost its ratings and is ready to fight against any stumbling blocks. Yet, it should never be to the extent that the attitude of Moroccan families is not taken into consideration. Attitudes, for Moroccan youth, do not matter so long as the channel offers them a universe of ‘golden’ opportunities. Owing to a lack of awareness, for Moroccan youth, attitude still does not pay.

What rather matters, for them, is to make one’s voice heard and one’s face seen on 2M. Unfortunately, they are now aware that is it thanks to their exposed body and heard voice that 2M channel is making a fortune. Still worse is that the minute they prove useless to 2M management, they are fired. The conclusion we must draw here is that our Moroccan youth are objectified for the benefit of 2M, nothing more! Values and Moroccan attitudes are nothing compared with the lucrative business the channel has indulged itself in.

2M Channel is good at tempting Moroccan youth, especially by promising them mentorship and joining the circle of stars. But, the programs reserved for this usually disappoint Moroccan youth when they find out that they have simply been sweet-talked into fallacious dreams. The latter has been the capital on which 2M continues to build itself.

Now, Moroccans are the target without which 2M cannot survive. Many of our youth have later learned that they have been deluded by the tantalizing programs, because the fame and stardom they have looked forward to have not come to fruition.

Some Moroccan youth have ignored their studies, for they have been obsessed with fame. At a time when the channel does not encourage Moroccan youth to study, to develop their skills and, more importantly, to think critically, they feel that they have been tricked into believing that education does not matter compared to appearances on TV.

Some other young females have used their beauty for the benefit of 2M, forgetting that beauty exposed on the channel is 2M’s much cherished capital to grow and flourish. When beauty is objectified, owners of this beauty simply turn into toys that are good only at making money. Moreover, Moroccan youth are heavily whitewashed and flattered that, for example, they are the cream of Moroccans and that all they need to succeed in life is to participate in the channel’s magical programs. Moroccan youth, regrettably, are so naive to trust these empty promises!