My wife and I sat down to Saturday brunch, and instead of suggesting one of our regular weekend shows, I wanted Kristi to watch this video I saw on YouTube the day before. It was a guy touring Riyadh, the capital city in Saudi Arabia.
Peter Santenello markets himself as somebody who connects with locals as a way of teaching about other cultures. The stories are told through the eyes and stories of those locals, and they were on his visit to Riyadh – a video Peter posted two years ago. Both of the guys were named Muhammed or Mohammed, and they both drove really nice cars. The video showed a sprawling city, one that Peter himself described as southern California meets the Islamic world. The video also showed Saudi obsession with Starbucks and malls.
I’m less surprised by the day when I see other parts of the world looking, acting and behaving like we do in the United States. The differences among us are much less than what we have in common, although to be fair, Peter’s videos from Iran and Pakistan show many remaining elements from yesteryear.
The other of Peter’s videos I really learned a lot from was this one featuring a ton of insight into the world of Mennonites (aka the ‘Beachy Amish,’ as Peter’s tour guide tells him).
Really wanted to share both of these and Peter’s channel with you. Oh, I almost forgot the video that first caught my attention. Peter Santenello and an acquaintance tour guide (an executive from Chrysler’s parent company, Stellantis) opened my eyes to the rebirth of Detroit. The city should show this video to as many folks as possible.
There’s a broader conversation digital content creators should be having, especially if they work in the traditional television space. These types of videos are often as or more interesting as content available on TV. To each their own, but I know I find myself opting for YouTube more and more over Netflix, Hulu, etc.
