Guantánamo Prisoners Discover, Inexplicably Love The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
By Julie Miller
2:00 PM, August 9 2012
Surprising news from The Miami Herald today: Among the 28,000 books and videos in the library of the Guantánamo Bay detention center, prisoners have suddenly gravitated toward The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. A Guantánamo librarian, who just ordered all six seasons to sate the growing demand, did not speculate about the random interest in Will Smiths 90s-era television series, but he did say hes noticed that the prisoners prefer comedy.
Speaking of (black) comedy, the paper notes that maximum-security captives are permitted to view The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (or their outdated sitcom of choice) for an hour or two a day from a recliner, with one ankle shackled to a bolt on the floor. So called co-operative captives, meanwhile, can watch shows communally on a flat-screen television that has been bolted to a wall inside a Plexiglas box. Criminally, the Herald fails to note whether the medium-security lock-ups are also provided recliners.
According to Guantánamos librarian, who identifies himself to journalists only as Milton, while interest in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air has piqued, prisoners have been neglecting their former favorite library rental: the Harry Potter books. The sympathetic Herald explains:
The stories about Harry Potter now sit unborrowed on the shelves of the library, an air-conditioned trailer where contractors examine and assemble material for distribution in the prison camps. Theyre over that; its been more than a year, the librarian said in an interview Tuesday.
Former librarians have noted other suddenly popular prisoners rentals over the years, included Barack Obamas best-selling book The Audacity of Hope. According to Milton, a Bill Cosby series has also been in demand.