tag:theconversation.com,2011:/uk/topics/us-television-39835/articles
US television – The Conversation
2024-01-31T16:50:24Z
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/222269
2024-01-31T16:50:24Z
2024-01-31T16:50:24Z
Super Bowl ads: It’s getting harder for commercials to score with consumers
<p>With the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers set to face off in the 2024 Super Bowl, another conversation now begins in earnest about the TV commercials that will run during one of the most-watched television events of the year. And while some of the usual suspects will once again advertise on-air to the <a href="https://www.billboard.com/culture/tv-film/super-bowl-2023-viewership-numbers-1235253521/">more than 110 million viewers</a> watching the game in the U.S., other regulars will be noticeably absent.</p>
<p>As professors who <a href="https://harbert.auburn.edu/directory/linda-ferrell.html">study marketing</a> and <a href="https://harbert.auburn.edu/directory/oc-ferrell.html">business ethics</a>, we’re keenly interested in Super Bowl advertising. So we looked at the roster of advertisers in search of trends. </p>
<p>The most interesting thing we found may be who’s not advertising. <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/america-4-largest-car-makers-224356471.html">Gone are the Big Four automakers</a> – Ford, General Motors, Chrysler parent Stellantis and Toyota – which have chosen to dedicate their ad dollars to more tightly targeted marketing campaigns. Only Kia and BMW are stepping up to promote their new electric vehicles, while Volkswagen has advertising lined up to celebrate its 75th anniversary in the U.S.</p>
<p>Also missing this year will be GoDaddy, whose Super Bowl ads have generated buzz over the years. Its <a href="https://adage.com/article/ad-age-podcast/why-godaddy-still-sitting-out-super-bowl/2534516">management has indicated</a> that the company is exploring other marketing options that create more engagement for their target markets.</p>
<h2>Advertisers seeking a touchdown</h2>
<p>Super Bowl ads this year, which <a href="https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/super-bowl-commercials-sold-out-cbs-tv-advertising-1235777413">sold out by early November 2023</a>, are dominated by food and beverage brands. These products appeal to a broad target audience. First-time advertisers like Popeyes, Drumstick, Nerds, and Pepsi’s new lemon lime soda, Starry, will join perennial advertisers Reese’s, M&M’s, Pringles, Frito-Lay and Mountain Dew, among others.</p>
<p>The world’s largest brewer, Anheuser-Busch InBev, plans to <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/24/01/36779729/bud-light-to-make-a-comeback-at-super-bowl-2024-with-humorous-ad">run multiple ads</a> across its various brands, including <a href="https://thehill.com/opinion/finance/4155908-how-a-15k-bud-light-giveaway-needlessly-cost-ab-inbev-27-billion/">recently tarnished Bud Light</a>, hoping to add to its history of producing iconic Super Bowl commercials. </p>
<p>At a cost of <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/cbs-reportedly-selling-super-bowl-lviii-ads-at-staggering-price-nearly-sold-out-before-2024/ar-AA1jtQs2">up to US$7 million</a> for a 30-second spot – the same as last year – this brief stint on the big stage doesn’t come cheap. And that’s before taking into account the <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/most-expensive-super-bowl-commercials-130041725.html">cost to create the ads themselves</a>, often more than twice what they will spend to run them on game day. All together, one spot can cost companies more than $20 million.</p>
<p>What are these advertisers hoping to gain, and is it worth it? For some, it clearly can be.</p>
<p>To start, consider that the most effective ads – those that stand out above the crowd – are visible long before the game begins and for weeks and even years afterward. Teasers, trailers and sometimes the full ads themselves are typically released in the weeks prior to the Super Bowl and reviewed on TV, online and across social media.</p>
<p>That coverage also continues after the game, with polls and feature stories ranking which ads worked and which didn’t as Monday morning advertising quarterbacks weigh in. Some of the best Super Bowl ads even take on a life of their own that lasts long after they first ran. Who can forget the iconic 1980 <a href="https://davidjdeal.medium.com/hey-kid-catch-how-coca-cola-and-mean-joe-greene-launched-a-legend-ab7b9492c84d%23:%7E:text=The%252520Reinvention%252520of%252520a%252520Football%252520Legend&text=NBC%252520turned%252520the%252520commercial%252520into,of%252520the%252520ad%252520for%252520Downy.">Coca-Cola commercial</a> featuring Pittsburgh’s Mean Joe Greene tossing a young fan his jersey? While the ad originally aired in late 1979, it reached a much broader audience during the game a few months later.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">The classic Super Bowl ad ‘Have a Coke and a Mean Joe Greene.’</span></figcaption>
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<p>That ad has remained so popular that it was remade as a commercial for Coke Zero 30 years later featuring fellow Steelers player Troy Polamalu. Pre- and post-Super Bowl coverage in recent years often revives them both, as well as other iconic ads – decades later.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">A 2009 Super Bowl ad inspired by ‘Have a Coke and a Mean Joe Greene.’</span></figcaption>
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<h2>The TV tide is turning — a little</h2>
<p>So why are the Big Four automakers, GoDaddy and other former Super Bowl advertisers forsaking the big game? Gen Z, in particular, is <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/petersuciu/2023/02/08/super-bowl-ads-may-need-to-evolve-to-target-gen-z--that-will-include-a-social-media-component/?sh=4e70a3162b3e">not impressed by Super Bowl ads</a>, and complicating the matter is their lack of interest in broadcast TV. </p>
<p>Marketers know TikTok and other social sites are <a href="https://www.shopify.com/blog/tiktok-marketing">better platforms</a> for delivering messages to targeted demographics. The return on investment for advertising is far easier to track in these venues, and the ad spend is easier to justify – especially considering how often these ads will be shared with family and friends in a matter of seconds with just a few keystrokes.</p>
<p>Still, in today’s fractured media landscape, the Super Bowl is a rare event with truly mass appeal: <a href="https://www.nfl.com/news/super-bowl-lvii-total-viewing-audience-estimated-at-200-million">More than 60% of Americans</a> tuned into last year’s game, according to the NFL. That’s a lot of eyeballs.</p>
<p>In the end, today’s marketing executives recognize that Super Bowl TV commercials work best when they promote mass market products – <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/13527266.2011.581302">through humor, use of animals, nostalgia and celebrities</a> – as well as social causes that resonate with consumers. Linking a brand with memorable and creative storytelling is also an effective way to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/03/perspectives/super-bowl-ads-google-loretta/index.html">boost overall brand</a> visibility.</p>
<p>That’s the formula for success in this year’s Super Bowl.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222269/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Marketers are increasingly focused on reaching narrow audiences – but when it comes to mass appeal, the Super Bowl doesn’t miss.
Linda Ferrell, Professor of Marketing, Auburn University
O.C. Ferrell, Professor of Ethics, Auburn University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/221348
2024-01-18T12:53:46Z
2024-01-18T12:53:46Z
True Detective: Night Country’s indigenous representation offers hope for decolonising television
<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjZNs9FEop4">True Detective: Night Country</a>, the fourth season of the HBO/Sky drama, is a twist on its familiar neo-noir mystery format, starring Jodie Foster and Kali Reis as the lead detectives. It’s the first time women have been at the show’s helm.</p>
<p>The season is set in Ennis, a fictional mining town in Alaska, during a polar night. The local indigenous community, <a href="https://kikiktagruk.com/shareholders/inupiat-people/">Iñupiat</a>, (a real group of indigenous Alaskans) have formed families and social ties with incomers over the years, but their coexistence is not without hurdles. </p>
<p>The investigation of the disappearance of a group of scientists from a local research lab brings to the fore a forgotten case of the murder of an indigenous woman. </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">True Detective: Night Country trailer.</span></figcaption>
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<h2>The appeal of indigenous life</h2>
<p>Cinematic descriptions of indigenous communities are usually the domain of documentary films. But in recent years, more fictional films and television shows have included indigenous motifs. For example, the acclaimed films The Wind Journeys (2009) and The Embrace of the Serpent (2015), are both directed by Ciro Guerra. </p>
<p>Films and television shows that depict indigenous characters and cultures risk overly relying on stereotypes or exaggerations for the sake of narrative. These result in <a href="https://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/stories/2007/02/apocalypto.html">inaccurate depictions of indigenous life</a>.</p>
<p>Part of the appeal of seeing indigenous life represented on screen is the western viewer’s longing for discovering a “forgotten spirituality” which could remedy the worries of contemporary life. But characters in True Detective: Night Country often mock or disregard indigenous viewpoints. </p>
<p>The main investigator, Liz (Foster), constantly sneers at her detective partner, native Iñupiat state trooper Evangeline (Reis), about her “spirit animal” giving her clues. </p>
<p>Evangeline, in turn, resents the dismissal of the historic investigation of the brutal murder of Annie, a native Iñupiat woman. She claims that only the disappearances of “white boys” seem to matter. Evangeline sees the removal of Annie’s tongue as a symbol of “silencing the indigenous voice”.</p>
<p>At the bottom of the matter lies the question of land ownership (“We were here before”, indigenous activists shout in one scene) and environment protection – two things most indigenous communities across the world have in common. The two groups inhabiting Ennis distrust each other and do things behind each other’s back, although their lives are inevitably entangled. </p>
<p>Although the story and location are fictional, the <a href="http://icestories.exploratorium.edu/dispatches/big-ideas/the-people-of-the-arctic/the-inupiaq-people-of-barrow-alaska/index.html">Iñupiat</a> are a real community of Alaska (“Iñupiat” actually means “real people”). </p>
<h2>The politics of indigenous representation</h2>
<p>Indigenous communities on screen often serve the function of the “other”. This means they effectively help to define the identity of the non-indigenous protagonists and audiences by showing what they are not. </p>
<p>This “otherness” focuses on their differences, and it often follows the stereotype of an unrefined victim lacking the benefits of civilisation or a “noble savage” holding forgotten secrets to lost spirituality. </p>
<p>The often mysterious symbolism of indigenous culture is used to convey the fear of the unknown. Anna Lambe, an Inuk actress who is part of the True Detective cast, <a href="https://holrmagazine.com/holr-chats-anna-lambe/">says that</a> representations of indigenous life are frequently inaccurate and deeply grounded in stereotypes. True Detective contrasts local traditions with western law enforcement and science – although the solution comes from marrying the two. </p>
<h2>Decolonising the screen</h2>
<p>In 2012 the Berlin International Film Festival introduced a <a href="https://www.berlinale.de/en/2019/topics/decolonising-the-screen-native-2019.html">“NATIVe” section</a> for indigenous filmmakers. The section allowed indigenous cinema (both fiction and non-fiction) to be part of a large international film festival. The initiative was a breakthrough, offering a high profile opportunity to screen indigenous issues. Unfortunately the section was discontinued in 2019, having not been hugely attended. </p>
<p>My own <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/25741136.2022.2056791">filmmaking projects</a>, first with the Yanesha community from the Peruvian Amazon and then with the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAYah05Udxo">Arhuaco</a> from Colombia, taught me something crucial: that my vision of their ways of life is just my interpretation, filtered through years of preconceptions about indigenous peoples. </p>
<p>Watching these indigenous peoples’ own films showed me not only who they really are, but also what they think about western filmmakers who think they know how to represent them. </p>
<p>What I am impatiently waiting for is to see more indigenous filmmakers making their own representation of their culture. After all, showing a couple of animal skins or native face tattoos is not enough to claim we have decolonised television and cinema. </p>
<p>But True Detective offers a nuanced portrays of the Iñupiat. They are not “bad” nor they are “good” – they are ordinary people just like everyone else, with their own problems and valuable heritage. The show’s creators have gone beyond cheap and overused stereotypes to allow for a more realistic depiction of contemporary indigenous lives: one which is not trapped in the past but still benefits from traditional values. Let’s hope this trend continues so that we see more representations of diversity across film and television.</p>
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<p><em>Looking for something good? Cut through the noise with a carefully curated selection of the latest releases, live events and exhibitions, straight to your inbox every fortnight, on Fridays. <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/something-good-156">Sign up here</a>.</em></p>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Agata Lulkowska does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
The show’s creators have gone beyond cheap and overused stereotypes to allow for a more realistic depiction of contemporary indigenous lives.
Agata Lulkowska, Senior Lecturer in Film Directing and Producing, Staffordshire University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/220889
2024-01-11T17:16:15Z
2024-01-11T17:16:15Z
What Fargo season five gets right about toxic masculinity and domestic violence
<p><em>Warning: includes spoilers for the first eight episodes of Fargo season five.</em></p>
<p>The latest series of Fargo includes a two-minute tracking shot that focuses on the menacing face of the sheriff, ranch owner, evangelical Christian and Donald Trump supporter Roy Tillman (Jon Hamm). He is filmed in tight close-up as he stomps through the snow to a small barn that houses his chained former wife, the show’s heroine Dot Lyon (Juno Temple).</p>
<p>The scene is accompanied by Lisa Hannigan’s slow and haunting cover of Britney Spear’s hit song Toxic, which was rearranged specifically for the series by composer Jeff Russo.</p>
<p>It makes for tense and difficult viewing. The audience have witnessed Tillman’s casual violence towards women throughout the series. He has just been humiliated in a political debate, and is clearly hellbent on redeeming his tarnished masculine self-image by doubling down on the recaptured young wife who had the temerity to escape his clutches. </p>
<p>As this brief plot outline suggests, domestic violence is at the heart of Fargo’s fifth season and each episode ends with a list of domestic abuse hotlines. </p>
<p>The priority given to this theme has, however, provoked some negative responses. Forbes critic <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2024/01/07/why-fargo-season-5-doesnt-feel-like-fargo-anymore/?sh=33f9718c24ca">Erik Kain argues</a>, for example, that by tackling a serious social issue, Fargo has undermined its trademark humour and become too earnest.
The series – set in America’s Midwest in 2019 – has generally been hailed as a triumphant “<a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2023/11/22/fargo-amazon-prime-video-season-5-review/">return to form</a>”, though, following the less well-received series three and four. Season four marked a departure from the show’s contemporary setting, taking place during the 1950s. </p>
<p>As a feminist academic who has been writing on representations of domestic abuse <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1057/9780230801523_3">since the noughties</a>, it has been gratifying to see the substantial increase in fictional depictions of this theme in the 21st century. I believe the success of the new Fargo series lies in the creators’ bold decision to draw direct connections between the “private” crime of domestic violence and today’s public culture of masculinity that is linked to misogyny.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">The trailer for Fargo season five.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Domestic violence on screen</h2>
<p>Despite the much higher awareness of domestic violence that emerged from the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/feminism/The-second-wave-of-feminism">second-wave feminist movement</a>, mainstream films that offered a sympathetic view of abused women were <a href="https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-319-65064-7">rare in the late 20th century</a>. </p>
<p>Furthermore, they tended to rely on the casting of established female stars with a “girl next door” image to draw identification to the still-marginalised figure of the “battered wife”, such as Farrah Fawcett in The Burning Bed (1984) and Julia Roberts in Sleeping With the Enemy (1991).</p>
<p>This has shifted in the 21st century, with feminist issues once more, though in a different way, having a higher profile in mainstream culture due to global campaigns. This includes #MeToo, when women across the world reposted the hashtag indicating their status as survivors of sexual abuse. </p>
<p>Hollywood films such as Waitress (2007), The Girl on the Train (2016), The Invisible Man (2020) and TV dramas such as Angela Black (2021), Big Little Lies (2017) and Maid (2021) have featured extended domestic violence plot lines. Long-running soap operas such as Eastenders and even cosy radio soap The Archer, have also covered the topic. </p>
<p>However, as I argued in my <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/14680777.2022.2155861?needAccess=true">recent research</a>, many of these dramas present male violence towards women as a rare phenomenon, perpetuated by a few “bad apples” whose behaviour has little relation to mainstream masculine attitudes.</p>
<p>Sadly, all available evidence suggests that domestic abuse is far from abnormal. According to the World Health Organization, <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/violence-against-women">one in three women</a> globally have experienced it. It is somewhat less common in higher-income regions with greater levels of gender equality (such as Europe and the US), but the percentage of women who have experienced domestic abuse in these areas is still 20%.</p>
<h2>A cultural problem</h2>
<p>Despite its darkly comedic tone, the new series of Fargo accurately presents the abuse of women as a cultural rather than individual problem by highlighting its presence in politics, religion and the law. </p>
<p>Its depiction of sheriff and wife-beater Tillman (promoted in his election campaign as “a hard man for hard times”) challenges traditional American fantasies of rugged but benign masculine power.</p>
<p>Tillman is shown watching a televised Trump rally, then slapping his wife immediately afterwards. He draws on the authority of the church when instructing other men on how to punish their wives. To accentuate the endemic nature of gendered abuse, the other key female character, policewoman Indira Olmstead (Richa Moorjani), is subjected to financial abuse by a lazy, cheating husband who criticises her wifely skills. </p>
<p>Given Fargo’s depressing but perceptive view of endemic patriarchal abuse, it is not surprising that the all-female place of safety and recovery where heroine Lyon seeks shelter before her recapture by Tillman is called “Camp Utopia” – and turns out to be a dream. </p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p><em>Looking for something good? Cut through the noise with a carefully curated selection of the latest releases, live events and exhibitions, straight to your inbox every fortnight, on Fridays. <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/something-good-156">Sign up here</a>.</em></p>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Roberta Garrett does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
I’ve been writing on representations of domestic abuse since the noughties. It has been gratifying to see the increase in fictional depictions of this theme in the 21st century.
Roberta Garrett, Senior Lecturer in Literature and Cultural Studies, University of East London
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/219567
2023-12-13T13:32:25Z
2023-12-13T13:32:25Z
‘Good Times’: 50 years ago, Norman Lear changed TV with a show about a working-class Black family’s struggles and joys
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/565080/original/file-20231212-15-wc43rn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=39%2C0%2C2335%2C1605&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Esther Rolle, right, and John Amos starred in the pathbreaking 1970s Black sitcom.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/american-actors-john-amos-as-james-evans-sr-and-esther-news-photo/180965295?adppopup=true">Moviepix via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>I loved watching <a href="https://apnews.com/article/norman-lear-died-87300f0e49b54c05803ab315dfdf9933">Norman Lear</a>’s trailblazing television shows when I was growing up in Dalzell, South Carolina, in the 1970s.</p>
<p>“<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070991/">Good Times</a>,” my favorite, debuted on Feb. 8, 1974 – nearly 50 years ago. CBS aired the show about the daily struggles and triumphs of the working-class Evans family until Aug. 1, 1979. </p>
<p>Lear, who <a href="https://apnews.com/article/norman-lear-died-87300f0e49b54c05803ab315dfdf9933">died at 101 on Dec. 5, 2023</a>, forever changed sitcoms. His characters were more diverse, and their predicaments included situations that had previously been out of bounds for humorous TV programs, such as <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/norman-lear-producer-sitcoms-obituary-180983380/">child abuse, unemployment and alcoholism</a>. As a result, they more accurately reflected modern life in America than their counterparts that predominated through the 1960s.</p>
<p>“Good Times” stood apart from Lear’s other successful comedies because it featured, as Lear put it, the “<a href="https://variety.com/2021/tv/spotlight/all-in-the-family-spinoffs-the-jeffersons-good-times-1234878187/">first full black family on television</a>.”</p>
<p>I have been researching “Good Times” and other <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?view_op=view_citation&hl=en&user=HhQ5hiwAAAAJ&citation_for_view=HhQ5hiwAAAAJ:5nxA0vEk-isC">shows with primarily Black casts</a> since 1989. Along the way, I’ve developed a deep appreciation for the show’s strong female characters and its many nods to Black popular culture.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">The catchy ‘Good Times’ theme song emphasized both hardship and resilience.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Compelling characters</h2>
<p>“Good Times” starred actress <a href="https://digitalarchives.broward.org/digital/collection/p16146coll16/id/45/rec/12">Esther Rolle</a>. She had previously been cast as a domestic worker with the same name but in a different city in “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068103/">Maude</a>,” another popular show Lear produced. “Maude” was also a spinoff – its <a href="https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/shows/maude">main character originated</a> on “<a href="https://theconversation.com/norman-lears-70s-tv-comedies-brought-people-together-to-confront-issues-in-a-way-gen-z-would-appreciate-219375">All in the Family</a>,” Lear’s first breakthrough hit.</p>
<p>On “Good Times,” Rolle’s character, Florida Evans, was a loving wife and mother. She was married to James Evans Sr. Her hardworking and easily angered husband was <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1976/06/07/archives/good-times-will-drop-male-parent-black-media-coalition-protests.html">played by John Amos until 1976</a>.</p>
<p>Their children included J.J. – James Jr. – the eldest son and a <a href="https://deadline.com/2022/05/ernie-barnes-sugar-shack-painting-good-times-marvin-gaye-1235023123/">talented painter</a>. He was played by stand-up comedian <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0907858/">Jimmie Walker</a>. The gangly young man <a href="https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/544598/10-things-you-might-not-know-about-good-times">won viewers’ devotion</a> by frequently <a href="https://youtu.be/b5rKZs6HnB4">shouting “dyn-o-mite!” to express his excitement</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0822304/">Bern Nadette Stanis</a> had the role of Thelma, the middle child and only daughter. She aspired to be a doctor, and her beauty attracted many suitors her parents found unsuitable. Michael, the militant youngest son who often expressed his indignation over social justice issues starting as a young tween, was played by <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0141876/">Ralph Carter</a>.</p>
<p>The actress <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0238840/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1">Ja'net DuBois</a> rounded out the core cast as Willona Woods, the Evans’ fashionable, sassy neighbor who was virtually another member of this boisterous and tight-knit family. Other actors rotated in and out, including a <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/janet-jackson-little-sister-good-140000791.html">very young Janet Jackson</a> cast as Willona’s adopted daughter, Penny.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">‘Good Times’ episodes had themes that were relatable to all viewers, including sibling rivalry and conflict between parents and their older children.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Familiar folks</h2>
<p>The <a href="https://www.rutgersuniversitypress.org/scratchin-and-survivin/9781978834835/">Black characters in “Good Times” looked and sounded real</a> to Black viewers. Also, Florida had authority in her home, just as her husband, James, did.</p>
<p>The Evans family and Willona resonated with me because they authentically presented African American culture on the small screen. Their speech, hairstyles, clothes, dance moves and music were recognizable to me as a young Black girl.</p>
<p>The cast regularly referenced Black pop culture icons, including <a href="https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/ebony-magazine/">Ebony magazine</a>, the comedian and <a href="https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/flip-wilson-1933-1998/">variety show host Flip Wilson</a>, and the <a href="https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/hayes-isaac-1942-2008/">composer and musician Isaac Hayes</a>.</p>
<p>“Good Times” also made a mark because Black women had agency on and off the set. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/09/arts/television/norman-lear-good-times-the-jeffersons.html">Rolle openly shared her concerns</a> with Lear and other producers about the show’s direction.</p>
<p>Rolle wanted more stories that focused on the show’s female Black characters. And she got them.</p>
<p>Thelma was the first Black teenage girl and Willona was the first Black female divorcée on prime-time television. Both characters were interesting, funny and beautiful.</p>
<h2>Race’s role</h2>
<p>One way that “Good Times” differed from Lear’s other Black-cast sitcoms was the role that race played.</p>
<p>In “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068128/">Sanford and Son</a>,” which revolved around a Los Angeles junk dealer and his adult son, and “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072519/">The Jeffersons</a>,” in which the audience saw a successful Black entrepreneur and his wife “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnS9tt5yGuc">movin’ on up</a>” to a fancy Manhattan apartment, the protagonists disliked and distrusted white people. And they let everyone know it. </p>
<p>The Evans family, on the other hand, were mostly cordial and welcoming in their interactions with the white characters who infrequently appeared in “Good Times.” They also turned distant and aloof when racism intervened, as happened in the episode “<a href="https://subslikescript.com/series/Good_Times-70991/season-2/episode-23-Thelmas_Scholarship">Thelma’s Scholarship</a>.”</p>
<p>Thelma and her family are initially thrilled by the prospect of getting a full ride to a boarding school in Michigan. But they reject the opportunity in disgust when it turns out she would have become a token Black student rather than being valued for her academic achievement and potential.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Thelma beams while telling her family about her shot at a scholarship to a prestigious boarding school.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Normal people’s problems</h2>
<p>“Good Times” also broke ground because the Evanses lived in poverty. Their fictional, cramped two-bedroom apartment was in Chicago’s very real <a href="https://allthatsinteresting.com/cabrini-green-homes">Cabrini-Green Homes</a>, which the <a href="https://blockclubchicago.org/2021/12/15/cabrini-green-a-history-of-broken-promises/">city has since demolished after years of neglect</a>.</p>
<p>The hassles and heartaches tied to their housing problems often became part of the plotlines. </p>
<p>In contrast, typical TV families in the 1950s and 1960s were white, middle class and suburban. </p>
<p>These included the Nelsons in “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044230/">The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet</a>,” the Andersons in “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046600/">Father Knows Best</a>” and the Stones in “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051267/">The Donna Reed Show</a>.” </p>
<p>The Nelsons, Andersons and Stones, however, also had some things in common with the Evans family. </p>
<p>For example, Betty Anderson in “Father Knows Best” contemplated marrying her boyfriend in the episode “Vine Covered Cottage,” as did Thelma in “Thelma’s Young Man.” Michael dealt with a bully in “<a href="https://subslikescript.com/series/Good_Times-70991/season-2/episode-24-The_Lunch_Money_Rip-Off">The Lunch Money Rip-Off</a>,” as did Bud Anderson in “<a href="https://subslikescript.com/series/Father_Knows_Best-46600/season-2/episode-29-Bud_the_Boxer">Bud, the Boxer</a>.”</p>
<p>“Good Times” showed that Black families had many of the same problems and concerns as white families.</p>
<h2>‘Good Times’ reboot</h2>
<p>I believe that “Good Times” lives on in contemporary depictions of 21st-century, urban, Black, working-class nuclear families. Netflix’s “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10945036/">The Upshaws</a>” is the most recent example of a two-parent, Black, working-class nuclear family with children. </p>
<p>Like Lear’s comedies, “The Upshaws” is packed with situations that would have been out of bounds before Lear redefined TV sitcoms – such as adultery and gay central characters. </p>
<p>And, as it happens, “Good Times” itself is being reincarnated.</p>
<p>“Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane and NBA star Stephen Curry joined with Lear in 2020 to <a href="https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/good-times-netflix-animated-adaptation-of-70s-comedy-series-everything-we-know-so-far/">executive-produce an adult animated reboot</a>.</p>
<p>The series, slated for release in 2024 on Netflix, will follow a new generation of the Evans family 50 years after it first showed up in American living rooms. Lear will reportedly make a posthumous <a href="https://deadline.com/2023/12/norman-lear-cameo-netflix-good-times-animated-series-1235655123/">cameo appearance</a> in it.</p>
<p>I hope a new generation of viewers will find as much to revere in the new “Good Times” as I have in the old one.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/219567/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Angela M. Nelson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Norman Lear brought the first nuclear Black family to prime-time television in 1974.
Angela M. Nelson, Associate Professor of Popular Culture, Bowling Green State University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/219375
2023-12-08T18:40:11Z
2023-12-08T18:40:11Z
Norman Lear’s ’70s TV comedies brought people together to confront issues in a way Gen Z would appreciate
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/564432/original/file-20231208-19-54ndew.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C53%2C6917%2C3995&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption"> Producer Norman Lear on the set of his hit TV series 'All In The Family,' standing between its stars, Jean Stapleton and Carroll O'Connor.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/left-to-right-is-actor-jean-stapleton-producer-norman-lear-news-photo/1835678866?adppopup=true"> Bettmann Archive/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Even Americans who strongly disagree with each other may <a href="https://ssir.org/articles/entry/how_to_use_stories_to_bring_us_and_them_togetherg-stories-brings-people-together">find common ground</a> when they watch the same TV shows and movies, especially <a href="https://annenberg.usc.edu/sites/default/files/2015/04/29/Entertainment-Education%20Sheila%20Murphy.pdf">those that make us laugh or cry</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://apnews.com/article/norman-lear-died-87300f0e49b54c05803ab315dfdf9933">Norman Lear</a>, who died on Dec. 5, 2023, at 101, created television shows that did just that.</p>
<p>“All in the Family,” “Sanford and Son” and his other biggest hits began to air in the 1970s, a time when the U.S. desperately needed to bridge divides.</p>
<h2>‘All in the Family’</h2>
<p>In the late 1960s, the U.S. was in the throes of the Vietnam War and the country was divided on many issues. Many young people were beginning to <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/2006/02/21/youth-and-war/">vehemently protest</a> – and not just against the war. They sought greater equity for people of color and an end to what they perceived as unjust military operations on the other side of the world.</p>
<p>Yet TV, the dominant media of the time, largely portrayed a <a href="https://stacker.com/tv/top-100-tv-shows-60s">sanitized version of society</a>, with visions of domestic bliss, a world where few were poor and racial tensions seemed nonexistent.</p>
<p>Lear changed the face of television when he teamed up with fellow producer <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005570/">Bud Yorkin</a> to create “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066626/">All in the Family</a>.”</p>
<p>The situation comedy, which aired from 1971-79, revolved around Archie Bunker, a working-class conservative unafraid to blurt out his bigotry. It emphasized interactions with his family, particularly Archie’s modern-minded, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jYDpAf4XLM&ab_channel=TheNormanLearEffect">liberal son-in-law Michael Stivic</a>, portrayed by future director <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001661/">Rob Reiner</a>. The show tackled issues such as racism, sexism and social change, often using humor to address these complex and sensitive topics.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.songlyrics.com/archie-and-edith-bunker/those-were-the-days-all-in-the-family-theme-lyrics/">show’s theme song</a>, sung at the beginning of each episode, was an earworm aptly titled “Those were the Days.” Its lyrics parodied Archie’s stuck-in-the-past mindset: “And you knew who you were then. Girls were girls and men were men.”</p>
<p>“All in the Family” unveiled the hidden conflicts simmering within numerous American families and throughout American society. More than just a sitcom, the show was a reflection of its time and a catalyst for hard conversations about everything from <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0509824/">civil rights</a> <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0509864/">to menopause</a>.</p>
<p>CBS executives initially <a href="https://www.rogerebert.com/tributes/norman-lear-obituary">worried that the audience wasn’t ready</a> for this kind of truth telling. But viewers enthusiastically embraced the show. </p>
<p>“All in the Family” topped the weekly charts of the <a href="https://www.retrowaste.com/1970s/tv-shows-from-the-1970s/">most-viewed TV programs for years</a>. Critics loved it too – <a href="https://www.emmys.com/shows/all-family">the show won 22 Emmys</a>, including four for Lear.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">‘All in the Family’ opened with an apt theme song and ended with an old-timey tune.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>New storytelling venues</h2>
<p>Today, divisive <a href="https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/4099983-the-republicans-culture-wars-are-dooming-the-party-to-failure/">culture wars are on the rise again</a>. Many Americans pine for a <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/culture-wars-identity-center-politics-america/story?id=100768380">return to supposedly more traditional times</a>.</p>
<p>But show business has changed since “All in the Family” was on the air and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/06/arts/television/norman-lear-rob-reiner.html.">some 40 million Americans</a> tuned in to watch.</p>
<p>No single TV show can help bring everyone together now. Instead, a <a href="https://www2.deloitte.com/xe/en/insights/industry/technology/media-industry-trends-2023.html">fractured audience</a> chooses from hundreds of TV and streaming channels, gaming platforms and social media sites that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/hcr/hqad033">often reinforce existing beliefs</a>.</p>
<p>When people consume entertainment and the media, it can isolate rather than unify.</p>
<p>But as a <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0853945/">former movie executive</a> who now <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=xTZ0V0YAAAAJ&hl=en">conducts research about the power of storytelling</a>, I firmly believe that storytelling still can play a unifying role.</p>
<p>My research team has <a href="https://www.scholarsandstorytellers.com/css-teens-and-screens-2023">found that members of Generation Z</a>, people <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2019/01/17/where-millennials-end-and-generation-z-begins/">born between 1997 and 2012</a>, yearn for storylines that address social issues, such as inequity and bias against marginalized communities, and that mirror their personal lives. These themes, which include their relationships with their parents, are reminiscent of Norman Lear’s work.</p>
<p>Archie Bunker, for example, was <a href="https://www.outsider.com/entertainment/all-in-the-family-creator-norman-lear-says-he-based-archie-bunker-his-father/">modeled on his own father</a>.</p>
<p>Norman Lear’s legacy offers storytellers a road map for meeting the needs of Americans coming of age today. I believe that we need more storytellers who, like Lear, hold up a mirror to our world, showcasing its complexity and imperfections – both the good and the bad.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/219375/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Yalda T. Uhls does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
The TV producer showed how storytelling can bridge divides and serve as a beacon of truth in a complex world.
Yalda T. Uhls, Founder and Executive Director of the Center for Scholars & Storytellers and Assistant Adjunct Professor in Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/213610
2023-09-15T13:15:00Z
2023-09-15T13:15:00Z
An X-Files expert on the show’s enduring appeal – 30 years on
<p>On September 10 1993 the pilot episode of The X-Files aired. Thirty years later to the day, I was at a <a href="https://www.twincities.com/2023/04/17/moa-30th-anniversary-x-files-convention/">convention centre in Minneapolis</a> with 500 other fans and the show’s creator, Chris Carter, celebrating its legacy. </p>
<p>Ostensibly a show about aliens, The X-Files swiftly became part of the cultural lexicon and remains there to this day. In part its success was down to the chemistry of its two leads – David Duchovny, who played FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder and Gillian Anderson, who played FBI Special Agent Dana Scully. After all, it was the X-Files fandom that invented the term <a href="https://www.vox.com/2016/6/7/11858680/fandom-glossary-fanfiction-explained">“shipping”</a> (rooting for characters to get together romantically). </p>
<p>But, as I argue in my new book, <a href="https://www.tuckerdspress.com/product-page/the-x-files-the-truth-is-still-out-there">The Truth Is Still Out There: Thirty Years of The X-Files</a>, what really made the series successful was its ability to tap into contemporary cultural moments and ask us to really think about the times we’re living in.</p>
<p>When the series began in 1993, the US was still grappling with the effects of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Watergate-Scandal">Watergate</a> and the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Vietnam-War">Vietnam war</a>, but concerns were also rising about the approaching millennium and the economic and cultural divisions within US society. It also coincided with Bill Clinton becoming president – marking the end of more than a decade of Republican leadership. </p>
<p>It’s little surprise that fears about immigration, globalisation, national identity and technology emerged and were adopted – and sometimes foreshadowed – by The X-Files’ writers. Several episodes throughout the first nine seasons dealt with artificial technology, for example, and <a href="https://x-files.fandom.com/wiki/Eve">Eve</a>, an episode in season one about clones, came four years before the birth of <a href="https://dolly.roslin.ed.ac.uk/facts/the-life-of-dolly/index.html">Dolly the Sheep</a>.</p>
<p>Critical theorist Douglas Kellner <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/432310?casa_token=44PnlIC58_oAAAAA%3AyDF-53m8WsQCfec-VrVjlF8nav_Q2y24s9ldHo7bFPUvAwUrbcieUZoEk7DZe6R3Mma-WcaUNskkC4CR4baLoAHz7EdFEqcAONLgeI4SiU85I-LPIjNk">argued in 1994</a> that The X-Files “generated distrust toward established authority, representing institutions of government and the established order as highly flawed, even complicit in the worst crimes and evil imaginable”. Though I’d argue it was less that the show generated this distrust and more that it leveraged the growing number of reports about the government’s secretive activities to inspire its storylines. </p>
<p>As the public became more aware of the government’s role in – and surveillance of – public life, so too The X-Files considered the ways in which technology could be used as a means of control. </p>
<p>In the season three episode <a href="https://x-files.fandom.com/wiki/Wetwired">Wetwired</a>, for example, a device attached to a telephone pole emits signals that tap into people’s paranoid delusions and lead them to kill. And in the season six episode, <a href="https://x-files.fandom.com/wiki/S.R._819">SR 819</a>, a character’s circulatory system fails because he has been infected with nanotechnology controlled by a remote device belonging to a shadow government. </p>
<p>These themes reflected growing concerns about government agencies using technology to both spy on and influence the public.</p>
<h2>The X-Files’ enduring appeal</h2>
<p>During my X-Files research, carried out with viewers after a revival was announced in 2015, it became clear that the show has remained part of the cultural lexicon. As one fan explained: “The cultural context of conspiracy theories has changed since the beginning of X-Files. Nowadays, every pseudoscience documentary uses similar soundtrack and narrative.”</p>
<p>Of course, the X-Files didn’t invent conspiracy theories, but as one of the show’s writers and producers, Jim Wong, <a href="https://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/how-x-files-brought-conspiracy-theories-into-mainstream-culture">points out</a>, it did “tap into something that was more or less hidden in the beginning when we were doing it”. </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">The trailer for The X-Files revival.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The focus on the rise of the alt-right, disinformation and fake news in seasons 10 and 11 seemed like a logical angle from which to approach the changing cultural context the revival came into. Carter and his co-writers dove straight in to what Guardian critic <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2016/feb/09/your-government-lies-why-the-x-files-revival-is-just-right-for-our-climate-of-extreme-scepticism">Mark Lawson calls</a> “a new era of governmental paranoia and public scepticism”, fuelled by the 2008 financial crisis, the fall out of the war on terror and scores of political scandals. </p>
<p>Season 10 saw the introduction of a right-wing internet talk show host who argues that 9/11 was a “false flag operation” and that the mainstream liberal media lie to Americans about life, liberty and the right to bear arms. The parallels to conspiracy theorists like Alex Jones and Glenn Beck were obvious.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/deplatforming-online-extremists-reduces-their-followers-but-theres-a-price-188674">Deplatforming online extremists reduces their followers – but there's a price</a>
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<p>Carter’s incorporation of topics like surveillance, governments’ misuse of power and methods of social control meant that seasons ten and 11 were very much situated in the contemporary moment. This is perhaps most obvious in the season 11 episode, <a href="https://x-files.fandom.com/wiki/The_Lost_Art_of_Forehead_Sweat">The Lost Art of Forehead Sweat</a>, which deals with the disinformation of the Trump era head on. The episode’s protagonist, Dr. They, tells Mulder that “no one can tell the difference anymore between what’s real and what’s fake”. </p>
<p>While The X-Files’ search for the truth in the 1990s may have ultimately been a philosophical endeavour, in the 21st century it is a commentary on how emotion and belief can be more influential than objective facts.</p>
<p>Watching the show again while researching my book, I was struck by how it was dated predominantly by its lack of technology, rather than the ideas it expresses. In the second season episode <a href="https://x-files.fandom.com/wiki/Ascension">Ascension</a>, Mulder pulls a phone book off a shelf in his search for Scully – now we’d use Google. But in other aspects the show remains as relevant today as it was in the 1990s, encouraging us to think about the big questions relating to faith, authority and truth. </p>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Bethan Jones does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
What made the series successful was its ability to tap into contemporary cultural moments.
Bethan Jones, Research Associate, University of York
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/201497
2023-05-12T11:14:01Z
2023-05-12T11:14:01Z
Seinfeld: how a sitcom ‘about nothing’ changed television for good
<p>A quarter of a century ago, on 14 May 1998, the final episode of Seinfeld was broadcast, ending one of the most significant sitcoms of all time after nine seasons and 180 episodes. In fact the self-styled “show about nothing” was so important we can talk about the pre-Seinfeld and post-Seinfeld eras. </p>
<p>Set in Manhattan, Seinfeld focused on the minutiae of daily life for four friends: Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld), his best friend, George Costanza (Jason Alexander), his ex-girlfriend Elaine Benes (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), and his neighbour Cosmo Kramer (Michael Richards). </p>
<p>Such a setup might sound familiar to fans of 90s American comedy shows. But Seinfeld abandoned the traditional sitcom structure of an A story and a B story and instead gave each character their own storyline, full of self-aware and metatextual jokes.</p>
<p>While co-creators Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld wanted a single-camera, filmlike aesthetic, the network, NBC, forced them to adopt a multi-camera setup taped in front of a live studio audience to supply the laughter track. </p>
<p>Eventually, David and Seinfeld subverted that by shooting more scenes using single cameras and externally so that they could not be taped in front of a studio audience. They also employed a rapid-paced, quick-cutting, music-led style that was then unusual for sitcoms. </p>
<p>This created the opportunities for expanding the narrative and cinematographic possibilities we’ve seen since. Seinfeld was a forerunner of the cinematic television we watch today. </p>
<p>Consider the elaborate single-camera set pieces of the comedy The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel on Amazon Prime, or the epic, cinematic look of Netflix’s Better Call Saul.</p>
<p>Seinfeld tackled a host of then-taboo topics, which were part of everyday life, including antisemitism, same-gender relationships and masturbation. But because censorship and social mores at that time would not allow the characters to say the word “masturbation”, instead they referred to who can be the “master of their domain”. Such topics are commonplace these days.</p>
<p>All four characters are antiheroes. None of them is particularly likeable nor were they intended to be. They are morally ambiguous, malicious, selfish, self-involved and extremely petty. They refuse to improve themselves, evolve or even manifest the slightest desire for change. They learn no lessons and the arc of the entire series revisits those they have wronged. </p>
<p>Similar characters can be found in <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0367279/">Arrested Development</a> and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0472954/">It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia</a>. Also, consider Walter White from <a href="https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/70143836">Breaking Bad</a> and <a href="https://www.hbo.com/the-sopranos">Tony Soprano</a>.</p>
<p>If all four leads in Seinfeld are bad, then George is the worst. Modelled on co-creator, Larry David, he is the epitome of male privilege. Such characters populate the televisual landscape today, not least in David’s later show, <a href="https://www.hbo.com/curb-your-enthusiasm">Curb Your Enthusiasm</a>, in which he stars as a version of himself. </p>
<p>Elaine Benes stands out as a strong female character for the time. In one episode, in the face of a shortage of contraception, she judges whether her sexual partners are “sponge-worthy” or not. Julia Louis-Dreyfus plays her with a tremendous physical comedy, as well as comic timing. She was unapologetic, and her sexuality and work life are foregrounded. Clearly, this set the template for her later series, <a href="https://www.hbo.com/veep">Veep</a>. </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Festivus is celebrated on December 23 each year, thanks to Seinfeld.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The show generated billions of dollars in revenue, making NBC US$150 million (about £93 million) a year at its peak. By the ninth and final season, Jerry Seinfeld was earning US$1 million an episode. NBC executives tried to get him to return for a tenth season by offering him US$5 million an episode, but Seinfeld turned it down. </p>
<p>Among the show’s fans was the legendary director Stanley Kubrick. “He was crazy about The Simpsons and Seinfeld,” his friend <a href="https://scrapsfromtheloft.com/movies/kubrick-by-michael-herr/">Michael Herr recounted</a>. As a Kubrick expert, I even suspect that the set design influenced his final film, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120663/">Eyes Wide Shut</a> (1999).</p>
<p>Watching Seinfeld again now – and I have re-watched every episode – some of it lands terribly today. Take the episodes with Babu Bhatt, a Pakistani immigrant who runs a restaurant across the street from Jerry’s apartment. He appears in three episodes of the show and is known for his catchphrase, “Very bad man!” which he uses to insult Jerry. </p>
<p>The problem is that Babu is played by actor Brian George, who was born in Jerusalem to Iraqi Jewish parents, and is clearly wearing makeup and affecting a south Asian accent. </p>
<p>At the same time, the lack of diversity in Seinfeld is striking. New York is represented by Manhattan alone, rather than any of the other four boroughs that make up the metropolis. Its image of the Big Apple is white and middle class. </p>
<p>As journalist and screenwriter Lindy West has <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jun/09/politically-correct-jerry-seinfeld-comedy-marginalised-voices">observed</a>, the series featured only 19 black people, 18 of whom were one-off characters such as “the waiter” and “the guy who parks cars”. There was only one recurring black character – Kramer’s lawyer, Jackie Chiles – whose mimicry of OJ Simpson’s lawyer, Johnnie Cochran, makes him look like a real shyster. </p>
<p>So, while Seinfeld may feel like a dated product of the late 1990s, it was ahead of the curve aesthetically, structurally and in terms of narrative and characterisation. Today’s television would be unthinkable without it.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/201497/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nathan Abrams has received funding from research councils and charities including the AHRC and The British Academy among others. </span></em></p>
The 90s sitcom featuring Jerry Seinfeld influenced the type of cinematic television we are so familiar with nowadays.
Nathan Abrams, Professor of Film Studies, Bangor University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/195180
2022-11-30T13:37:38Z
2022-11-30T13:37:38Z
Beware of ‘Shark Week’: Scientists watched 202 episodes and found them filled with junk science, misinformation and white male ‘experts’ named Mike
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/497069/original/file-20221123-20-w4v0g6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=9%2C3%2C2035%2C1358&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Hammerhead sharks schooling near Costa Rica's Cocos Island.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://flic.kr/p/GqmhHb">John Voo/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The Discovery Channel’s annual <a href="https://www.discovery.com/shark-week">Shark Week</a> is the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/animalia/wp/2018/07/24/shark-scientists-explain-whats-right-and-whats-wrong-with-shark-week/">longest-running cable television series in history</a>, filling screens with sharky content every summer since 1988. It causes one of the largest temporary increases in U.S. viewers’ attention to any <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3000146">science or conservation topic</a>. </p>
<p>It’s also the largest stage in marine biology, giving scientists who appear on it access to an audience of millions. Being featured by high-profile media outlets can help researchers attract attention and funding that can help super-charge their careers. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, Shark Week is also a missed opportunity. As scientists and conservationists <a href="https://www.outsideonline.com/culture/books-media/what-shark-experts-really-think-about-shark-week/">have long argued</a>, it is a major source of <a href="https://www.npr.org/2015/07/06/420326546/after-sketchy-science-shark-week-promises-to-turn-over-a-new-fin">misinformation</a> and <a href="https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2013/08/05/shark-week-megalodon-fake-discovery-channel/">nonsense</a> about sharks, the scientists who study them, and how people can help protect endangered species from extinction.</p>
<p>I am a <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=xb7noGAAAAAJ&hl=en">marine biologist</a> who worked with five colleagues in 2022 to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0256842">scientifically analyze the content of Shark Week episodes</a>. We tracked down copies of 202 episodes, watched them all and coded their content based on more than 15 variables, including locations, which experts were interviewed, which shark species were mentioned, what scientific research tools were used, whether the episodes mentioned shark conservation and how sharks were portrayed. </p>
<p>Even as longtime Shark Week critics, we were staggered by our findings. The episodes that we reviewed were full of incorrect information and provided a wildly misleading picture of the field of shark research. Some episodes <a href="https://www.earthtouchnews.com/oceans/sharks/experts-shark-weeks-zombie-sharks-harasses-animals/">glorified wildlife harassment</a>, and many missed countless chances to teach a massive audience about shark conservation. </p>
<figure>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Sharks are apex predators that are key to maintaining healthy ecosystems, but a 2020 study that surveyed 371 coral reefs found that 20% had no sharks present.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Spotlight real solutions</h2>
<p>First, some facts. <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/list-of-sharks-skates-and-rays-2075391">Sharks and their relatives</a>, such as rays and skates, are among the most threatened vertebrate animals on Earth. About one-third of all known species are at risk of extinction, thanks mainly to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2021.08.062">overfishing</a>. </p>
<p>Many policy solutions, such as setting fishing quotas, creating protected species lists and delineating no-fishing zones, are enacted <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/acv.12265">nationally or internationally</a>. But there also are countless situations in which increased public attention can help <a href="https://www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/12267/why-sharks-matter">move the conservation needle</a>. For instance, consumers can avoid buying seafood produced using <a href="https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/act-for-the-ocean/sustainable-seafood">unsustainable fishing methods</a> that may accidentally catch sharks.</p>
<p>Conversely, focusing on the wrong problems <a href="https://doi.org/10.1139/facets-2020-0058">does not lead to useful solutions</a>. As one example, enacting a ban on shark fin sales in the U.S. would have little effect on global shark deaths, since the U.S. is only involved in about 1% of the global fin trade, and could <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2017.08.026">undermine sustainable U.S. shark fisheries</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/497065/original/file-20221123-24-qt5nyu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A shark caught in a fishing net dangles over the side of a boat with a crew member reaching out." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/497065/original/file-20221123-24-qt5nyu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/497065/original/file-20221123-24-qt5nyu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497065/original/file-20221123-24-qt5nyu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497065/original/file-20221123-24-qt5nyu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497065/original/file-20221123-24-qt5nyu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497065/original/file-20221123-24-qt5nyu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/497065/original/file-20221123-24-qt5nyu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A crew member aboard a commercial fishing boat off the coast of Maine tries to cut a shark loose from a gillnet. Sharks often are caught accidentally by fishermen pursuing other species.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/crew-member-aboard-a-commercial-fishing-boat-tries-to-cut-a-news-photo/1243631026">Mailee Osten-Tan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Discovery Channel claims that by attracting massive audiences, Shark Week <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/animalia/wp/2018/07/24/shark-scientists-explain-whats-right-and-whats-wrong-with-shark-week/">helps educate the public</a> about shark conservation. But most of the shows we reviewed didn’t mention conservation at all, beyond vague statements that sharks need help, without describing the threats they face or how to address them. </p>
<p>Out of 202 episodes that we examined, just six contained any actionable tips. Half of those simply advised against eating <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/shark-fin-soup">shark fin soup</a>, a traditional Asian delicacy. Demand for shark fin soup can contribute to the gruesome practice of “<a href="https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/fish/what-is-shark-finning-and-why-is-it-a-problem/">finning</a>” – cutting fins off live sharks and throwing the mutilated fish overboard to die. But finning is not the biggest threat to sharks, and most U.S.-based Shark Week viewers don’t eat shark fin soup.</p>
<h2>Spotlighting divers, not research</h2>
<p>When we analyzed episodes by the type of scientific research they featured, the most frequent answer was “no scientific research at all,” followed by what we charitably called “other.” This category included nonsense like building a submarine that looks like a shark, or a “<a href="https://www.ffjournal.net/item/12437-wasp-water-armor-shark-protection.html">high tech” custom shark cage</a> to observe some aspect of shark behavior. These episodes focused on alleged risk to the scuba divers shown on camera, especially when the devices inevitably failed, but failed to address any research questions.</p>
<p>Such framing is not representative of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1643/OT-19-179R">actual shark research</a>, which uses methods ranging from tracking tagged sharks via satellite to genetic and paleontological studies conducted entirely in labs. Such work may not be as exciting on camera as divers surrounded by schooling sharks, but it generates much more useful data. </p>
<figure>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Gavin Naylor, director of the Florida Program for Shark Research, describes findings from his lab’s analysis of shark genetics.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Who’s on camera</h2>
<p>We also were troubled by the “experts” interviewed on many Shark Week shows. The most-featured source, underwater photographer <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7t7jl8e0Mw">Andy Casagrande</a>, is an award-winning cameraman, and episodes when he stays behind the camera can be great. But given the chance to speak, he regularly claims the mantle of science while making dubious assertions – for example, that <a href="https://twitter.com/ABC4EXPLORE/status/1285972513328070689">shark diving while taking LSD</a> is a great way to learn about these animals – or presents well-known shark behaviors as new discoveries that he made, while <a href="https://www.mensjournal.com/adventure/mega-shark-episode-criticized-as-a-low-point-for-shark-week/">misrepresenting what those behaviors mean</a>.</p>
<p>Nor does Shark Week accurately represent experts in this field. One issue is ethnicity: Three of the five most-featured locations on Shark Week are Mexico, South Africa and the Bahamas, but we could count on one hand the number of non-white scientists who we saw featured in shows about their own countries. It was far more common for Discovery to fly a white male halfway around the world than to feature a local scientist. </p>
<p>Moreover, while <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2022.842618">more than half of U.S. shark scientists are female</a>, you <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-dark-side-of-being-a-female-shark-researcher/">wouldn’t know this from watching Shark Week</a>. Among people who we saw featured in more than one episode, there were more white male non-scientists named Mike than women of any profession or name. </p>
<p>In contrast, the Discovery Channel’s chief competitor, National Geographic, is partnering with the professional organization <a href="https://www.misselasmo.org/">Minorities in Shark Sciences</a> to <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/article/building-a-community-and-fostering-a-love-for-sharks">feature diverse experts</a> on its shows.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1585646957233512450"}"></div></p>
<h2>More substance and better representation</h2>
<p>How could Shark Week improve? Our paper makes several recommendations, and we also participated in a workshop, highlighting diverse voices in our field from all over the world, that focused on <a href="https://safesharks.org/diversifying-shark-media/">improving representation of scientists in shark-focused media</a> </p>
<p>First, we believe that not every documentary needs to be a dry, boring science lecture, but that the information shared on marine biology’s biggest stage should be factually correct and useful. Gimmicky concepts like Discovery’s “<a href="https://www.discovery.com/shows/naked-and-afraid/episodes/naked-and-afraid-of-sharks-2">Naked and Afraid of Sharks 2</a>” – an endurance contest with entrants wearing masks, fins and snorkels, but no clothes – show that people will watch anything with sharks in it. So why not try to make something good? </p>
<p>We also suggest that more scientists seek out media training so they can take advantage of opportunities like Shark Week without <a href="https://gizmodo.com/shark-week-lied-to-scientists-to-get-them-to-appear-in-1619280737">being taken advantage of</a>. Similarly, it would be great to have a “Yelp”-like service that scientists could use to rate their experiences with media companies. Producers who want to feature appropriately diverse scientists can turn to databases like <a href="https://500womenscientists.org/">500 Women Scientists</a> and <a href="https://diversifyeeb.com/">Diversify EEB</a>. </p>
<p>For a decade, concerned scientists and conservationists have <a href="https://www.npr.org/2015/07/06/420326546/after-sketchy-science-shark-week-promises-to-turn-over-a-new-fin">reached out to the Discovery Channel</a> about our concerns with Shark Week. As our article recounts, Discovery has <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0256842">pledged in the past</a> to present programming during Shark Week that puts more emphasis on science and less on entertainment – and some episodes <a href="https://twitter.com/whysharksmatter/status/620417258406318080?lang=en">have shown improvement</a>.</p>
<p>But our findings show that many Shark Week depictions of sharks are still problematic, pseudoscientific, nonsensical or unhelpful. We hope that our analysis will motivate the network to use its massive audience to help sharks and elevate the scientists who study them. </p>
<p><em>Editor’s note: The Conversation US contacted Warner Brothers Discovery by phone and email for comment on the study described in this article. The network did not immediately respond or offer comment.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/195180/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Shiffman does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
A study offers evidence that marine biology’s biggest stage is broken, and suggests ways to fix it.
David Shiffman, Faculty Research Associate in Marine Biology, Arizona State University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/191699
2022-09-30T18:51:51Z
2022-09-30T18:51:51Z
Trevor Noah is leaving The Daily Show – how did he fare?
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/487512/original/file-20220930-17-ns70k0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for The Recording Academy</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>Africa’s most famous funnyman and TV star, the South African stand-up comedian and author <a href="https://www.trevornoah.com">Trevor Noah</a>, is <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2022/sep/30/trevor-noah-to-leave-the-daily-show-saying-he-wants-to-do-more-standup">leaving</a> his job as the host of Comedy Central’s <a href="https://www.cc.com/shows/the-daily-show-with-trevor-noah">The Daily Show</a> in the US. Noah, who hosted the high profile show for seven years, says he wants to devote more time to his stand-up career. We asked Allaina Kilby, a journalism, political communication and satire lecturer, how he will be remembered in the political satire landscape on TV in the US.</em></p>
<hr>
<h2>What’s your view of Trevor Noah’s tenure at the show?</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.capitalfm.co.ke/thesauce/trevor-noah-to-take-over-the-daily-show-after-stewarts-exit/">Taking over from Jon Stewart</a> was never going to be easy. Stewart was widely respected for his passionate satirical take downs of US political transgressions and cable news channels. The appeal of successful satirists like him is that they are on the audiences’ side, they articulate citizen concerns and anger on a public stage but in a funny and compelling way. This creates a bond between the satirist and audience and this is why Stewart leaving The Daily Show was such a big deal to his loyal followers. </p>
<p>Noah, a little known comedian back in 2015, had to build that trust back up with an audience who had no idea who he was. This took some time and viewing figures for the programme took a dip in the first two years. But eventually the audience came to realise that Noah was equally as capable as Stewart if not more so because he was able to offer something different to his predecessor: an outsider’s perspective to America’s political and social problems.</p>
<h2>What did he bring to the landscape?</h2>
<p>The American late-night comedy scene is very male, white, and American. As a native South African, Noah has brought clarity and fresh perspectives to emotionally charged political issues that are often missing from late-night comedy and American cable news.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/537515/born-a-crime-by-trevor-noah/">But growing up as mixed-race</a> during apartheid also enabled Noah to handle crucial moments like the <a href="https://blacklivesmatter.com/">Black Lives Matter movement</a> with a level of awareness and sensitivity that could never be matched by his white, male counterparts. These unique perspectives caught the attention of a younger and more diverse global audience that have been introduced to The Daily Show via Noah. </p>
<h2>Is the power of TV satire as a critical tool increasing or decreasing?</h2>
<p>The genre has become a highly saturated space with lots of different programmes vying for the attention of audiences who are leaving TV in favour of digital platforms. This makes it increasingly difficult for the more progressive and politically charged satire programmes to have the same impact they once had, particularly when the highest rating shows in the genre tend to be more entertainment focused like <a href="https://abc.com/shows/jimmy-kimmel-live">Jimmy Kimmel Live</a> and <a href="https://www.cbs.com/shows/late-late-show/">The Late Late Show With James Corden</a>.</p>
<p>It is vital that TV satire shows continue to highlight and critique political and social issues. However, it is equally important that they explore them through the lenses of gender, race and class and via a wider variety of digital platforms.</p>
<h2>What has it meant for a black African to take on this role?</h2>
<p>Trevor Noah’s tenure on The Daily Show has highlighted the importance of challenging the white, male centric nature of the American late-night scene. I hope that the show continues to recognise the importance of diversity. Maybe this time they can bring American actresses and comedians <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1790970/">Jessica Williams</a> and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1200650/">Samantha Bee</a> back into the fold as chief anchors.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/191699/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Allaina Kilby does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
The South African comedian has brought clarity and fresh perspectives to often emotionally charged political issues.
Allaina Kilby, Lecturer in Journalism, Swansea University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/190422
2022-09-15T20:03:51Z
2022-09-15T20:03:51Z
M*A*S*H, 50 years on: the anti-war sitcom was a product of its time, yet its themes are timeless
<p>MASH, stylised as M*A*S*H, is the story of a rag-tag bunch of medical misfits of the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital thrown together against the horrors of the Korean war in the 1950s. The series endured for 11 seasons, from September 1972 to the final episode in 1983. </p>
<p>Originally it was centred on two army surgeons, the wisecracking but empathetic Benjamin “Hawkeye” Pierce, played by Alan Alda, and the deadpan “Trapper” John McIntyre, played by Wayne Rogers.</p>
<p>The show had an ensemble cast and different episodes would often focus on one of the featured characters. </p>
<p>There was the meek Corporal “Radar” O'Reilly, cross-dressing Corporal Klinger, the easy-going Lieutenant Colonel Henry Blake and pious Father Mulcahy. The antagonists, conniving Major Frank Burns and Major Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan, were foils for Hawkeye and Trapper but occasionally were central characters in some episodes too.</p>
<p>Based on the 1970 movie, itself based on a novel, MASH was designed as a “black comedy” set during the Korean War. </p>
<p>It was really a thinly veiled critique of the war in Vietnam raging at the time. </p>
<p>The creators of the show knew they wouldn’t get away with making a Vietnam war comedy. Uncensored news broadcasts showing the viciousness of Vietnam were transmitted straight to the American public who were, by now, growing jaded of the increasingly brutal war.</p>
<p>Setting the series 20 years earlier allowed the creators to mask their criticisms behind a historical perspective – but most viewers realised the true context.</p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/alan-alda-on-the-art-of-science-communication-i-want-to-tell-you-a-story-55769">Alan Alda on the art of science communication: 'I want to tell you a story'</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>An anti-war sitcom</h2>
<p>What started as a criticism of the Vietnam war soon evolved into one for all wars. </p>
<p>In many episodes, audiences would be reminded of the horrors of lives lost in the fighting on the line, and the angst and trauma faced by those behind the line. </p>
<p>It didn’t matter which war this was, MASH was saying all wars are the same, full of shattered lives.</p>
<p>Cloaking this message in comedy was the way the creators were able to make it palatable to a wide audience. </p>
<p>The early seasons have a distinctive sitcom feel to them, mostly as a result of the series co-creators, Larry Gelbart and Gene Reynolds, who were from a comedy background. </p>
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<p>When both creatives left by the end of season five the show took a more dramatic turn.</p>
<p>In particular, Alda became more involved in the writing and took it into a more dramatic direction, toning down the comedic elements. This was also reflected in the change of many of the secondary characters. </p>
<p>The philandering, practical joker Trapper was replaced by the moral and professional BJ Hunnicutt, the snivelling Frank Burns by the pretentious Charles Winchester, the laconic Henry Blake with the officious Sherman Potter, and the complete absence of Radar after season eight. The voice of the series took on a noticeably Hawkeye focus.</p>
<p>As the Vietnam war ended in 1975, the tone of the show also changed. It became less political and focused more on the dilemmas of the individual characters. The laugh track was toned down. But this did not make the show any less popular. </p>
<p>Audiences responded strongly to the anarchic anti-authoritarianism of Hawkeye and Trapper/BJ. </p>
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<p>Almost all the characters are anti-war, reflecting the growing antagonism the American public was feeling towards the Vietnam war and war fatigue in general, post-Vietnam. </p>
<p>Even Frank and Hot Lips, the most patriotic characters, sometimes questioned if the war was worth all the suffering and death. And the series reminded people the humour used was not meant to disrespect those fighting but as a coping mechanism of the trauma by those involved.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/accidental-napalm-turns-50-the-generation-defining-image-capturing-the-futility-of-the-vietnam-war-175050">'Accidental Napalm' turns 50: the generation-defining image capturing the futility of the Vietnam war</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>A timeless classic</h2>
<p>That’s not to say there aren’t issues with the show when looked at with modern sensibilities. </p>
<p>Contemporary audiences would find problems with some of the representations of characters and issues addressed in the series. Corporal Klinger would today be seen as contentious. His penchant for dressing in women’s clothes was not because he was trans or interested in drag, but because he was trying to get a “Section 8”, or mental health, discharge. </p>
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<p>Many of the female characters were also relegated to little more than two-dimensional romantic interests or background characters. </p>
<p>The only woman who starred with a significant recurring role was “Hot Lips” Houlihan but, as the nickname implies, she was often the butt of sexualised humour. </p>
<p>This has not stopped the show maintaining its popularity in the continual re-runs it gets on cable and streaming services. </p>
<p>MASH was a product of its time, yet its themes on the absurdity of war are universal. It became more than a TV show: a shared cathartic experience for war-weary audiences. </p>
<p>At its heart is the eclectic mix of dysfunctional characters who use humour to laugh in the face of adversity. This is what makes MASH a timeless classic.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/190422/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Daryl Sparkes does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
MASH was designed as a ‘black comedy’ set during the Korean War. It was really a thinly veiled critique of the war in Vietnam, which was raging at the time.
Daryl Sparkes, Senior Lecturer (Media Studies and Production), University of Southern Queensland
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/160070
2021-06-21T12:19:21Z
2021-06-21T12:19:21Z
How to consume news while maintaining your sanity
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/406499/original/file-20210615-3785-15a3wsj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=220%2C196%2C2890%2C1736&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Too much news can overwhelm consumers and promote anxiety.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/control-room-operators-at-fox-news-studios-in-new-york-news-photo/142740560?adppopup=true"> The Washington Post / Contributor/ Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The amount and variety of news produced today often tests people’s ability to determine its value and veracity. Such a <a href="https://theconversation.com/when-too-much-news-is-bad-news-is-the-way-we-consume-news-detrimental-to-our-health-146568">torrent of information</a> threatens to drown news consumers in a river of confusion. </p>
<p>Media coverage of the coronavirus, for example, illustrates how news may overwhelm and confuse consumers, and even <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-the-media-may-be-making-the-covid-19-mental-health-epidemic-worse-153616">contribute to mental health woes</a> by escalating anxiety.</p>
<p>The overabundance also undermines Americans’ ability to <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2017/10/19/the-future-of-truth-and-misinformation-online/">decipher fact from misinformation</a>.</p>
<p>But techniques exist for ferreting out what we can trust and what we should question, and there are steps we can take to help determine where the news comes from. </p>
<p>The owners of news media outlets often bring their own view of the news they want their organization to focus on. Some see themselves as information providers. Others may want to advance agendas they believe in. </p>
<p>One example of what should be covered in the news was provided by New York Times publisher Adolph Ochs in 1897. It still appears on the newspaper’s masthead: “<a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/All-the-News-Thats-Fit-to-Print">All the News That’s Fit to Print</a>.” </p>
<p>This statement of values enables us to understand what the journalist or news organization wants to convey and why. Understanding the messenger helps us understand the message. </p>
<p>As a longtime journalist, and as a <a href="https://my.wlu.edu/directory/profile?ID=x7968">journalism professor</a> who teaches media ethics, I believe news consumers should bring a critical eye to the news.</p>
<p>Here’s a list you can use when reading, listening to or watching news. It offers steps to bring better focus and context to the relentless news feed.</p>
<h2>1. What’s news to you?</h2>
<p>What is news? News, at its core, focuses on information that is “new.” It conveys the latest knowledge about local, state, national and international occurrences. Other definitions can be found <a href="https://www.masscommunicationtalk.com/definition-of-news.html">here</a>, <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/news">here</a> and <a href="https://www.dictionary.com/browse/news">here</a>.</p>
<p>What’s the difference between your definition of news and that of news providers? The <a href="https://www.americanpressinstitute.org/journalism-essentials/makes-good-story/">American Press Institute notes</a> that journalism seeks to determine “newsworthiness.” That, it says, involves verification and value. </p>
<h2>2. Learn more about the news you turn to</h2>
<p>What news organization produces the news you turn to, and what does its mission statement disclose about its purpose and promises?</p>
<p>Who does it identify as the audience it serves?</p>
<p>What a news organization says it stands for can be found online. For examples, search for an “About” heading, a mission statement or “<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/policies-and-standards/">policies and standards</a>.”</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/407054/original/file-20210617-17-1r29br0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Stacks of newspapers." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/407054/original/file-20210617-17-1r29br0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/407054/original/file-20210617-17-1r29br0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407054/original/file-20210617-17-1r29br0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407054/original/file-20210617-17-1r29br0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407054/original/file-20210617-17-1r29br0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407054/original/file-20210617-17-1r29br0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407054/original/file-20210617-17-1r29br0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Stacks of newspapers on a New York City street.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/copies-of-the-new-york-times-on-a-newsstand-contain-the-news-photo/526660826?adppopup=true">Richard Levine/Corbis via Getty Images</a></span>
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<h2>3. Become familiar with journalists your news comes from</h2>
<p>What are the names of the journalists associated with the news story, and what’s their background? Check online.</p>
<p>How accurate has their work been? You can turn to news research organizations like <a href="https://www.poynter.org/news/fact-checking/">Poynter</a> and other independent groups focused on transparency and fact-checking.</p>
<p>What approach do they take? Is it straight, interpretative or personal? Straight news focuses on verifiable facts. The interpretive approach adds the journalist’s understanding of the subject matter. And the personal approach offers the journalist’s opinions.</p>
<h2>4. Compare different sources of news on the same subject</h2>
<p>Consume news from sources across the news spectrum when possible – from local to regional to national and international.</p>
<p>Ask yourself the following questions: How do they frame the same news from their vantage point? What, if any, slant seems apparent? What’s the focus of their lens on the news?</p>
<h2>5. Compare notes with others you trust and maybe don’t trust</h2>
<p>Ask your friends, and even those who aren’t friends, what their take is on the news. What news sources do they turn to that they trust? How do they evaluate their news?</p>
<p>Seek out different perspectives so you can compare them with your own.</p>
<h2>6. Seek out commentary from those who analyze news</h2>
<p>Look for columnists or commentators whose views you share. Seek out columnists and commentators whose views you don’t share.</p>
<p>Here is a <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/syndication/columnists/">list provided by The Washington Post</a> of columnists across the political spectrum, with a brief description of their focus. </p>
<p>The New York Times has a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/opinion/columnists">host</a> of them, too. And so does the <a href="https://tribunecontentagency.com/premium-content/opinion/">Tribune Content Agency</a>.</p>
<p>Try to understand where they are coming from and why.</p>
<h2>7. Decide what news matters to you, and what doesn’t</h2>
<p>Be open about the news you consume.</p>
<p>Contact news producers when you think their news is incomplete or incorrect. Professional news producers welcome constructive feedback. They see it as beneficial to improving.</p>
<p>Consult other sources of news and knowledge for more insight on the news: magazines, books, podcasts and Instagram, for example.</p>
<p>Consume a variety of news: the good, the bad and, if necessary, the ugly.</p>
<p>Finally, take a break from news. Too much news overwhelms. The right diet of news enlightens.</p>
<p>[<em>Over 106,000 readers rely on The Conversation’s newsletter to understand the world.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/the-daily-3?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=100Ksignup">Sign up today</a>.]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/160070/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Aly Colón does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
The daily deluge of information produced by the news media can drown consumers in confusion and anxiety, but there are steps you can take to filter out the noise and remain enlightened.
Aly Colón, Knight Professor of Journalism Ethics, Washington and Lee University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/149575
2020-11-10T16:50:24Z
2020-11-10T16:50:24Z
Fox News, Donald Trump’s cheerleaders and the journalists who challenged his narrative
<p>Rupert Murdoch is famous for always wanting to <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/murdoch-always-backs-a-winner-1149186.html">back a winner</a>. So, amid the frenzied atmosphere of the vote count, when his Fox News network started to refer to Donald Trump’s “unfounded fraud claims” with regard to the election, it was clear his chances of retaining the presidency were diminishing by the minute.</p>
<p>The network doubled down on this more recently when presenter <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/nov/10/whoa-fox-news-cuts-off-kayleigh-mcenany-for-votes-spiel">Neil Cavuto cut away from a statement</a> by White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, exclaiming: “Whoa, whoa, whoa – I just think we have to be very clear. She’s charging the other side as welcoming fraud and welcoming illegal voting. Unless she has more details to back that up, I can’t in good countenance continue to show you this.”</p>
<p>While Fox has been deeply associated with, and helpful to, the 45th US president, this appeared to signal a change of tune. Yet, it seems unlikely that the apparent passion of many of Fox’s most senior presenters for the Trump project will vanish overnight. And the network retains a massive reach, particularly among Trump’s base.</p>
<p>In October, Fox <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/fox-news-tucker-carlson-finish-historic-october-with-largest-primetime-audience-in-cable-news-history">reported</a> that it made history as the “most-watched basic cable network” for 52 straight weeks, with Tucker Carlson Tonight achieving the highest-rating monthly viewership of any program in the history of cable news with an average of 5.4 million viewers per night. Sean Hannity’s opinion show, meanwhile, averaged 5.1 million viewers per night during this same period. </p>
<p>Despite Fox’s recognition that Trump’s claims were unfounded, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/elections/2020/11/05/trump-biden-election-live-updates/#link-6HGNLHMXEZGURAMI7JQI2RZEM4">Republican senators</a> have appeared on Fox and Friends, Fox’s daily morning news program, in the aftermath of the election stating that Democrats were trying to steal the election and spreading specious claims regarding the integrity of the electoral process in swing states.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UfDWOrC16Q">Carlson meanwhile, alleged</a> – without citing any evidence – that “the outcome of our presidential election was seized from the hands of voters” and that “many Americans will never again accept the results of a presidential election”. “What Democrats really want is total control over everything. No more democracy.” Hannity, meanwhile, <a href="https://www.mediaite.com/election-2020/do-you-trust-what-happened-sean-hannity-raises-questions-about-whether-this-was-a-free-fair-honest-election/">proclaimed</a> – also without any evidence – that “every American should be angry, outraged and worried and concerned about what happened in the election and the lead up to the election”.</p>
<p>These blatant efforts to undermine the public’s faith in the electoral process are seen by some as part of a broader and longstanding effort by Trump to disseminate false narratives and misinformation to the American public. This includes repeated assertions that mail-in voting is plagued by fraud (<a href="https://www.brennancenter.org/issues/ensure-every-american-can-vote/vote-suppression/myth-voter-fraud">there is no evidence of this</a>) and that Democrats intended to “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/video/2020/aug/24/donald-trump-accuses-democrats-of-plot-to-steal-election-at-republican-convention-video">steal</a>” the election. There has been no evidence of that either. </p>
<h2>Best friends now?</h2>
<p>The relationship between the current US president and Fox News has been close since Trump declared his candidacy in 2015. According to a review by <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/donald-trump/study-two-years-trumps-live-tweeting-obsession-numbers">Media Matters</a>, Trump tweeted in response to Fox News or Fox Business programs at least 1,146 times over the two years from September 2018 to August 2020 – 7.5% of all his tweets during that period. </p>
<p>Throughout this presidency, Trump has appeared regularly on Fox News shows and rarely on other media outlets. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzskmXBGMz8">Hannity</a> even appeared alongside Trump at a Republican rally before the midterm elections rally in 2018. </p>
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<p>It’s hard to overestimate the importance of such support from a major news outlet: 16% of American adults named Fox News as their <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/pathways-2020/">main source</a> for political and election news in 2020 and 43% of Americans say they <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/04/08/five-facts-about-fox-news/">trust Fox</a> for political and election news.</p>
<p>So, despite a Federal Court judge asserting last year that Fox’s lawyer had successfully argued that any reasonable viewer “arrive[s] with an appropriate amount of skepticism” about any comments Carlson makes, Fox News presenters and their opinions carry a great deal of weight with millions of Americans. Yet, despite exceptions – such as news anchor Chris Wallace – the more comment-led side of Fox News in particular has at times seemed like an extension of the White House communications team. </p>
<h2>First Amendment wrongs</h2>
<p>Perhaps the most troubling aspect of the relationship between Trump and Fox News has been the way it undercuts some of the most basic assumptions of the First Amendment – including that the press should and will serve as an important restraint on government, that it provides a vital source of public information, and that an informed public is the essence of a working democracy. The <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/297/233">Supreme Court</a> holds that an “informed public opinion is the most potent of all restraints upon misgovernment” – and regards any abridgement of a free press with grave concern.</p>
<p>Trump himself has had a curious attitude to free speech, relishing his right to use Fox News – as well as his Twitter feed and other social media outlets as a bully pulpit, while regularly using the network to denounce other media outlets. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1266799941273350145"}"></div></p>
<p>This extends to the coronavirus pandemic, in which parts of the network have served as platform for Trump to spread misinformation regarding the dangers posed by a virus that has killed more than <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6942e2.htm">230,000 Americans</a>. Some of its coverage has even come in <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2020/09/29/media/anthony-fauci-fox-news-media/index.html">for criticism from Anthony Fauci</a>, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, who has advised <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/03/25/821591037/dr-anthony-fauci-emerges-as-rare-public-face-of-scientific-guidance">six US presidents</a>. </p>
<p>This may even have helped create a less informed public – the very antithesis of the First Amendment’s vision of an “informed populace”. A 2012 <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2016/07/21/a-rigorous-scientific-look-into-the-fox-news-effect/?sh=7f51f2b512ab">study</a> found that Fox News viewers were less informed even than those who watched no news at all. </p>
<p>Misinforming, or not taking enough care properly to inform the public, undermines the objective of press freedom and represents a disturbing subversion of First Amendment principles. </p>
<p>That parts of Fox News have been willing to challenge Trump in recent days may provide hope that, in a moment of existential importance for the country, some journalists at the network are taking their First Amendment obligations seriously.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/149575/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Eliza Bechtold does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
The Murdoch-owned cable network was extremely close to the Trump administration and its fans. Now, perhaps not so much.
Eliza Bechtold, PhD Candidate in Law, Durham University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/142541
2020-07-24T12:27:42Z
2020-07-24T12:27:42Z
The ADA isn’t just about ramps – over 30 years, it has profoundly changed the deaf community
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/348196/original/file-20200717-29-v0d3if.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=85%2C49%2C2847%2C1881&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A sign language interpreter signs as Secretary of State John Kerry testifies in 2013. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/sign-language-interpreter-signs-for-the-hearing-impared-as-news-photo/451061777?adppopup=true">Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The <a href="https://www.ada.gov/">Americans with Disabilities Act</a> is 30 years old. </p>
<p>For young people who have grown up with the ADA, the results of this landmark legislation are part of everyday life – sometimes in ways they may not even realize.</p>
<p>I was there at the beginning. As a young deaf man in 1990, I attended the Rose Garden ADA signing ceremony. I clearly recall the sun was shining brilliantly and the joy among leaders in the disability community who had long worked to bring about this civil rights legislation. </p>
<p>In the decades since, I have witnessed the ADA’s profound impact as <a href="https://muse.jhu.edu/book/31442">an educator of deaf and hard-of-hearing students</a> for this population and the U.S. as a whole.</p>
<h2>A decades-long journey</h2>
<p>Four senators who were major supporters of the ADA in the 1980s had personal connections to the issue. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts had <a href="https://www.jfklibrary.org/learn/about-jfk/the-kennedy-family/rosemary-kennedy">an intellectually disabled sister</a>. Iowa’s <a href="https://qconline.com/news/iowa/frank-harkin-older-brother-to-sen-tom-harkin-dies/article_3a30e1fa-71c4-5441-824a-fe1022fa2c69.html">Tom Harkin had a brother who was deaf</a>. Bob Dole of Kansas <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2013/01/14/us/bob-dole---fast-facts/index.html">had been disabled in World War II</a>. Connecticut’s <a href="https://apnews.com/c9a989d731e91e97ee89d029e47e912e">Lowell Weicker had a son with Down syndrome</a>. A seminal moment at the passage of the ADA was Harkin’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BomPo6fPOOo&feature=emb_title">address to Congress</a> in sign language – the first time the body had been addressed this way.</p>
<p>The ADA prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities in employment, state and local government services, businesses that are public accommodations or commercial facilities and in transportation. </p>
<p>In many ways, I feel the most important changes brought about by the legislation relate to making it easier for deaf people to communicate. In his book “<a href="http://gupress.gallaudet.edu/POOO.html">A Phone of Our Own: The Deaf Insurrection Against Ma Bell</a>,” historian Harry Lang described the long struggle in the deaf community to gain access to the telephone. The ADA provided a huge leap forward by requiring the establishment of <a href="https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/telecommunications-relay-service-trs">nationwide telecommunications relay services</a>. This system provided telephone access 24/7 to deaf citizens who previously had relied on volunteer services with limited hours. No longer would deaf individuals be excluded from employment opportunities requiring the use of the phone. And it enabled deaf people to participate in the mainstream of the American life by being free to call for pizza or to wish a loved one happy birthday. </p>
<h2>A more entertaining life</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.ada.gov/ada_title_III.htm">Title III of the ADA</a> required that public facilities, such as hospitals, bars, shopping centers and museums – but, importantly, not movie theaters – provide access to verbal information on televisions, films or slide shows. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2010/07/26/2010-18337/nondiscrimination-on-the-basis-of-disability-movie-captioning-and-video-description">Stiff opposition from the motion picture and cable industry</a> prevented the ADA from including a requirement for closed captioning in films and on cable television. However, as a concession, Congress did include a requirement for all federally funded public service announcements to be captioned.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/348197/original/file-20200717-21-wtbjgy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/348197/original/file-20200717-21-wtbjgy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/348197/original/file-20200717-21-wtbjgy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=420&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/348197/original/file-20200717-21-wtbjgy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=420&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/348197/original/file-20200717-21-wtbjgy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=420&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/348197/original/file-20200717-21-wtbjgy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=528&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/348197/original/file-20200717-21-wtbjgy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=528&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/348197/original/file-20200717-21-wtbjgy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=528&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">US Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa uses sign language to address the Democratic National Convention in 2000.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/senator-tom-harkin-of-iowa-uses-sign-language-whilst-news-photo/51562763?adppopup=true">Paul J. Richards/AFP via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The historian Lang <a href="https://time.com/5797491/closed-captioning-captions-history/">examines the history of access to films and television through captioning</a>. He describes how the ADA was a milestone greatly affecting <a href="http://www.ncicap.org/about-us/history-of-closed-captioning/">efforts</a> to make educational and entertainment films accessible to deaf persons. </p>
<h2>Creating a ‘deaf middle class’</h2>
<p>ADA and <a href="https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/504faq.html">Section 504</a>, which guarantees accessibility and accommodations in public schools, provided educational opportunities for many deaf and hard-of-hearing students to attend college. This helped create, as educators and authors Carol Padden and Tom Humphries referred to it, a <a href="https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674022522">deaf middle class</a> of community leaders and an ever-increasing number of deaf lawyers, doctors and PhDs.</p>
<p>While great strides have been made, people with disabilities still are <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/40588265/people-with-disabilities-are-still-twice-as-likely-to-be-unemployed">twice as likely</a> to be unemployed as those without disabilities. The employment gap between deaf and hearing people in the United States is significant. Only <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/1095081/employment-unemployment-labor-force-rates-deaf-and-hearing-us/">53.3% of deaf people ages 25-64 were employed in 2017</a>, compared to 75.8% of hearing people <a href="https://www.nationaldeafcenter.org/news/employment-report-shows-strong-labor-market-passing-deaf-americans">an employment gap of 22.5 percent</a>. In round numbers, nearly 10 million Americans are <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16177267/">hard of hearing and close to 1 million are functionally deaf</a>.</p>
<p>Deaf college graduates fare much better. The college I lead, <a href="https://rit.edu">Rochester Institute of Technology</a>’s <a href="https://rit.edu/ntid">National Technical Institute for the Deaf</a>, puts a high emphasis on building relationships with employers. Historically, <a href="https://www.rit.edu/ntid/sites/rit.edu.ntid/files/aboutntid/annual_report_2019.pdf">95% of our graduates find employment</a>.</p>
<h2>New pandemic challenges</h2>
<p>As the world navigates the COVID-19 pandemic, new challenges are arising. Masks make communication difficult for those who rely on speechreading, endless Zoom meetings bring more fatigue for those who rely on visual communication, and access to health care and emergency information can be spotty. </p>
<p>But there are bright spots when one considers progress since passage of the ADA. Recognition of American Sign Language and the importance of ASL interpreters for access has grown tremendously over the past 30 years as deaf and hard-of-hearing citizens have sought greater inclusion in the mainsteam of American society. <a href="https://er.educause.edu/articles/2017/8/a-rising-tide-how-closed-captions-can-benefit-all-students">Captioning</a> is used by more than 60% of students with disabilities, and 50% of those with no reported disabilities. Prior to the current employment crisis, the <a href="https://www.bls.gov/ooh/media-and-communication/interpreters-and-translators.htm#tab-6">Bureau of Labor Statistics</a> predicted increased demand for sign language interpreters. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/automatic-speech-recognition">Automatic speech recognition</a> apps allow for increased interaction between deaf and hearing colleagues, classmates and friends. These advancements benefit not only the students on my campus, but at other campuses with deaf populations such as Gallaudet University and California State University, Northridge.</p>
<p>[<em>Deep knowledge, daily.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/the-daily-3?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=deepknowledge">Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter</a>.]</p>
<p>The ADA proclaimed accessibility as a civil right. Just as ADA-sanctioned accommodations such as sidewalk ramps originally designed to benefit those with mobility issues was a positive for families with strollers and bicycles, closed captioning designed as a service for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals now is ubiquitous on televisions, computers and smart phones in hearing households as well.</p>
<p>The deaf community has historically been able to work around challenges and find solutions to communication barriers. This time in our history is no different. Innovative thinkers continually find ways to advocate, modify and make current and emerging technologies work for everyone.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/142541/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gerard Buckley does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
The 30th anniversary of the American with Disabilities Act offers a chance to celebrate the greater inclusion of disabled Americans in mainstream society, but much work remains to be done.
Gerard Buckley, President of the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, Rochester Institute of Technology
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/141046
2020-06-30T02:29:33Z
2020-06-30T02:29:33Z
Neverending stories – why we still love Unsolved Mysteries
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/344493/original/file-20200629-155316-4d3rbq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=20%2C48%2C4593%2C3022&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1503745328377-1f4355a2284b?ixlib=rb-1.2.1&ixid=eyJhcHBfaWQiOjEyMDd9&auto=format&fit=crop&w=750&q=80">Artem Kovalev/Unsplash</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Since the mid-1980s, the <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094574/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">Unsolved Mysteries</a> television program has investigated thousands of weird and wonderful tales. </p>
<p>The popularity of the series over almost 35 years, more than 600 episodes, and five reboots, is testament to the high level of interest in narratives that don’t have a neat resolution. The latest incarnation – from Stranger Things executive producer <a href="https://deadline.com/2019/01/netflix-unsolved-mysteries-shawn-levy-1202537462/">Shawn Levy</a>, an avid fan of the original – is coming to Netflix this week.</p>
<p>The question of why the format has such enduring appeal may not be a difficult one to solve. </p>
<p>Unsolved Mysteries has always had a dual nature, on the one hand dealing with real events such as murders and kidnappings and, on the other, delving into stories of alien abductions, ethereal hauntings and demonic visitations. One could argue the two categories are incongruous to each other, but underneath they share a powerful psychological bond.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oZ4FrgGILM8?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">The new series will continue looking for clues and viewer tips.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Believe it not</h2>
<p>Humans have a strong propensity to believe in things that have, on face value, no immediate rational explanation. </p>
<p>In a <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/it-seems-half-of-australia-believes-in-the-supernatural-20140212-32gnu.html">2014 survey</a> conducted by Foxtel’s Syfy channel, 88% of Australians surveyed said they believed paranormal phenomena may well exist, with 50% believing in ghosts and spirits and 42% believing in UFOs and aliens.</p>
<p>Stephen Law, who researches the philosophy of religion, <a href="https://aeon.co/ideas/belief-in-supernatural-beings-is-totally-natural-and-false">writes that</a> scientists believe humans developed an internal hyperactive agency-detecting device (HADD) to ascribe intention and action to inanimate objects or things we can’t see. He writes we did this as a defence mechanism – that rustle in the bush could be a predator we can see or a ghost we can’t. Being alert to all these possibilities might feel like self-protection. </p>
<p>This propensity has also led to the belief in invisible agents, such as <a href="https://bigthink.com/21st-century-spirituality/ghosts-are-universal-but-what-you-see-is-influenced-by-what-you-already-believe">demons or gods</a>, because they could have demonstrable effects on our lives. </p>
<p>Natural disasters were widely attributed to supernatural beings in human history, and <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1057/9781137448651_8">still are</a> in many cultures.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/cyclones-screens-lost-souls-how-the-ghosts-we-believe-in-reflect-our-changing-fears-125493">Cyclones, screens, lost souls: how the ghosts we believe in reflect our changing fears</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>But HADD doesn’t account for other supernatural beliefs such as aliens, time travel, spontaneous combustion or a myriad mysteries people believe in and that are represented on Unsolved Mysteries.</p>
<p>Though it is possible to find <a href="https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20141030-the-truth-about-the-paranormal">scientific discussion behind many supernatural occurrences</a>, it appears many people still steadfastly refuse to accept rational explanations. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JnOeIFx3ML8?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">The series theme song has been used in parodies since.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Hard wired</h2>
<p>Unsolved Mysteries is heavily based on personal testimony. Interviews on the show have people describe experiences with aliens or ghosts in vivid detail. </p>
<p>The ability to ignore reason and continue our beliefs appears hard wired into our psyche. Social psychologists Jennifer Whitson and Adam Galinsky <a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/322/5898/115">found people</a> often attribute signs and patterns in processes happening around them when none actually exist. Doing so creates much-desired order in their minds when faced with random, or unnatural, situations.</p>
<p>Others have argued these interpretations are a result of biochemistry. Neuroscientists <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2660736/">have demonstrated</a> that when test subjects hear phrases with the word “God” in them, areas of the brain activate and trigger positive emotions. Belief in all manner of supernatural forces might provide believers with comparable emotional highs.</p>
<p>Developmental psychologist <a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/Science-Superstition-Developing-Creates-Supernatural/dp/0061452653">Bruce Hood</a> says a process called “<a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/articles/200803/magical-thinking">magical thinking</a>” makes our brains attribute special beliefs to things because of emotional attachments. This may be a lucky charm or a bad omen. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2TCNpTlIVaw?wmode=transparent&start=262" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Questionnable reenactments became a hallmark of the series.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Who dunnit?</h2>
<p>Similarly, true crime stories tap into strong emotions and feelings about the dark side of human nature. </p>
<p>Psychologist Meg Arroll <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/a-confession/why-do-we-love-true-crime/">says we feel safe</a> to enjoy re-enactments of real crimes (like the sometimes maligned ones on older seasons of Unsolved Mysteries) because doing so allows us to explore dark human possibilities at a safe distance. The thrilling nature of crime stories might also give us an <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/wicked-deeds/201605/the-delightful-guilty-pleasure-watching-true-crime-tv">adrenaline hit</a>. </p>
<p>Women in particular <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1948550609355486?journalCode=sppa&">appear drawn to true crime</a> because it gives them tips on how to defend themselves against an attacker. It has <a href="https://www.bodyandsoul.com.au/wellbeing/why-youre-obsessed-with-true-crime-according-to-a-psychologist/news-story/788a233380d09a1d568c80447e14076d">been speculated</a> viewers enjoy a <a href="https://theboar.org/2018/11/true-crime/">sense of <em>schadenfraude</em></a> when they watch true crime stories, because they are relieved the events are not happening to them. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/344494/original/file-20200629-155334-w4got1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/344494/original/file-20200629-155334-w4got1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/344494/original/file-20200629-155334-w4got1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=381&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/344494/original/file-20200629-155334-w4got1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=381&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/344494/original/file-20200629-155334-w4got1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=381&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/344494/original/file-20200629-155334-w4got1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=478&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/344494/original/file-20200629-155334-w4got1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=478&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/344494/original/file-20200629-155334-w4got1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=478&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Do we get a vicarious thrill from true crime? Or a sense of safety?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1563702085776-b38c19bc42be?ixlib=rb-1.2.1&ixid=eyJhcHBfaWQiOjEyMDd9&auto=format&fit=crop&w=789&q=80">Joël in 't Veld/Unsplash</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The popularity of shows like Unsolved Mysteries lies in their capacity to deliver positive emotional responses regardless of whether we are watching someone else fall victim to a deadly crime, an alien abduction or a ghost haunting. </p>
<p>Unsolved Mysteries reinforces the belief we can easily fall victim to a world full of horrors both real and supernatural. And we can see it all from the safety of the couch.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/141046/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Daryl Sparkes does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Television’s Unsolved Mysteries – about to be rebooted – deals with true crime on one hand, and supernatural events like alien abductions on the other. They share powerful psychological bonds.
Daryl Sparkes, Senior Lecturer (Media Studies and Production), University of Southern Queensland
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/139737
2020-06-16T11:56:14Z
2020-06-16T11:56:14Z
Why are sitcom dads still so inept?
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/340435/original/file-20200608-176542-16hdtiz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=104%2C1%2C787%2C531&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">From 'Father Knows Best' to 'D'oh!'</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://ccsearch.creativecommons.org/photos/17016597-a65f-4b89-ab02-e96ed82bbe9d">Scott Vandehey/flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">CC BY-NC-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>From Homer Simpson to <a href="https://modernfamily.fandom.com/wiki/Phil_Dunphy">Phil Dunphy</a>, sitcom dads have long been known for being bumbling and inept. </p>
<p>But it wasn’t always this way. Back in the 1950s and 1960s, sitcom dads tended to be serious, calm and wise, if a bit detached. In a shift that media scholars <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/15295039009360179">have documented</a>, only in later decades did fathers start to become foolish and incompetent. </p>
<p>And yet the real-world roles and expectations of fathers have changed in recent years. Today’s dads are putting more time into caring for their children and see that role <a href="https://theconversation.com/dads-are-more-involved-in-parenting-yes-but-moms-still-put-in-more-work-72026">as more central to their identity</a>.</p>
<p>Have today’s sitcoms kept up? </p>
<p>I study gender and the media, and I specialize in depictions of masculinity. <a href="https://doi.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Fppm0000289">In a study I did in 2020</a>, my co-authors and I systematically look at the ways in which portrayals of sitcom fathers have and haven’t changed. </p>
<h2>Why sitcom portrayals matter</h2>
<p>Fictional entertainment can shape our views of ourselves and others. To appeal to broad audiences, sitcoms often rely on the shorthand assumptions <a href="http://resourcelists.falmouth.ac.uk/items/A1C1A85B-4CEA-012B-D5CD-39585556B65C.html">that form the basis of stereotypes</a>. Whether it’s the way they portray <a href="https://www.doi.org/10.1177/1097184X06291918">gay masculinity</a> in “Will and Grace” or <a href="https://www.degruyter.com/view/journals/humr/23/2/article-p229.xml">the working class</a> in “Roseanne,” sitcoms often mine humor from certain norms and expectations associated with gender, sexual identity and class.</p>
<p>When sitcoms stereotype fathers, they seem to suggest that men are somehow inherently ill-suited for parenting. That sells actual fathers short and, in heterosexual, two-parent contexts, it reinforces the idea that mothers should take on the lion’s share of parenting responsibilities. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1268606644209872897"}"></div></p>
<p>It was Tim Allen’s role as Tim “the Tool Man” Taylor of the 1990s series “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101120/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt">Home Improvement</a>” that inspired my initial interest in sitcom dads. Tim was goofy and childish, whereas Jill, his wife, was always ready – with a disapproving scowl, a snappy remark and seemingly endless stores of patience – to bring him back in line. The pattern matched <a href="https://www.today.com/popculture/changing-roles-tv-fathers-1C9406531">an observation</a> made by TV Guide television critic Matt Roush, who, in 2010, wrote, “It used to be that father knew best, and then we started to wonder if he knew anything at all.” </p>
<p>I published <a href="https://doi.org/10.1207/s15506878jobem4501_3">my first quantitative study on the depiction of sitcom fathers</a> in 2001, focusing on jokes involving the father. I found that, compared with older sitcoms, dads in more recent sitcoms were the butt of the joke more frequently. Mothers, on the other hand, became less frequent targets of mockery over time. I viewed this as evidence of increasingly feminist portrayals of women that coincided with their growing presence in the workforce.</p>
<h2>Studying the disparaged dad</h2>
<p>In our new study, we wanted to focus on sitcom dads’ interactions with their children, given how fatherhood has changed in American culture. </p>
<p>We used what’s called “<a href="https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=nMA5DQAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=content+analysis&ots=pGUmt8gs8p&sig=yz1P2Yv8FzYddMN4JCMZ1cn5biE#v=onepage&q=content%20analysis&f=false">quantitative content analysis</a>,” a common research method in communication studies. To conduct this sort of analysis, researchers develop definitions of key concepts to apply to a large set of media content. Researchers employ multiple people as coders who observe the content and individually track whether a particular concept appears.</p>
<p>For example, researchers might study the racial and ethnic diversity of recurring characters on Netflix original programs. Or they might try to see whether demonstrations are described as “protests” or “riots” in national news. </p>
<p>For our study, we identified 34 top-rated, family-centered sitcoms that aired from 1980 to 2017 and randomly selected two episodes from each. Next, we isolated 578 scenes in which the fathers were involved in “disparagement humor,” which meant the dads either made fun of another character or were made fun of themselves. </p>
<p>Then we studied how often sitcom dads were shown together with their kids within these scenes in three key parenting interactions: giving advice, setting rules or positively or negatively reinforcing their kids’ behavior. We wanted to see whether the interaction made the father look “humorously foolish” – showing poor judgment, being incompetent or acting childishly.</p>
<p>Interestingly, fathers were shown in fewer parenting situations in more recent sitcoms. And when fathers were parenting, it was depicted as humorously foolish in just over 50% of the relevant scenes in the 2000s and 2010s, compared with 18% in the 1980s and 31% in the 1990s sitcoms.</p>
<p>At least within scenes featuring disparagement humor, sitcom audiences, more often than not, are still being encouraged to laugh at dads’ parenting missteps and mistakes.</p>
<h2>Fueling an inferiority complex?</h2>
<p>The degree to which entertainment media reflect or distort reality is an enduring question in communication and media studies. In order to answer that question, it’s important to take a look at the data.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/06/12/fathers-day-facts/">National polls by Pew Research Center</a> show that from 1965 to 2016, the amount of time fathers reported spending on care for their children nearly tripled. These days, dads constitute 17% of all stay-at-home parents, up from 10% in 1989. Today, fathers are just as likely as mothers to say that being a parent is “extremely important to their identity.” They are also just as likely to describe parenting as rewarding. </p>
<p>Yet, there is evidence in the Pew data that these changes present challenges, as well. The majority of dads feel they do not spend enough time with their children, often citing work responsibilities as the primary reason. Only 39% of fathers feel they are doing “a very good job” raising their children.</p>
<p>Perhaps this sort of self-criticism is being reinforced by foolish and failing father portrayals in sitcom content.</p>
<p>Of course, not all sitcoms depict fathers as incompetent parents. The sample we examined stalled out in 2017, whereas TV Guide presented “<a href="https://www.tvguide.com/news/features/sitcom-dads-manhood/">7 Sitcom Dads Changing How we Think about Fatherhood Now</a>” in 2019. In our study, the moments of problematic parenting often took place in a wider context of a generally quite loving depiction. </p>
<p>Still, while television portrayals will likely never match the range and complexity of fatherhood, sitcom writers can do better by dads by moving on from the increasingly outdated foolish father trope.</p>
<p>[<em>Deep knowledge, daily.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=deepknowledge">Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter</a>.]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/139737/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Erica Scharrer does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Dads are taking parenting much more seriously. But according to a study of sitcoms, the stereotype of the foolish father remains stubbornly in place.
Erica Scharrer, Professor of Communication, UMass Amherst
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/140221
2020-06-11T12:27:07Z
2020-06-11T12:27:07Z
During Floyd protests, media industry reckons with long history of collaboration with law enforcement
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/340985/original/file-20200610-34710-1ogk0h9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=5%2C5%2C3282%2C2292&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Actors Dennis Franz and Jimmy Smits on the set of 'NYPD Blue.'</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/actors-dennis-franz-and-jimmy-smits-while-taping-nypd-blue-news-photo/635761517?adppopup=true">Mitchell Gerber/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>In a recent interview, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison <a href="https://crooked.com/podcast/mpd-unplugged/">was asked</a> why it’s so difficult to prosecute cases against police officers. </p>
<p>“Just think about all the cop shows you may have watched in your life,” he replied. “We’re just inundated with this cultural message that these people will do the right thing.”</p>
<p>While two of those shows, “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/09/business/media/cops-canceled-paramount-tv-show.html">Cops</a>” and “<a href="https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/live-pd-a-e-javier-ambler-austin-black-lives-matter-1234630742/">Live PD</a>,” have just been canceled, Americans have long been awash in a sea of police dramas. In shows like “Hill Street Blues,” “Gangbusters,” “The Untouchables,” “Dragnet,” “NYPD Blue” and “Law and Order,” audiences view the world from the perspective of law enforcement, in which alternately heroic and beleaguered police fight a series of wars on crime. These shows – and countless others – mythologize the police, ensuring that their point of view has dominated popular culture. </p>
<p>This didn’t happen by accident.</p>
<p><a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=V5AVWDwAAAAJ&hl=en">As a media historian</a>, I’ve studied how, beginning in the 1930s, law enforcement agencies worked closely with media producers in order to rehabilitate their image. Many of the shows proved to be hits with viewers, and this symbiotic relationship spawned numerous collaborations that would go on to create a one-sided view of law and order, with the voices of the policed going unheard.</p>
<h2>The FBI’s PR machine</h2>
<p>For FBI director J. Edgar Hoover, police served a primary role: to protect a “<a href="http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=3&psid=3632">vigorous, intelligent, old-fashioned Americanism</a>” that was threatened by what he saw as unreasonable demands for civil rights and liberties. </p>
<p>Hoover wanted his agents to reflect his vision of “Americanism,” so he hired agents with an eye toward whether they fit the mold of what he deemed a “<a href="https://archive.org/details/foia_Kirkpatrick_Theodore_1">good physical specimen</a>”: white, Christian and tall. They couldn’t suffer from “physical defects” like baldness and impaired vision, nor could they have “foreign” accents.</p>
<p>In the 1930s, Hoover also established a public relations arm within the agency called the <a href="https://kansaspress.ku.edu/978-0-7006-2305-1.html">Crime Records Division</a>. At the time, the image of the police was sorely in need of rehabilitation, thanks to high-profile federal <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1931/01/21/archives/full-text-of-the-wickersham-commission-report-on-prohibition.html">crime commissions</a> that documented widespread violence, suppression and corruption within police departments.</p>
<p>Hoover realized that broadcast media could serve as a perfect vehicle to disseminate his conception of law enforcement and repair the police’s standing with the public.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://kansaspress.ku.edu/978-0-7006-2305-1.html">Crime Records Division</a> cultivated relationships with “friendly” media owners, producers and journalists who would reliably endorse the FBI’s views. In 1935, the FBI partnered with Warner Brothers on the film “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0026393/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0">‘G’ Men</a>.” A “G-Men” <a href="http://martingrams.blogspot.com/2012/10/g-men-radio-program.html">radio series</a> followed, made in collaboration with producer Phillips H. Lord and reviewed by J. Edgar Hoover,“ who "checked every statement” and made “valuable suggestions,” according to the series’ credits. </p>
<p>A year later, the FBI worked with Lord again on the radio series “Gang Busters,” <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=36&v=th6JgbyxDfQ&feature=emb_logo">whose gunshot-filled opening credits</a> boasted of the show’s “cooperation with police and federal law enforcement departments throughout the United States” its status as “the only national program that brings you authentic police case histories.”</p>
<p>Although Hoover and Lord notoriously <a href="https://www.upress.umn.edu/book-division/books/calling-all-cars">clashed</a> over the details – Hoover wanted to emphasize the science of policing and the professionalism of law enforcement, while Lord wanted more drama – the focus on the police as protagonists went largely unquestioned.</p>
<p>The FBI’s collaborations continued into the 1970s, with the long-running series “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_w_zmSj-RI&list=PLlUoyloCGlWypL3sNtSw1xG9uhH_ycrGS">This is Your FBI</a>” (1945-1953) and “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058801/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0">The FBI</a>,” (1965-1974). Like “G-Men” and “Gang Busters,” these programs were based on solved police cases and made the most of their ripped-from-the-headlines realism. </p>
<p>Other writers and producers pursued similar collaborations with law enforcement. The iconic series “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0043194/">Dragnet</a>,” for example, was written with the <a href="https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-03-20-mn-602-story.html">approval</a> of Los Angeles police chief <a href="https://auislandora.wrlc.org/islandora/object/thesesdissertations%3A3293">William H. Parker</a>, who notoriously headed the LAPD during the 1965 Watts riots.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/340996/original/file-20200610-34674-5ue047.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/340996/original/file-20200610-34674-5ue047.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=410&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/340996/original/file-20200610-34674-5ue047.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=410&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/340996/original/file-20200610-34674-5ue047.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=410&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/340996/original/file-20200610-34674-5ue047.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=515&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/340996/original/file-20200610-34674-5ue047.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=515&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/340996/original/file-20200610-34674-5ue047.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=515&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Los Angeles Police Chief William H. Parker testifies in 1966 during an Assembly Criminal Procedure Committee Hearing on an anti-riot bill.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Watchf-AP-A-CA-USA-APHS325969-Anti-Riot-Bill-1966/59be7fae4c574bfbbe3b2a64cc1fd6ff/6/0">AP Photo/Walter Zeboski</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Reactionary retaliation</h2>
<p>The FBI didn’t just collaborate on media production. My research on the television <a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/broadcast-41">blacklist</a> – a smear campaign to silence anti-racist progressives in the media industry – reveals how the agency routinely retaliated against its critics. </p>
<p>When journalist John Crosby criticized the FBI during a 1952 television broadcast, Hoover <a href="https://archive.org/details/foia_Kirkpatrick_Theodore_2/page/n119/mode/2up?q=Crosby">scrawled a note</a> on the report of the incident: “This is an outrageous allegation. We ought to nail this. What do our files show on Crosby?” </p>
<p>Shortly afterwards, Crosby was denounced in <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=%22they%27ve+moved+in+on+TV%22&oq=%22they%27ve+moved+in+on+TV%22&aqs=chrome..69i57.5864j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8">American Legion Magazine</a> as someone who supported supposedly communist performers and artists.</p>
<p>When lawyer and government official <a href="https://search-proquest-com.libproxy.uoregon.edu/openview/892fbc91db898d00692c7cc26a4221a1/1/advanced">Max Lowenthal</a> was completing a book critical of the FBI in 1950, the Bureau wiretapped his phone and planted stories so disparaging that few copies of the book sold, ending Lowenthal’s government career. The Bureau even succeeded in getting at least one writer fired from “This is Your FBI” merely because it believed his <a href="https://broadcast41.com/biography/fitch-louise">wife</a> was not a sufficiently “loyal American citizen.” Worse was always visited on black performers, journalists and activists, who were <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/the-police-have-been-spying-on-black-reporters-and-activists-for-years-i-know-because-im-one-of-them?utm_source=pardot&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=majorinvestigations&utm_content=feature">subject to far more intense spying, surveillance and police abuse</a>. </p>
<p>Law enforcement’s efforts to control its image through production and repression helped create police dramas that seldom questioned their built-in bias. Meanwhile, <a href="https://deadline.com/2020/05/new-study-underrepresented-writers-continue-to-face-bias-discrimination-tv-writers-rooms-diversity-inclusion-representation-1202932567/">the dearth of diversity</a> in writers’ rooms reinforced this formula.</p>
<p>Of course, some notable exceptions dulled the police drama’s sheen, including David Simon’s “<a href="https://www.hbo.com/the-wire">The Wire</a>” and “The Corner,” and Ava DuVernay’s recent miniseries “<a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/80200549">When They See Us</a>.” These dramas upend the traditional police point-of-view, asking viewers to see the police through the eyes of those most often policed and punished.</p>
<h2>Time’s up for the police drama?</h2>
<p>Periodically, Americans have been made aware of the one-sidedness of these media depictions of police conduct. In 1968, for example, the <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/1968-kerner-commission-got-it-right-nobody-listened-180968318/">Kerner Commission</a> explored the causes of uprisings in black communities. Its report noted that, within these communities, there was longstanding awareness that “the press has too long basked in a white world looking out of it, if at all, with white men’s eyes and white perspective.”</p>
<p>Changing that perspective requires more than recognizing the role police dramas have played as propaganda for law enforcement. It means reckoning with the legacy of stories that gloss over police misconduct and violence, <a href="https://scholar.harvard.edu/fryer/publications/empirical-analysis-racial-differences-police-use-force?fbclid=IwAR2zK-Cej-aMk5V7wBIwZ4P-D9UxS-60VL7KF-6dvV31RePNlU3dM5IR4Ak">which disproportionately affect people of color</a>.</p>
<p>“We want to see more,” Rashad Robinson, the executive director of the civil rights advocacy organization Color of Change, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/09/business/media/cops-canceled-paramount-tv-show.html">told The New York Times</a> after the cancellation of “Cops.” “These cop reality shows that glorify police but will never show the deep level of police violence are not reality, they are P.R. arms for law enforcement. Law enforcement doesn’t need P.R. They need accountability.”</p>
<p>[<em>Like what you’ve read? Want more?</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=likethis">Sign up for The Conversation’s daily newsletter</a>.]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/140221/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Carol A. Stabile does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
For decades, there’s been a concerted effort by law enforcement to ensure their perspectives – and not those of people being policed – dominate prime-time television.
Carol A. Stabile, Professor, University of Oregon
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/132993
2020-03-18T13:00:19Z
2020-03-18T13:00:19Z
Hunters: even Al Pacino can’t hide the fact that this series gets it badly wrong on the Holocaust
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/321060/original/file-20200317-60871-6lcqwh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=2%2C4%2C1495%2C992&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Al Pacino and Logan Lerman play Nazi hunters in the US in Amazon Prime's new series.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Amazon Prime via IMDB</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><strong>Spoiler alert: this article contains plot details from series one of Hunters.</strong></p>
<p>In the very opening episode of the hit <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/feb/21/hunters-review-al-pacino-nazis-amazon-jordan-peele">Amazon Prime drama Hunters</a>, SS man Heinz Richter forces Auschwitz prisoner Markus Roth, a chess grandmaster, to play a game. But this is no ordinary chess game – prisoners are used as “pieces” – and when one piece is moved to a square occupied by another, prisoners are forced to kill. </p>
<p>Thanks to an interactive feature introduced by Amazon for the series, viewers watching on their computers can hover over various scenes with a mouse to get further information. For this scene that information is that the human chess game is an invention – but that “it is absolutely true that Nazis played deadly games with their prisoners”. </p>
<p>“The chess board”, we are told, “is a fiction that illuminates a larger truth”.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HBGkjmfIzAw?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
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<p>Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/21/books/amazon-nazi-propaganda.html">accused the series</a> of “welcoming future deniers”. In a <a href="https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/hunters-chess-scene-auschwitz-historical-innacuracy-1203512474/">long statement for the magazine Variety</a>, David Weil, the series creator, responded that the chess match scene was designed to:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Counteract the revisionist narrative that whitewashes Nazi perpetration, by showcasing the most extreme – and representationally truthful – sadism and violence that the Nazis perpetrated against the Jews and other victims. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Weil believes that symbolic representations provide access to an emotional reality, allowing us to better understand the Holocaust. But what he describes as a symbolic representation is a myth. If the game of human chess is untrue, it cannot illuminate truth, larger or smaller: it can only undermine it.</p>
<p>The same charge can be levelled against John Boyne’s novel The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (2006), which depicts the son of a Nazi perpetrator (Bruno) and a Jewish victim of the Nazis (Shmuel) chatting away happily over a barbed-wire fence like neighbours, before Bruno slips into the camp to be with Shmuel. Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum has also warned against this text, pleading for it to be “avoided” by anyone who teaches or studies the Holocaust. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1213807345932931072"}"></div></p>
<p>Boyne’s self-defence was even more robust than Weil’s – and equally as problematic. He <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/jan/07/john-boyne-defends-work-from-criticism-by-auschwitz-memorial">told The Guardian</a> that the book “was a work of fiction … and therefore by its nature cannot contain inaccuracies, only anachronisms, and I don’t think there are any of those in there”. But this is wordplay. As far as I am concerned, if a work of fiction changes history then its portrayal is inaccurate. The point is whether that matters. For Boyne, it doesn’t. But schoolchildren across the country are introduced to the Holocaust through this novel. It sells well because it purports to be about the Holocaust. This is a dangerous illusion. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Eeig3urmwas?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>It is deeply revisionist, making victims of perpetrator family members: Bruno is gassed alongside Shmuel and – in Mark Herman’s 2008 film of the novel – Bruno’s mother’s grief is foregrounded at the end – not the fate of the murdered Jews.</p>
<h2>False parallels</h2>
<p>Hunters also creates alarming parallels. On one level, it’s a series about conspiracies. Disasters ranging from the Watergate scandal to the 1977 New York City blackout are ascribed to Nazi preparations for a “Fourth Reich”. Here too, then, Hunters takes liberties with history. But nobody denies that the New York City blackout happened or disputes how it happened, so reimagining its actual cause (lightning storms) is not going to feed denial. Inventing Holocaust atrocities is.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/320763/original/file-20200316-128086-glagrj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/320763/original/file-20200316-128086-glagrj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=200&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/320763/original/file-20200316-128086-glagrj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=200&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/320763/original/file-20200316-128086-glagrj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=200&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/320763/original/file-20200316-128086-glagrj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=251&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/320763/original/file-20200316-128086-glagrj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=251&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/320763/original/file-20200316-128086-glagrj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=251&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
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</figure>
<p><em>Find out more about conspiracy theories in our new podcast series. <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/the-anthill-podcast-27460">Listen here</a>, on <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-anthill/id1114423002?mt=2">Apple Podcasts</a> or <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/265Bnp4BgwaEmFv2QciIOC?si=-WMr1ecDTsO_6avrkxZu8g">Spotify</a>, or search for The Anthill wherever you get your podcasts.</em></p>
<p>On another level, Hunters is a Holocaust revenge drama comparable to films such as Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds (2009) and Atom Egoyan’s Remember (2015). Former Jewish victims of Auschwitz, a former Kindertransportee, the grandson of a Holocaust survivor – among others – take it upon themselves to deliver what their leader Meyer Offermann calls “God’s justice”. That means brutally murdering Nazis living in the US, some of them scientists recruited after the war to help the Americans gain a military advantage in the Cold War. There are points in the film where the avenging Jews are as savage as the neo-Nazis whose killings we also see.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/321129/original/file-20200317-60889-1hcekbs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/321129/original/file-20200317-60889-1hcekbs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/321129/original/file-20200317-60889-1hcekbs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/321129/original/file-20200317-60889-1hcekbs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/321129/original/file-20200317-60889-1hcekbs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/321129/original/file-20200317-60889-1hcekbs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/321129/original/file-20200317-60889-1hcekbs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Does it matter if events in the series never happened? Yes.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Amazon Prime via IMDB</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In a key exchange, the famous (real-life) Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal (played by Judd Hirsch) confronts Offermann and tells him he has devoted his life to seeking compensation for Holocaust victims. For Wiesenthal, the Nazi hunter is the “profession of angels” – and “angels do not get blood on their wings”. For Offermann, that means allowing Nazis to “eradicate the Jew before we ever have a chance to fight them back”. </p>
<p>The two paths – here legal redress, there rough justice – intersect and conflict with one another throughout the series, sometimes within the consciences of the killers. One of them, Jonah Heidelbaum, grandson of Auschwitz victim Ruth, is torn between the feeling that he is honouring her memory and the concern that he is desecrating it by killing in her name. But he too comes to kill with relish. </p>
<p>To be fair, Hunters exposes the moral hypocrisy of the Allies, who put Nazis on trial in Nuremberg while secretly recruiting their best minds for <a href="https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/csi-studies/studies/vol-58-no-3/operation-paperclip-the-secret-intelligence-program-to-bring-nazi-scientists-to-america.html">post-war weapons programmes</a>. But it also risks smoothing over the differences between Jewish Holocaust victims and the Nazi perpetrators.</p>
<p>A twist at the end of the series may go some way towards removing uncomfortable parallels – but it does so by an unconvincing sleight of hand (you will have to watch it to find out). Overall, Hunters leaves a bad taste in the mouth.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/132993/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>WIlliam Niven does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Amazon’s new TV series series divided the critics, but almost everyone agrees that it takes problematic liberties in its representation of Auschwitz.
WIlliam Niven, Professor in Contemporary German History, Nottingham Trent University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/124774
2019-10-16T01:34:34Z
2019-10-16T01:34:34Z
By rejecting stereotypes, Slam and Ramy show us authentic Arab Muslim men on screen
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/295936/original/file-20191008-128661-17qt8rp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=13%2C4%2C1340%2C808&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Two new screen productions – Ramy and Slam – tell stories embracing the complexity of young Arab and Muslim men in the US and Australia. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Hulu</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>There is a <a href="https://nyupress.org/9780814707326/arabs-and-muslims-in-the-media/">long history of damaging stereotypes</a> of <a href="https://www.kanopy.com/product/reel-bad-arabs-0">Arab and Muslim men on screen</a>. Because of this, audiences from culturally diverse migrant backgrounds understandably crave more positive representations of their ethnic and cultural communities. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7649694/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1">Ramy</a> isn’t exactly that.</p>
<p>In this loosely autobiographical coming-of-age story, stand-up comic Ramy Youssef isn’t trying to promote a positive ideal of Egyptian American-Muslims to mainstream audiences. Instead, he crafts a more complex view.</p>
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<p>Ramy is proud to be Muslim but struggles with the <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-63172-1_10">pressure to conform to a template</a> of Arab Muslim masculinity that others around him seemed to have already worked out. </p>
<p>He works at a failing start-up with vague goals to “make a difference.” His best friends, a surgeon and restaurant owner, are already married with children. </p>
<p>His insecurities about “failing” as an Arab Muslim man hover in every interaction. </p>
<p>In a scene that <a href="https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9783030101084#aboutBook">challenges the myth of a biological connection between ethnicity and male violence</a>, Ramy gets caught up in a fight on the street and jumps on top of his car to escape copping any blows.</p>
<p>In his dating expeditions, we see Ramy unable to be the partner the women deserve. He gives himself a pass for premarital sex with non-Muslim partners but holds the young Muslim women in his life to higher standards. In attempts to “settle down” he goes on a blind date with a Muslim woman and comes up short when asked about his life goals. </p>
<p>“I’m not really a planner,” he says.</p>
<h2>Protest masculinity</h2>
<p>Much has been written <a href="https://www.mup.com.au/books/iss-23-heroes-villains-and-the-muslim-exception-electronic-book-text">about the stereotype</a> of angry young Arab Muslim men. </p>
<p>The anger is a response to a range of issues. </p>
<p>He is navigating <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-casual-racism-30464">casual racism</a>; <a href="https://www.versobooks.com/books/1765-the-muslims-are-coming">institutional racial profiling</a>; <a href="https://www.riztest.com/">a media that grossly misrepresents his faith and parents’ homeland</a>. </p>
<p>In his own community, he is trying to live up to <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13676261.2012.683405?scroll=top&needAccess=true">parental expectations</a>: a stable job, a house, a family – pressures explored in <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2782692/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1">Ali’s Wedding</a>.</p>
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<p>In Arab Australian and Muslim men, some academics have called the masculinity that emerges from these interwoven pressures “<a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1361332990020105">protest masculinity</a>”: displayed through physical dominance, specific stylistic choices, and sporting interests. </p>
<p>Australian films <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1229345/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">Cedar Boys</a> and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1347515/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">The Combination</a> have depicted this Arab Australian protest masculinity, where young men release the pressure through physical violence. </p>
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<p>In a post-Cronulla Riots age, telling these stories makes sense.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/islamophobia-is-still-raising-its-ugly-head-in-australia-80682">Islamophobia is still raising its ugly head in Australia</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Those films show some of the difficulties of young adulthood for some boys whose agency is stripped of them, <a href="https://www.youseemonsters.com/">international crises are pinned on them</a>, and the intensity of community pressure looms large. </p>
<p>But the way young people respond to these pressures are not all the same. </p>
<h2>Disconnected from place</h2>
<p>In my research with <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Young-Migrant-Identities-Creativity-and-Masculinity/Idriss/p/book/9781138234048">young men from migrant Arab-Australian families who have creative ambitions,</a> I explored what it can mean to feel disconnected from the usual stereotypes of Arab Muslim young men living in Australia.</p>
<p>They told me they felt pride in their cultural backgrounds, but they were worried about their future. They were uncertain about their sense of belonging <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?id=QQOOCwAAQBAJ&pg=PT139&lpg=PT139&dq=what+every+other+leb+wears+intra-ethnic+tensions&source=bl&ots=Yyf0Esog8A&sig=ACfU3U02UEfHK7JG0vFRUT4cKF7qmY9wog&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi24LvZ7IvlAhUk63MBHVgBCOsQ6AEwAnoECAgQAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false">among peers who had different interests</a>.</p>
<p>Some were desperate to escape what they saw as suffocating local working class ideas about masculinity and ethnicity. But in prestigious fine arts courses they <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07256868.2016.1190698?scroll=top&needAccess=true">found themselves out of place</a>, branded too “ethnic” to fit in. </p>
<p>Some thought the macho sexism displayed by their Arab-Australian school peers was a product of their ethnicity or culture. And <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01425692.2019.1576120?journalCode=cbse20">while there are specific kinds</a> of <a href="https://www.mup.com.au/books/faith-in-freedom-electronic-book-text">gender issues </a>in Arab Muslim communities, when they reached university, socialising outside their neighbourhood, these young men learned sexism and misogyny features across all social, class, and cultural backgrounds. </p>
<p>These conversations about contemporary millennial masculinities, ethnicity and identity are at the core of Ramy. </p>
<p>Ramy performs neither protest masculinity, nor the role of ambitious migrant son. He isn’t a hero. And the show doesn’t attempt to make him one. </p>
<h2>Not all masculinities can be stereotyped</h2>
<p>We see a similar story in the new Australian film <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6037866/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">Slam</a>. </p>
<p>Politically outspoken Ameena (Danielle Horvat) goes missing after a night performing slam poetry. Her brother Tarek Nasser (Adam Bakri) comforts himself by believing that she ran away, rather than confront the possibility of racially and gender-motivated violence against her – <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/3X4K7UYQVQMMSNS9JRBJ/full?target=10.1080/01419870.2019.1665698">a considerable fear for young Arab and Muslim women in Australia</a>.</p>
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<p>Tarek denies <a href="https://theconversation.com/twelve-charts-on-race-and-racism-in-australia-105961">the reality of racism in contemporary Australia</a>. For survival, he focused on passing as non-Muslim and “<a href="https://theconversation.com/what-does-a-leb-look-like-93367">non-Leb</a>”, and on getting out of Bankstown – a socio-economically disadvantaged area home to a large population of Arabs and Muslims.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/what-does-a-leb-look-like-93367">What does a 'Leb' look like?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Now living comfortably in a middle class inner Sydney suburb, he runs a cafe with his Anglo-Australian wife. He goes by the name Ricky. He speaks in his native Arabic only with his mother. </p>
<p>He distances himself from the Arab Muslim community he grew up in, but is awkward in the non-Arab community he thought he had seamlessly settled into.</p>
<p>Like Ramy, he is not a stereotypical working class tough guy. He appears out of place alongside young men from his childhood neighbourhood, as we see when he goes to the boxing gym to find Ameena’s friends. He is similarly uneasy among his wealthy in-laws: equal parts distant and suspicious.</p>
<p>Tarek is a difficult character to like. He doesn’t even seem to like himself. </p>
<p>Like the participants in my research, Tarek has to reckon with the tensions of community and individual aspirations to “make it” in broader Australian society. </p>
<p>Both Ramy and Slam show representations of masculinity and how this relates to ethnicity, culture and the casual racism that confront some young Arab and Muslim men in everyday settings. </p>
<p>They also reveal the ways these young men are blind to the gender struggles of the women in their lives. </p>
<p>Rather than pin down these characters in absolutist ways – choosing to fulfil macho and pious patriarchal expectations or opting out altogether – Ramy and Tarek try to draw on positive elements of their upbringing and honestly negotiate the tensions in their identities. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/295938/original/file-20191008-128661-1bizo69.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/295938/original/file-20191008-128661-1bizo69.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/295938/original/file-20191008-128661-1bizo69.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/295938/original/file-20191008-128661-1bizo69.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/295938/original/file-20191008-128661-1bizo69.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/295938/original/file-20191008-128661-1bizo69.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/295938/original/file-20191008-128661-1bizo69.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">In Slam, Tarek feels disconnected from his Arab Muslim community, but finds he doesn’t quite fit in an Anglo-Australian community, either.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Bonsai Films</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Tarek and Ramy’s supposed “failures” as young men are refreshing to watch.</p>
<p>It may be tempting to dismiss Tarek and Ramy for not being positive role models. But many who struggle to be the perfect, upwardly mobile migrant child will be able to relate to their experiences and inner turmoil. </p>
<p>These men are are flawed, nuanced and contradictory: a kind of masculinity that is necessary to see on screen. Especially for Arab Muslim young men whose stories are still rarely told in nuanced ways. </p>
<p><em>Slam opens in Australian cinemas October 17. Ramy is available in Australia on Stan.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/124774/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sherene Idriss does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Two new screen productions show us the nuances of growing up in Arab and Muslim migrant communities. They’re a refreshing look at stories too seldom told.
Sherene Idriss, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Deakin University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/119264
2019-09-10T12:40:24Z
2019-09-10T12:40:24Z
The strange connection between Bobby Kennedy’s death and Scooby-Doo
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/291750/original/file-20190910-190026-otnyex.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=123%2C16%2C1317%2C943&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">'Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!' was a funky, lighthearted alternative to the action cartoons that, for years, had dominated Saturday morning lineups.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://i0.wp.com/geekdad.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2019/09/SCOOBY-DOO_9.38.26.jpg?resize=1748%2C1309&ssl=1">GeekDad</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Scooby-Doo has appeared in a whopping 16 television series, two live-action films, 35 direct-to-DVD movies, 20 video games, 13 comic book series and five stage shows. Now, with “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3152592/">Scoob!</a>,” the Mystery Incorporated gang will appear in a CGI feature-length film, which, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is going to be released to video-on-demand on May 15.</p>
<p>The very first television series, “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063950/">Scooby-Doo, Where are You!</a>,” was created by Hanna-Barbera Productions for CBS Saturday morning and premiered on Sept. 13, 1969. The formula of four mystery-solving teenagers – Fred, Daphne, Velma and Shaggy along with the titular talking Great Dane – remained mostly intact as the group stumbled their way into pop-culture history. </p>
<p>But as I explain in my forthcoming book on the franchise, Scooby-Doo’s invention was no happy accident; it was a strategic move in response to cultural shifts and political exigencies. The genesis of the series was inextricably bound up with the societal upheavals of 1968 – in particular, the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy.</p>
<h2>More horror, better ratings</h2>
<p>In the late 1960s, the television and film studio Hanna-Barbera was the largest producer of animated television programming. </p>
<p>For years, Hanna-Barbera had created slapstick comedy cartoons – “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/list/ls029632227/">Tom and Jerry</a>” in the 1940s and 1950s, followed by television series like “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0255768/">The Yogi Bear Show</a>” and “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053502/">The Flintstones</a>.” But by the 1960s, the most popular cartoons were those that capitalized on <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=9i0yDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA434&lpg=PA434&dq=secret+agent+craze&source=bl&ots=kMYc6JU0AX&sig=ACfU3U2XAYMoeA24PqOGENx4oWMSi0RsXQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi0sKPqssTkAhWNVN8KHSI_YYQ6AEwCHoECAgQAQ#v=onepage&q=secret%20agent%20craze&f=false">the secret agent craze</a>, the space race and the popularity of superheroes. </p>
<p>In what would serve as a turning point in television animation, the three broadcast networks – CBS, ABC and NBC – launched nine new action-adventure cartoons on Saturday morning in the fall of 1966. In particular, Hanna-Barbera’s “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060026/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">Space Ghost and Dino Boy</a>” and Filmation’s “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060012/">The New Adventures of Superman</a>” were hits with kids. These and other action-adventure series featured non-stop action and violence, with the heroes working to defeat, even kill, a menace or monster by any means necessary.</p>
<p>So for the 1967-1968 Saturday morning lineup, Hanna-Barbera supplied the networks with six new action-adventure cartoons, including “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061262/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">The Herculoids</a>” and “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061237/">Birdman and the Galaxy Trio</a>.” Gone were the days of funny human and animal hijinks; in their place: terror, peril, jeopardy and child endangerment. </p>
<p>The networks, <a href="https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1968/12/08/91244471.html?pageNumber=401">wrote The New York Times’ Sam Blum</a>, “had instructed its cartoon suppliers to turn out more of the same – in fact, to go ‘stronger’ – on the theory, which proved correct, that the more horror, the higher the Saturday morning ratings.” </p>
<p>Such horror generally took the form of “fantasy violence” – <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=owUIvAEACAAJ&dq=television+the+business+behind+the+box&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjfzeagybzkAhXK1FkKHfPZBB4Q6AEwAHoECAAQAQ">what Joe Barbera called</a> “out-of-this-world hard action.” The studio churned out these grim series “not out of choice,” Barbera explained. “It’s the only thing we can sell to the networks, and we have to stay in business.”</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/291575/original/file-20190909-109927-1xdg8r0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/291575/original/file-20190909-109927-1xdg8r0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=418&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/291575/original/file-20190909-109927-1xdg8r0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=418&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/291575/original/file-20190909-109927-1xdg8r0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=418&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/291575/original/file-20190909-109927-1xdg8r0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=526&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/291575/original/file-20190909-109927-1xdg8r0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=526&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/291575/original/file-20190909-109927-1xdg8r0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=526&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Hanna-Barbera co-founder Joe Barbera poses with three of his studio’s most popular animated characters, Scooby-Doo, Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble, in this 1996 photograph.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/AP-A-CA-USA-OBIT-BARBERA/8d05636b91d64f668c5cf196d13a3eb1/5/0">AP Photo/Reed Saxon</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Barbera’s remarks highlighted the immense authority then held by the broadcast networks in dictating the content of Saturday morning television. </p>
<p>In his book “<a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=ibxkAAAAMAAJ&q=entertainment+education+hard+sell&dq=entertainment+education+hard+sell&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwih2r62ybzkAhXBwVkKHah2AgEQ6AEwAHoECAEQAg">Entertainment, Education and the Hard Sell</a>,” communication scholar Joseph Turow studied the first three decades of network children’s programming. He notes the fading influence of government bodies and public pressure groups on children’s programming in the mid-1960s – a shift that enabled the networks to serve their own commercial needs and those of their advertisers. </p>
<p>The decline in regulation of children’s television spurred criticism over violence, commercialism and the lack of diversity in children’s programming. No doubt sparked by the oversaturation of action-adventure cartoons on Saturday morning, the nonprofit corporation National Association for Better Broadcasting declared that year’s children’s television programming in March 1968 to be the “worst in the history of TV.” </p>
<h2>Political upheaval spurs moral panic</h2>
<p>Cultural anxieties about the effects of media violence on children had increased significantly after March 1968, concurrent with television coverage of the Vietnam War, student protests and riots incited by the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. As historian Charles Kaiser wrote in his book about <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-the-heat-and-light-of-1968-still-influence-today-3-essential-reads-108569">that pivotal year</a>, the upheaval fueled moral crusades.</p>
<p>“For the first time since their invention, <a href="https://books.google.com/books/about/1968_in_America.html?id=Wt1LOgmnlFgC">he wrote</a>, "televised pictures made the possibility of anarchy in America feel real.”</p>
<p>But it was the assassination of Robert. F. Kennedy in June 1968 that would exile action-adventure cartoons from the Saturday morning lineup for nearly a decade. </p>
<p>Kennedy’s role as a father to 11 was intertwined with his political identity, and he had long championed causes that helped children. Alongside his commitment to ending child hunger and poverty, he had, as attorney general, worked with the Federal Communications Commission to improve the “<a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/ct-newt-minow-fcc-ae-0117-20170118-column.html">vast wasteland</a>” of children’s television programming.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/291571/original/file-20190909-109927-1o9gd1x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/291571/original/file-20190909-109927-1o9gd1x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=460&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/291571/original/file-20190909-109927-1o9gd1x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=460&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/291571/original/file-20190909-109927-1o9gd1x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=460&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/291571/original/file-20190909-109927-1o9gd1x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=578&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/291571/original/file-20190909-109927-1o9gd1x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=578&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/291571/original/file-20190909-109927-1o9gd1x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=578&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Robert Kennedy and his wife and kids go for a walk near their home in McLean, Va.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Watchf-AP-A-VA-USA-APHS406926-Ethel-Kennedy-and-/88ca23037ec14851b89ed2d960cd7b5e/6/0">AP Photo/Henry Griffin</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Just hours after Kennedy was shot, President Lyndon B. Johnson <a href="https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/executive-order-11412-establishing-national-commission-the-causes-and-prevention-violence">announced the appointment</a> of a National Commission on the Causes and Prevention of Violence. While the commission’s formal findings wouldn’t be shared until late 1969, demands for greater social control and regulation of media violence surged directly following Johnson’s announcement, contributing to what sociologists call a “<a href="https://www.routledge.com/The-Ashgate-Research-Companion-to-Moral-Panics-1st-Edition/Krinsky/p/book/9781409408116">moral panic</a>.”</p>
<p>Media studies scholar Heather Hendershot <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=b6Iqh5umo3sC&lpg=PP9&ots=-M78k0n01U&dq=Saturday%20Morning%20Censors%3A%20Television%20Regulation%20before%20the%20V-Chip&lr&pg=PP9#v=onepage&q&f=false">explained</a> that even those critical of Kennedy’s liberal causes supported these efforts; censoring television violence “in his name” for the good of children “was like a tribute.”</p>
<p>Civic groups like the National Parent Teacher Association, which had been condemning violent cartoons at its last three conventions, were emboldened. The editors of McCall’s, a popular women’s magazine, provided steps for readers to pressure the broadcast networks to discontinue violent programming. And a Christian Science Monitor report in July of that year – which found 162 acts of violence or threats of violence on one Saturday morning alone – was widely circulated.</p>
<p>The moral panic in the summer of 1968 caused a permanent change in the landscape of Saturday morning. The <a href="https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1968/07/20/77179505.html?pageNumber=42">networks announced</a> that they would be turning away from science-fiction adventure and pivoting toward comedy for its cartoon programming.</p>
<p>All of this paved the way for the creation of a softer, gentler animated hero: Scooby-Doo.</p>
<p>However, the premiere of the 1968-1969 Saturday morning season was just around the corner. Many episodes of new action-adventure series were still in various stages of production. Animation was a lengthy process, taking anywhere from four to six months to go from idea to airing. ABC, CBS and NBC stood to lose millions of dollars in licensing fees and advertising revenue by canceling a series before it even aired or before it finished its contracted run. </p>
<p>So in the fall of 1968 with many action-adventure cartoons still on the air, CBS and Hanna-Barbera began work on a series – one eventually titled “Scooby-Doo, Where are You!” – for the 1969-1970 Saturday morning season.</p>
<p>“Scooby-Doo, Where are You!” still supplies a dose of action and adventure. But the characters are never in real peril or face serious jeopardy. There are no superheroes saving the world from aliens and monsters. Instead, a gang of goofy kids and their dog in a groovy van solve mysteries. The monsters they encounter are just humans in disguise.</p>
<p><em>This is an updated version of an article originally published on September 10, 2019.</em></p>
<p>[ <em>Like what you’ve read? Want more?</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=likethis">Sign up for The Conversation’s daily newsletter</a>. ]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/119264/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kevin Sandler does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Demands for regulation of media violence reached a fever pitch after RFK’s assassination, and networks scrambled to insert more kid-friendly fare into their lineups. Enter: the Mystery Machine.
Kevin Sandler, Associate Professor of Film and Media Studies, Arizona State University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/118898
2019-07-01T10:51:44Z
2019-07-01T10:51:44Z
Liberals and conservatives have wildly different TV-viewing habits – but these 5 shows bring everyone together
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/281663/original/file-20190627-76705-125b7xo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Political fissures extend to the TV screen.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/cracked-result-blow-modern-liquid-crystal-45864589?src=ZHgInBFb-ju7YOFxds0CpQ-1-5&studio=1">vilax/Shutterstock.com </a></span></figcaption></figure><p>There’s been a lot of concern about how conservatives and liberals consume their news from sources <a href="https://theconversation.com/facebooks-problem-is-more-complicated-than-fake-news-68886">that merely confirm their preexisting beliefs</a>. The result, supposedly, has been a disintegration of a shared reality and a fracturing of the nation’s political life.</p>
<p>But does <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-liberal-or-conservative-major-news-outlets-are-2018-3">this trend</a> extend to the shows we choose to watch on TV to relax and unwind?</p>
<p><a href="http://www.mediaimpactproject.org/uploads/5/1/2/7/5127770/entertainmentandpolitics.pdf">Since 2007</a>, the Norman Lear Center at the University of Southern California has been tracking how Americans’ favorite TV shows are connected to their attitudes on a host of hot-button political issues. </p>
<p>In each of these studies – including <a href="https://learcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/are_you_what_you_watch.pdf">our most recent one</a> – we found that people with different political beliefs seem to be drawn to different types of TV entertainment. </p>
<p>But in the most recent study, there was also a distinct overlap: certain shows that appealed to everyone across the political spectrum. These programs, we found, tend to have a quality that, at the very least, hints at some shared values in a polarizing age.</p>
<h2>Preferences of ‘Blues,’ ‘Purples’ and ‘Reds’</h2>
<p>For the study, we surveyed more than 3,000 people using a national sample designed to represent the U.S. population. </p>
<p>Respondents were asked about their entertainment preferences, viewing behaviors and their feelings about specific television shows. They were also asked about their happiness, political beliefs, voting history and personal traits. </p>
<p>Using a <a href="http://sherrytowers.com/2013/10/24/k-means-clustering/">statistical clustering analysis</a>, we identified three ideological groups in the United States that share common attitudes and values, regardless of voting history or political party preferences. </p>
<ol>
<li><p>Blues, who have liberal attitudes toward abortion, the environment, guns, marriage and immigration, make up 47% of the population. This group has the most women and the largest number of African Americans. They’re also the least satisfied with their lives.</p></li>
<li><p>Purples, a swing group comprising 18% of the population, hold positions across the political spectrum. This group has the largest share of Asians and Hispanics, and those in it are the most religious and the most satisfied with their lives.</p></li>
<li><p>Reds make up 35% of the country and hold conservative views on most issues. They’re sympathetic toward the police and skeptical about affirmative action, immigrants and Islam. Reds have the highest proportion of senior citizens.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Each group demonstrated its own particular taste in media and entertainment. </p>
<p>Blues like many more TV shows than Reds and are open to viewing foreign films and TV series, as well as content that doesn’t reflect their values. Many Blues enjoy watching “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1442437/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1">Modern Family</a>,” “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0898266/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1">The Big Bang Theory</a>,” “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096697/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1">The Simpsons</a>,” “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0121955/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1">South Park</a>” and “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0203259/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1">Law & Order: SVU</a>.”</p>
<p>Purples are the most voracious TV viewers and enjoy more about the viewing experience than other groups. They appreciate the educational value of TV programming and are the most likely to say they take action based on what they learn about politics and social issues from fictional movies and TV shows. Their favorite shows include “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1839337/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1">The Voice</a>” and “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0463398/">Dancing with the Stars</a>,” but they also like “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072562/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1">Saturday Night Live</a>” – a favorite among Blues as well – and “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2229907/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1">Duck Dynasty</a>,” which is preferred by Reds.</p>
<p>Reds say they seldom watch entertainment TV, but when they do, many claim they watch for an adrenaline boost. They prefer the Hallmark, History and Ion channels far more than others, while their favorite show is “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0364845/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1">NCIS</a>.” </p>
<h2>The shows that bring everyone together</h2>
<p>And yet there was some significant overlap. </p>
<p>Five shows that all three ideological groups watched include “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098740/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1">America’s Funniest Home Videos</a>,” “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0460627/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1">Bones</a>,” “Criminal Minds,” “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0383126/?ref_=nv_sr_4?ref_=nv_sr_4">MythBusters</a>” and “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1492088/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1">Pawn Stars</a>.” Four of these shows were well-liked, but “Pawn Stars” was actually one of the least-liked shows in our sample of 50. (We concluded that “Pawn Stars” had the dubious distinction of being the most hate-watched show in America.)</p>
<p>But what about those four shows that everyone seems to like? What common elements might they share? </p>
<p>My suspicion, one that we’ll explore in the next iteration of this study, is that all four of these shows – and even “Pawn Stars,” to an extent – value truth.</p>
<p>“Bones” and “Criminal Minds” are classic police procedurals: whodunits that follow a string of clues to arrive at a fact-based conclusion. “MythBusters” is entirely about the delights of scientific skepticism and the quest for truth. And I would argue that the clips seen on “America’s Funniest Home Videos” remain appealing after all these years precisely because they’re so raw and unscripted; we all delight in real human foibles, the stuff that we think we couldn’t make up if we tried. Even in “Pawn Stars,” customers discover the true market value of their treasured items. </p>
<p>In a cultural moment defined by <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2018.1505934">moral panic around fake news and alternative facts</a>, perhaps it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the neutral ground Americans of all political stripes have chosen is storytelling devoted to finding the bad guy, debunking the myth and exposing how silly humans can really be.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/118898/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The 2018 version of this study was conducted in collaboration with futurePerfect lab, with support from the Pop Culture Collaborative. </span></em></p>
The programs that Americans of all political stripes like to watch seem to be united by a common theme.
Johanna Blakley, Managing Director, The Norman Lear Center, USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/119247
2019-06-27T16:48:25Z
2019-06-27T16:48:25Z
Ambition, greed and death: the Roman roots of ‘Game of Thrones’
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/280677/original/file-20190621-61762-dmlux7.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=43%2C0%2C1694%2C1010&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Daenerys Targaryen as portrayed by actress Emilia Clarke.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.serieously.com/nouvelle-coupe-demilia-clarke-pourrait-spoiler-suite-de-game-of-thrones/">HBO</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Although the universe of <em>Game of Thrones</em> is steeped in a <a href="https://theconversation.com/game-of-thrones-imagined-world-combines-romantic-and-grotesque-visions-of-middle-ages-105141">medieval atmosphere</a>, several of the central in the series – Daenerys Targaryen, Joffrey Baratheon and Jon Snow – seem directly inspired by characters from Roman antiquity.</p>
<p>George R.R. Martin, author of the novels behind the hit HBO series, has affirmed that the history of the Roman Empire was one of his <a href="https://books.openedition.org/momeditions/3338">sources of inspiration</a>. Indeed, it was the 117km wall that the Emperor Hadrian had built in the north of England in the years 120 AD that gave him the idea of the Wall.</p>
<p>Martin tells of visiting the site one autumn evening: the sun was setting and it was getting cold. After the departure of the last tourists, the novelist said he felt the loneliness and homesickness of the Roman legionaries posted there 2,000 years ago.</p>
<p>Of course, the author’s imagination has transformed Hadrian’s Wall into an immense barrier of ice in the <em>Game of Thrones</em> saga. At 200 meters high, Martin’s Wall is worlds away on Hadrian’s fortification, but its function remains the same as that in Antiquity: to preserve the “civilized” world from a formidable external threat.</p>
<p>To breathe life into his fictional characters, Martin was able to exploit and adapt elements found in the work of ancient historians, including <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suetonius">Suetonius</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tacitus">Tacitus</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassius_Dio">Dio Cassius</a>. He also drew inspiration from the landmark television series <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T40mDHDKqWM"><em>I, Claudius</em></a> (BBC, 1976), and <em>Rome</em> (2005-2007).</p>
<p>Like <em>Game of Thrones</em>, the HBO series <em>Rome</em> featured abundant <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TzvNnk2p3Y">violence and cruelty</a> that was intimately linked to the political sphere, the ambitions of its leaders and their thirst for domination.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2s1RoX1OeC0?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<h2>Three atrocious deaths</h2>
<p>In 60 BC, three powerful men concluded a secret alliance to jointly control the Roman Empire: the military leader Pompey the Great, the rich Crassus, and the ambitious Julius Caesar, who dreamed of turning the Republic into a monarchy. The members of this triumvirate will each experience a violent and atrocious death.</p>
<p>Crassus, who thought he could defeat with the Parthians, enemies to the east of Rome, was defeated at the Battle of Carrhae in 53 BC. According to a tradition reported by Dio Cassius (<em>Roman History</em> 40.27), after Crassus’ death, the victors pour molten gold into his mouth as a symbolic punishment for his inexhaustible greed. <a href="https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/tv/a10365672/real-things-that-inspired-game-of-thrones/">Viserys Targaryen will suffer a similar punishment</a>.</p>
<p>After being defeated at the Battle of Pharsalus in 48 BC, Pompey fled to Egypt, where he was decapitated – like Eddard Stark](https://time.com/5203015/sean-bean-ned-stark-beheading-praying/). Four years later, Julius Caesar is stabbed to death by a group of traitors, including his adopted son Brutus. “You too, my son,” would be Caesar’s last words. In the same way, Jon Snow will be the victim of a conspiracy hatched by his entourage. The young Olly, playing the role of Brutus, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOOllehJqcM">carries out the coup de grace</a>. </p>
<h2>Jon Snow: Jesus meets Caesar</h2>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/280683/original/file-20190621-61743-8qdsua.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/280683/original/file-20190621-61743-8qdsua.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=705&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/280683/original/file-20190621-61743-8qdsua.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=705&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/280683/original/file-20190621-61743-8qdsua.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=705&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/280683/original/file-20190621-61743-8qdsua.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=886&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/280683/original/file-20190621-61743-8qdsua.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=886&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/280683/original/file-20190621-61743-8qdsua.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=886&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The character of Jon Snow (played by Kit Harington) mixes aspects of the Roman-era figures Julius Caesar and Jesus.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">HBO</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>After his death, Julius Caesar, the idol of the lower classes, is deified and a temple is dedicated to him on the Roman Forum. Jon Snow follows the model of Jesus, another historical figure of the Roman era. By his physical appearance alone, Snow is clearly in the tradition of Christian iconography. His politico-military aspect is modeled on Caesar, however: Snow possesses the <a href="https://www.lesbelleslettres.com/livre/233-cesar-et-son-image">charisma</a> and virtues of the ideal leader who puts himself at the head and in the service of his people.</p>
<p><em>Game of Thrones</em> also contains several adaptations of political characters from imperial Rome. In contrast to Julius Caesar, a positive figure, Caligula, the third Roman emperor, represents the delusional Caesar. Suetonius, author of the <em>Life of the Twelve Caesars</em>, portrays a tyrant as violent as it is unpredictable. Caligula has three major characteristics: he is young, cruel and crazy.</p>
<p>The resemblance of Caligula to Joffrey Baratheon is striking, both in terms of his character and physical appearance. Even the hair of actor Jack Gleeson is styled in the same way as the emperor on his official portraits.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/265566/original/file-20190325-36279-1j23mz5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/265566/original/file-20190325-36279-1j23mz5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=300&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/265566/original/file-20190325-36279-1j23mz5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=300&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/265566/original/file-20190325-36279-1j23mz5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=300&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/265566/original/file-20190325-36279-1j23mz5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=378&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/265566/original/file-20190325-36279-1j23mz5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=378&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/265566/original/file-20190325-36279-1j23mz5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=378&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Caligula (marble head, Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen) and Joffrey Baratheon performed by Jack Gleeson (<em>Game of Thrones</em>, HBO).</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Caligula had previously been portrayed on screen in 1979 by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJvVEt6F_Xw">Malcolm McDowell in Tinto Brass’s <em>Caligula</em></a>. The notorious film added an erotic and cruel aspect to the classic Roman sword-and-sandal epic, prefiguring <em>Rome</em> and <em>Game of Thrones</em>.</p>
<p>The historian Suetonius stated that Caligula had incestuous relations with his sister Drusilla. In <em>Game of Thrones</em>, a forbidden love <a href="https://boojum.fr/sources-inspiration-game-of-thrones">links Cersei to her brother Jaime</a>. Cersei also resembles the empress Agrippina, a cunning and unscrupulous figure who wanted to reign through her son Nero. He became emperor at the age of just 17, a young man like Tommen.</p>
<p>Claudius, the uncle of Caligula, was scorned in his youth because of physical disabilities and was dismissed as an idiot. His own mother called him a man “unfinished by nature”, yet he revealed a great political finesse, as does Tyrion Lannister in <em>Game of Thrones</em>. Caligula-Joffrey and Claudius-Tyrion, the nephew and the uncle, form a contradictory pair: on one side the cruel young sovereign, on the other, the intelligent man unjustly denigrated because of his physical appearance. Do not be fooled by appearances.</p>
<h2>From Boudica to Daenerys</h2>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/265567/original/file-20190325-36270-ktdryn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/265567/original/file-20190325-36270-ktdryn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/265567/original/file-20190325-36270-ktdryn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=780&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/265567/original/file-20190325-36270-ktdryn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=780&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/265567/original/file-20190325-36270-ktdryn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=780&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/265567/original/file-20190325-36270-ktdryn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=980&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/265567/original/file-20190325-36270-ktdryn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=980&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/265567/original/file-20190325-36270-ktdryn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=980&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Painting of Queen Boudica (20th century, unknown artist).</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="https://theravenreport.com/2018/01/01/remembering-boudiccas-rebellion-and-her-daring-revenge-on-rome/">Boudica or Boadicea</a> (circa 30-61 AD) was a queen of the Icenians, Celtic people of ancient England, near present-day Norfolk. Since the Roman conquest and the transformation of the south of the island into the province of the Empire, the local people, dominated, were treated as slaves by the Roman occupiers. Boudica herself had been beaten and her two daughters raped by legionaries. In 61 AD, she managed to gather a powerful army and led an uprising of the humiliated populations against their foreign masters.</p>
<p>The historian Dio Cassius evokes the queen in his <a href="http://remacle.org/bloodwolf/historiens/Dion/livre62.htm"><em>Roman history</em></a> (62.2), emphasizing her feminine power: “She let down her thick, blond hair, down to her lower back”. A warrior, she was armed with a spear and spoke to her troops to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9G01vm9MVa4">exalt them in battle</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://shop.scificollectorshop.co.uk/Boadicea-Statue">Boudica figurines</a> became popular in England from the 19th century, and a statue representing her in a chariot was erected in London near Westminster Bridge. She is the heroine of novels and films, including <em>Legions: The Warriors of Rome</em> (2003). Naturally, any resemblance to <a href="https://gameofthrones.fandom.com/fr/wiki/Daenerys_Targaryen">Daenerys</a> in <em>Game of Thrones</em> is strictly coincidental.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/119247/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Christian-Georges Schwentzel ne travaille pas, ne conseille pas, ne possède pas de parts, ne reçoit pas de fonds d'une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n'a déclaré aucune autre affiliation que son organisme de recherche.</span></em></p>
Although the universe of “Game of Thrones” evokes the medieval era, several key figures in the series are directly inspired by characters from Roman antiquity.
Christian-Georges Schwentzel, Professeur d'histoire ancienne, Université de Lorraine
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/117233
2019-05-17T00:32:29Z
2019-05-17T00:32:29Z
‘The Big Bang Theory’ finale: Sheldon and Amy’s fictional physics parallels real science
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/274985/original/file-20190516-69189-xi009a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C75%2C840%2C767&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The cast made it through 279 episodes.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://plexmx.info/2019/05/16/despues-de-12-temporadas-hoy-termina-the-big-bang-theory-en-cbs/">CBS</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>After 12 successful seasons, “<a href="https://www.cbs.com/shows/big_bang_theory/">The Big Bang Theory</a>” has finally come to a fulfilling end, concluding its <a href="https://ew.com/tv/2019/03/28/big-bang-theory-longest-running-sitcom-276-episodes-cbs/">reign as the longest running</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple-camera_setup">multicamera sitcom</a> on TV.</p>
<p>If you’re one of the few who haven’t seen the show, this CBS series centers around a group of young scientists defined by essentially every possible stereotype about nerds and geeks. The main character, Sheldon (Jim Parsons), is a theoretical physicist. He is exceptionally intelligent, but also socially unconventional, egocentric, envious and ultra-competitive. His best friend, Leonard (Johnny Galecki), is an experimental physicist who, although more balanced, also shows more fluency with quantum physics than with ordinary social situations.</p>
<p>Their steadfast friends are an aerospace engineer and an astrophysicist. The story revolves around the contrast between their intellect; obsession with comic books, video games, science fiction and fantasy; and struggles with the basics of human interactions, including those with their female counterparts.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/275013/original/file-20190516-69178-1hk1cn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/275013/original/file-20190516-69178-1hk1cn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/275013/original/file-20190516-69178-1hk1cn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/275013/original/file-20190516-69178-1hk1cn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/275013/original/file-20190516-69178-1hk1cn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/275013/original/file-20190516-69178-1hk1cn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=488&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/275013/original/file-20190516-69178-1hk1cn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=488&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/275013/original/file-20190516-69178-1hk1cn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=488&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Physicist David Saltzberg makes sure the show’s science hits the target.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://magazine.ucla.edu/depts/quicktakes/physicist-to-the-stars/">Warner Bros. Studios</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Science, especially physics, is a recurring theme in the show and the scientific authenticity and contemporaneity are noteworthy. Part of the credit for that goes to <a href="http://www.physics.ucla.edu/%7Esaltzberg/index.html">David Saltzberg</a>, a professor of physics and astronomy at UCLA who <a href="https://www.wired.com/2011/09/tv-fact-checker-big-bang-theory/">served as a technical adviser for the series</a>.</p>
<p>Even though it is not intended to educate, “The Big Bang Theory” frequently refers to real science. Many science communicators and distinguished scientists have made guest appearances, from <a href="https://youtu.be/LtU4uUlGsb8">Bill Nye</a> to <a href="https://youtu.be/wlrOKpQ6UBI">Stephen Hawking</a>. But perhaps nothing is more recurrent in the show than the use of the “scientist” trope as the punchline of joke after joke.</p>
<p>So how would <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=F5TciCcAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">a physicist like me</a> get interested in this show? Not only is it the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Big_Bang_Theory">most popular sitcom</a> on American television, but it’s also a pop culture bridge to science. While it is not the first time science has been represented in mainstream media, “The Big Bang Theory” is currently its most visible representation. In addition, it just happens that the fictional research in the show makes contact with my own real research. </p>
<h2>A science-y setting on a popular show</h2>
<p>I was first exposed to “The Big Bang Theory” through interactions with people from outside academia, who would often refer to it as soon as they pegged me as a physicist. Reports that their teenage kids loved the show were common.</p>
<p>But what really got my attention was a Guardian article in 2011 that suggested, albeit anecdotally, that the show was helping <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/education/2011/nov/06/big-bang-theory-physics-boom">increase the enrollment of physics majors</a>. Why? Possibly by bringing the attention of a broad audience to the subject or by making physics look cool. Now that I am familiar with the show, I believe “The Big Bang Theory” is to physics <a href="https://www.questia.com/library/journal/1G1-157773261/the-csi-effect">what “CSI” was to forensics</a>. It has brought physics, and especially the people doing physics, to a young audience of prospective science students.</p>
<p>As a physics professor and educator, I have a vested interest in attracting and nurturing talents in physics – and even in 2019, television can influence choices people make. While only <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-018-05260-4">good physics teaching and mentoring</a> can convert interested students into talented scientists, a TV show like “The Big Bang Theory” can be what gets them into the classroom in the first place.</p>
<p>The show’s somewhat stereotypical image of physicists also has weaknesses, of which the most significant are the use of misogyny as a point of humor and a lack of diversity in the main cast. The perpetuation of stereotypes can reinforce the perception that certain groups don’t belong in physics. An entertainment show is not obligated to mirror real life, but this is a sensitive issue because physics still suffers from a lack of diversity and the <a href="https://physicsworld.com/a/isolated-female-students-more-likely-to-drop-out-of-phd-programmes/">dropout rates are high among certain underrepresented groups</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/274987/original/file-20190516-69192-3x9nfs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/274987/original/file-20190516-69192-3x9nfs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/274987/original/file-20190516-69192-3x9nfs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/274987/original/file-20190516-69192-3x9nfs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/274987/original/file-20190516-69192-3x9nfs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/274987/original/file-20190516-69192-3x9nfs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/274987/original/file-20190516-69192-3x9nfs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/274987/original/file-20190516-69192-3x9nfs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The show underwrites scholarships at UCLA for STEM students, including Kemeka Corry, on set here with actress Mayim Bialik, who herself holds a Ph.D. in neuroscience.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/the-big-bang-theory-to-support-twice-as-many-students">Mike Yarish/©2019 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Notwithstanding, as the show developed, leading female characters took the stage: an attractive, down-to-earth neighbor, a successful microbiologist, and finally, there was the intelligent, accomplished Amy (Mayim Bialik), a neurobiologist selected through an online dating site as Sheldon’s perfect match. They married in the finale of the 11th season.</p>
<p>The same episode also marks one of the most celebrated moments of the series: Sheldon and Amy’s serendipitous discovery that put them on track for a Nobel Prize in Physics.</p>
<h2>A fictional theory worthy of a Nobel</h2>
<p>It all starts with groom Sheldon’s difficulty straightening out his bow tie. Amy tells him “I don’t think it is supposed to be even. Sometimes a little asymmetry looks good. In the Renaissance, they called it ‘sprezzatura.‘”</p>
<p>When later he explains to his mom why he’s leaving it a bit off kilter, she says, “Sometimes it’s the imperfect stuff that makes things perfect.” It’s one of the best lines of the entire show, and the one that gave Sheldon the <a href="https://the-big-bang-theory.com/quotes/episode/1124/The-Bow-Tie-Asymmetry/">final clue to their scientific breakthrough</a>.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Sheldon: My equations have been trying to describe an imperfect world, and the only way to do that is to introduce imperfection into the underlying theory.</p>
<p>Amy: So, instead of supersymmetry, it would be super asymmetry?!</p>
<p>Sheldon: Super asymmetry! That’s it!!</p>
</blockquote>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/274974/original/file-20190516-69209-4ipwwe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/274974/original/file-20190516-69209-4ipwwe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/274974/original/file-20190516-69209-4ipwwe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=406&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/274974/original/file-20190516-69209-4ipwwe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=406&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/274974/original/file-20190516-69209-4ipwwe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=406&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/274974/original/file-20190516-69209-4ipwwe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=511&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/274974/original/file-20190516-69209-4ipwwe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=511&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/274974/original/file-20190516-69209-4ipwwe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=511&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">When the light bulb turns on, Sheldon scribbles out equations in lipstick on a mirror.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://tvline.com/gallery/big-bang-theory-best-sheldon-and-amy-wedding-moments/#!3/the-bow-tie-asymmetry-5/">CBS</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The entire last season gravitates around the merits of “super asymmetry” and the threats of a competing group getting credit for it. In reality, no theory with this name exists, but the name was clearly inspired by <a href="https://home.cern/science/physics/supersymmetry">supersymmetry</a>, which does.</p>
<p>Supersymmetry concerns subatomic particles from which everything else is made. It proposes that every subatomic particle in the current <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-standard-model-of-particle-physics-the-absolutely-amazing-theory-of-almost-everything-94700">standard model of particle physics</a> has a so-called supersymmetric partner – essentially extra particles that exist in tandem with the already identified ones. This means that the underlying equations would remain unchanged under certain transformations, which has deep predictive implications. Supersymmetry has not yet been proved experimentally.</p>
<p>Now, how plausible is Amy and Sheldon’s super asymmetry as a physical theory? Depending on how you interpret what’s described in the show, it is either not sound or somewhat trivial in the subatomic world. However, it is highly nontrivial for collective behavior, which just happens to be my topic of research.</p>
<h2>The real physics of asymmetry</h2>
<p>I am an interdisciplinary physicist studying collective behavior in natural and engineered systems. Think of heart cells beating together, a power grid operating as a single system, shoals of fish schooling together, genes in a cell coordinating their activities and so on.</p>
<p>For a number of years, I’ve been working to understand why such systems can exhibit what we call behavioral symmetry – or homogeneity – even though the systems themselves are not symmetric – or homogeneous – at all. For example, your circadian clock can be well synchronized with the 24-hour cycle despite the fact that the individual neurons in the circadian system <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neulet.2004.01.022">are quite different from each other</a>. They exhibit the same period only when interacting with each other. </p>
<p>And here is how my research relates to Amy and Sheldon’s hypothetical theory. It’s generally assumed that individual entities are more likely to exhibit the same behavior <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0167-2789(00)00094-4">if they are equal or similar to each other</a>. Imagine lasers pulsing together, birds singing the same notes, and agents trying to reach consensus. My research shows that this assumption is in fact generally false when the entities interact with each other. Being equal doesn’t mean they’ll sync up. Since individual differences are ubiquitous and often unavoidable in real systems, such asymmetry (or imperfection) can be the unexpected source of behavioral symmetry. </p>
<p>There are instances in which the observed behavior of the system can be symmetric only when the system itself is not. <a href="http://northwestern.academia.edu/TakashiNishikawa">My collaborator</a> and I called this effect <a href="https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.117.114101">asymmetry-induced symmetry</a>, but could have referred to it as a form of super asymmetry since it epitomizes the notion that imperfections make things perfect. Asymmetry-induced symmetry exposes scenarios in physical and biophysical systems in which we observe <a href="https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6544/aa8fe7">consensus because of – not despite – differences</a>, thus adding a new dimension to the advantage of diversity.</p>
<p>“The Big Bang Theory” ends, but the message from the most gifted couple on television remains: We do live in a “perfectly imperfect universe.”</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/117233/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Adilson Motter receives funding from ARO, ARPA-E and Northwestern University.</span></em></p>
A physicist reflects on the show’s made-up Nobel Prize-winning theory of ‘super asymmetry’ along with how the series showcased authentic science and role models for future STEM students.
Adilson Motter, Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/111265
2019-02-22T11:46:00Z
2019-02-22T11:46:00Z
3 tips: How to teach children to watch commercials more closely
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/257445/original/file-20190206-174883-5w8684.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Teaching young people to analyze TV commercials will serve them well in other areas of life, researchers say.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/two-boys-brothers-watching-tv-attentively-56826280?src=EDgxvNIul0erbrY6O6b8TQ-1-47">threerocksimages from www.shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>With all the time that young people spend in front of screens these days – from TVs to laptops, cellphones and iPads – children are bound to see a lot of ads and commercials.</p>
<p>On average, American children spend anywhere between <a href="http://cdn.cnn.com/cnn/2017/images/11/07/csm_zerotoeight_full.report.final.2017.pdf">three</a> to <a href="http://cdn.cnn.com/cnn/2017/images/11/07/commonsensecensus.mediausebytweensandteens.2015.final.pdf">nine hours</a> of time on screen. This includes TV, DVD, mobile, computer and video games. </p>
<p>To take advantage of all the time that is spent being plugged in, companies are spending <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-advertising-digital/global-spending-on-digital-marketing-nears-100-billion-study-idUSKCN1M30XN">billions of dollars</a> on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZK3c9GCjSx8">slick techniques</a> to <a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/kristi_rogers_where_are_our_digital_ads_really_going">get attention</a>. And it’s working. For instance, children between the ages of 2 to 11 see an average of <a href="https://www.commonsensemedia.org/research/advertising-to-children-and-teens-current-practices">25,600 TV ads a year</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/260264/original/file-20190221-195873-9xanhs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/260264/original/file-20190221-195873-9xanhs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/260264/original/file-20190221-195873-9xanhs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/260264/original/file-20190221-195873-9xanhs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/260264/original/file-20190221-195873-9xanhs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/260264/original/file-20190221-195873-9xanhs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=508&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/260264/original/file-20190221-195873-9xanhs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=508&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/260264/original/file-20190221-195873-9xanhs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=508&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Children 2 to 11 are exposed to more than 25,000 ads per year.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/cute-little-children-lying-under-blanket-569859622">Africa Studio from www.shutterstock.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>As entertaining as commercials may be, research has shown young people can’t always separate fact from fiction. For instance, a <a href="https://purl.stanford.edu/fv751yt5934">2016 study</a> found that out of 7,804 student responses, more than 80 percent of middle school students <a href="https://purl.stanford.edu/fv751yt5934">believed that web ads were real news stories</a>. The same study found that more than 80 percent of high school students had a hard time distinguishing between real and fake photos.</p>
<p>Based on this evidence, America’s young people, it seems, could benefit from <a href="https://namle.net/publications/media-literacy-definitions/">media literacy</a> – a subject that is one of the focal areas of <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=cp2B1zoAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">my research</a>. Media literacy is about being able analyze and evaluate the messages we see in different media platforms.</p>
<p>For parents and others who want to empower children to be <a href="https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED523447">more aware</a> of how commercials influence what they think and do, here are three ways to use media literacy skills to accomplish that end. The tips may be particularly useful during major TV events that prompt companies to make special commercials, such as the Super Bowl or the Oscars.</p>
<h2>1. Ask questions</h2>
<p>While ads can help young viewers <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/209559?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents">socialize as consumers</a> and tell them about products, research also shows that young audiences aren’t always able to <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/25651622?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents">detect persuasion in advertising</a>. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/education/media-literacy/creating-healthy-media-literacy-habits/10230936">National Association for Media Literacy Education</a> suggests that people <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/education/media-literacy/creating-healthy-media-literacy-habits/10230936">get in the habit of asking questions</a> so it can help them intelligently process the information to which they are being exposed.</p>
<p>One of the questions viewers should ask is: Who created the message? All media messages are <a href="https://ila.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1598/JAAL.49.6.4">constructed by an author</a>. Thinking about who that is helps create distance from the message of the commercial itself.</p>
<p>Viewers should also ask if the commercial appeared credible. Commercials often <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02650487.2014.994803">transport many of us into a story world</a>. Resisting the enticement of stories allows viewers to stay grounded in a critical mindset.</p>
<h2>2. Use your senses</h2>
<p>Young viewers should be encouraged to ask how a commercial made them feel. Advertising <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/derekrucker/2017/10/05/emotion-in-advertising-the-difference-between-a-spark-and-a-backfire/#57351b2631e5">relies heavily on people’s emotional reactions</a>. Becoming more aware of how we’re made to feel during an ad can give us a clue about its effect on us.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/260263/original/file-20190221-195892-1v862h9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/260263/original/file-20190221-195892-1v862h9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/260263/original/file-20190221-195892-1v862h9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/260263/original/file-20190221-195892-1v862h9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/260263/original/file-20190221-195892-1v862h9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/260263/original/file-20190221-195892-1v862h9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/260263/original/file-20190221-195892-1v862h9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Discussing how ads make children feel helps make children more aware of how ads influence their behavior.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/african-family-spending-time-together-1024985206">Rawpixel.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Young viewers should also be encouraged to analyze what techniques were used to get their attention. Media makers <a href="http://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/28837/">use a variety of creative techniques</a> to catch our eye, like bright colors, humor or celebrity endorsements. Focusing on how words, colors or camera angles affect the way we see or hear the message is important to analyze its appeal.</p>
<p>By teaching young viewers to question the <a href="https://frankwbaker.com/mlc/streaming-videos-for-teaching-media-literacy/">“behind the scenes” of commercials</a>, it will better enable them to understand the production techniques that marketers employ to sell their seemingly perfect products.</p>
<h2>3. Reflect</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0305764X.2010.526589">Dialogue and reflection</a> are important aspects of media literacy. Talking about commercials with others creates a common ground to exchange perspectives.</p>
<p>Young viewers should also be encouraged to ask why a particular message is being sent. Most media messages are typically <a href="https://understandmedia.com/resources/practical-media-literacy-an-essential-guide-to-the-critical-thinking-skills-for-our-digital-world">developed to generate revenue or influence decisions</a> Young viewers should be taught to look for motives, such as to inform, persuade or entertain.</p>
<p>Also, young viewers should be encouraged to ask what values are represented? Commercials often <a href="https://www.npr.org/2012/02/03/146336389/3-hidden-themes-of-this-years-super-bowl-ads">carry underlying themes</a> that deal with politics, sexuality or identity. Looking at the points of view represented in the message is important to detect how chosen values are being reinforced.</p>
<p>By reflecting on the <a href="https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=t9BEDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=media+techniques+and+motives&ots=xuzvevvj_H&sig=Qk4As4tupuyPba4yzSnNHmMN3E8#v=onepage&q=media%20techniques%20and%20motives&f=false">techniques and motives surrounding commercials</a>, parents, educators and others can teach young people to make better sense of the many commercial messages they will see throughout their lives.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/111265/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sarah Gretter does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Thanks to the prevalence of technology, children are exposed to thousands of commercials a year. How can parents make their children more aware of how commercials influence what they think and do?
Sarah Gretter, Senior Learning Experience (LX) Designer, Michigan State University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/105141
2018-10-17T12:39:45Z
2018-10-17T12:39:45Z
Game of Thrones: imagined world combines romantic and grotesque visions of Middle Ages
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/241022/original/file-20181017-41150-17a7koq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">HBO</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Take the dragons and the zombies away from the television adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s epic A Song of Ice and Fire novels and you are left with the seemingly authentic portrayal of a pseudo-medieval world. Indeed, Martin was <a href="http://www.westeros.org/Citadel/SSM/Entry/Historical_Influences/">inspired by historical events</a> such as the Wars of the Roses, the Crusades and the Hundred Years’ War.</p>
<p>It is no surprise that Game of Thrones is being used to <a href="https://www.braingainmag.com/game-of-thrones-fires-up-medieval-studies-at-us-colleges.htm">stimulate interest</a> in medieval studies. Westeros is replete with medieval staples such as knights, queens, broadswords and castles. It’s packed with recognisable medieval characters, including Machiavellian schemers, brutal warriors, noble heroes, paternalistic lords and power-hungry aristocrats.</p>
<p>Of course Game of Thrones is fundamentally ahistorical, taking inspiration from popular myths about many different periods and places. But while it illuminates little about the past, it reveals much about how we imagine that past.</p>
<h2>The grotesque</h2>
<p>Medieval scholar <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Medievalism.html?id=apmfBwAAQBAJ&redir_esc=y">David Matthews suggests</a> that modern views of the Middle Ages can be categorised as either romantic or grotesque. Game of Thrones features both elements in spades.</p>
<p>The likes of vicious, spoiled king Joffrey Baratheon, his scheming mother Cersei Lannister and psychopathic warlord Ramsey Bolton signify the grotesque. They represent the idea of the Middle Ages as a violent and lawless era. That notion was <a href="http://www.medievalists.net/2014/02/why-the-middle-ages-are-called-the-dark-ages/">created by the literati of Renaissance Italy</a> as they sought to rediscover the learning and culture of ancient Greece and Rome. Such views were reinforced by the Reformation, which equated Catholicism with medieval folly.</p>
<p>These attitudes were strengthened during the 18th-century Enlightenment. The “light” of modern reason and objectivity was contrasted against the superstitious “darkness” that had supposedly characterised the medieval period. In this way, the Middle Ages became a foil against which to measure the achievements of modernity.</p>
<p>If the Middle Ages have become a shorthand for brutality, they can also highlight the supposed inadequacies of non-Western societies. Since the September 11 terrorist attacks, it has become routine among Western officials and journalists to <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Neomedievalism_Neoconservatism_and_the_W.html?id=61oXAQAAIAAJ">label Islamic extremists</a> as “medieval”. In 2015, US Republican presidential candidate <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/carly-fiorina-medieval-history-degree-helps-defeat-isis/story?id=34256597">Carly Fiorina even claimed</a> that her degree in medieval history would help her fight Islamic State.</p>
<p>Such attitudes can be identified in Game of Thrones. The brown-skinned slave-trading Dothraki are portrayed as a Mongol-esque horde whose primary characteristic is primitive savagery. Daenerys Targaryen, a claimant to the throne of Westeros who liberates thousands from servitude in the neighbouring continent of Essos, is portrayed as a white saviour bringing freedom to oriental slaves.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/241023/original/file-20181017-41132-12y9wa5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/241023/original/file-20181017-41132-12y9wa5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/241023/original/file-20181017-41132-12y9wa5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/241023/original/file-20181017-41132-12y9wa5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/241023/original/file-20181017-41132-12y9wa5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/241023/original/file-20181017-41132-12y9wa5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/241023/original/file-20181017-41132-12y9wa5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Mother of dragons, liberator of slaves: Daenerys Targaryen.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">HBO</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Meanwhile in Westeros, where the central story unfolds, slavery was outlawed centuries ago. The underlying assumption here is that societies progress towards civilisation over time. The imagined land of Westeros borrows much from an earlier period in Western development. But the eastern continent of Essos is home to societies bearing cultural hallmarks aligning them with the Middle and Far East. Some of them are presented as more refined than their Western counterparts, but also more amoral, thus echoing Western views of the east that have been <a href="http://www.al-mawrid.org/index.php/articles/view/orientalism-its-changing-face-and-nature1">powerful in our own world</a> since the Crusades. </p>
<h2>The romantic</h2>
<p>There is also much to admire in the protagonists we root for. Daenerys, the heroic Jon Snow and the honourable and doomed Ned Stark are examples of the “romantic” Middle Ages. They are brave, honourable, noble and just, sitting within a vision of the medieval past informed by ideas about chivalry and morality.</p>
<p>Such figures hark back to older views of the Middle Ages as a heroic age in which individuals could make their own moral choices. Think of T. H. White’s <a href="https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/futureking/summary/">Arthur</a>, Walter Scott’s <a href="https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/ivanhoe/summary/">Ivanhoe</a>, and the numerous retellings of the <a href="http://d.lib.rochester.edu/robin-hood/text/chandler-robin-hood-development-of-a-popular-hero">Robin Hood</a> legend. Looking further back, we see these same tropes in Thomas Mallory’s <a href="https://www.shmoop.com/morte-d-arthur/summary.html">Arthurian romances</a>, themselves composed at the very end of the medieval era.</p>
<p>In all cases the main characters champion the oppressed and challenge established authorities which lack moral legitimacy, just like our heroes in Game of Thrones.</p>
<p>But the aristocratic status of the Starks and Targaryens also represents social order and cohesion. These rival families do not seek to tear down the existing hierarchy in Westeros, but rather to remodel it along more just and benevolent lines. This tallies with an image of the Middle Ages as a golden era of stability, when everyone knew their role and had clearly defined responsibilities towards one another. For 19th-century thinkers, including <a href="https://www.thoughtco.com/themes-in-works-of-john-ruskin-177883">John Ruskin</a> and <a href="http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/morris/wmmediev.html">William Morris</a>, the medieval period was a model through which humanity might from escape from the cruel vicissitudes of industrial capitalism.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/241025/original/file-20181017-41138-18vx7u5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/241025/original/file-20181017-41138-18vx7u5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/241025/original/file-20181017-41138-18vx7u5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/241025/original/file-20181017-41138-18vx7u5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/241025/original/file-20181017-41138-18vx7u5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/241025/original/file-20181017-41138-18vx7u5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/241025/original/file-20181017-41138-18vx7u5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Character development: Arya Stark.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">HBO</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Yet the powerful women in Game of Thrones are indisputably modern. Daenerys, Cersei Lannister and Arya Stark, who has grown from tomboyish daughter to deadly assassin, are symbols of feminist empowerment, taking on roles traditionally reserved for men. Interestingly, the only character truly adhering to knightly ideals is Brienne of Tarth, who dresses and behaves like a knight but cannot actually be one, because of her gender.</p>
<p>That said, the degradation and abuse that many female characters endure – which sparked <a href="https://theconversation.com/is-game-of-thrones-sexist-57839">accusations of misogyny</a> – is of course grotesque rather than romantic.</p>
<h2>Achieving balance</h2>
<p>What Game of Thrones does so well is balance these elements. Too much violence and many fans would turn off in disgust. Too much high-minded moralising and the show would feel sanitised and lacking a genuine sense of peril. Perhaps that is why the adventures of characters such as Arya, Cersei’s brother Jaime Lannister, their enforcer Sandor Clegane and above all the charming and Machiavellian Tyrion Lannister make for such compelling viewing. They operate in the borderlands between the “grotesque” and the “romantic”, making them admirable and repugnant in equal measure.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/241024/original/file-20181017-41153-1q3jwi1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/241024/original/file-20181017-41153-1q3jwi1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/241024/original/file-20181017-41153-1q3jwi1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/241024/original/file-20181017-41153-1q3jwi1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/241024/original/file-20181017-41153-1q3jwi1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/241024/original/file-20181017-41153-1q3jwi1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/241024/original/file-20181017-41153-1q3jwi1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Tyrion Lannister: scheming, charming, charismatic.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">HBO</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>More broadly, the series tells us something about how its audience may feel about society today. Most of us are glad to have advanced beyond the barbarism we associate with the Middle Ages. But many also feel that values of duty and social responsibility have been lost along the way.</p>
<p>How we conceptualise the present is inevitably influenced by how we imagine the past. In terms of selling a story, therefore, the accuracy or otherwise of the medieval vision that Game of Thrones presents is irrelevant.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/105141/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Richard Marsden is affiliated with the Labour Party. </span></em></p>
The HBO series can tell us a lot about how we view the Medieval world.
Richard Marsden, Lecturer n History, The Open University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/103628
2018-09-27T11:27:09Z
2018-09-27T11:27:09Z
Dwarfism: wrestling show will simply reinforce prejudice
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/237903/original/file-20180925-149961-436w06.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Dwarfanators: a force for good or just an update of the Victorian freak show?</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Dwarfanators</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Historically and culturally, many societies’ frames of reference concerning dwarfism have put people with the condition at the margins of humanity. People with dwarfism are <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-45360783/man-with-dwarfism-describes-street-abuse">subjected to daily abuse</a> from members of the public when out working, commuting or just getting on with their daily lives. </p>
<p>Even within disability circles, research suggests that the condition is given <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15017410902909118">marginal status</a>. Now, a “dwarf-wrestling” company from the US, The Dwarfanators, has travelled to the UK with the intention of putting on wrestling shows around the country. The <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tvnothingelseon/videos/1828652073897925/">PR company</a> in control of its advertising and content has claimed on social media that: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>The Dwarfanator’s Wrestling show is the first time a show of its kind will be seen in the UK since ‘Victorian times’. The aim of the event is change [sic] perception of people with disabilities. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>The reference to “Victorian times” has hit a nerve for some within the UK’s thriving dwarfism community. A UK-based charity, <a href="http://rgauk.org/">The Restricted Growth Association</a> (RGA), representing people with dwarfism has raised concerns that the show could increase levels of abuse against people with dwarfism, and hark back to <a href="http://www.bl.uk/learning/cult/bodies/freak/freakshow.html">Victorian freak shows</a>. The Dwarfanators strongly deny this accusation. </p>
<p>Since the media brought attention to this topic – there was a particularly heated discussion with Piers Morgan on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Va12oN-kRUE&feature=youtu.be">Good Morning Britain</a> – people are saying individual freedom is at stake here. The US wrestlers are not only doing this job willingly, they’re trying to make a living – and with the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-45485344">cancellation of some of their shows</a> since the start of these discussions, including in Leicester and in Dorset, they claim their livelihoods are at stake. </p>
<p>The RGA has said that the actions of the few impact the lives of many who will have to live with the repercussions of such representations. They are not alone in these assertions. US organisation, Little people of America (LPA), which represents people with dwarfism in the US, has <a href="https://www.lpaonline.org/advocacy-and-community-outreach">come out in support of the RGA’s stance</a>. In a statement, the LPA said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Some people argue this issue is about choice. The wrestlers have made the decision of their own free will to participate in the event. Yet, the choice the wrestlers make doesn’t only impact them. It impacts thousands of other little people and their families who are forced to address the stigma related to dwarfs being used as entertainment because of their physical stature.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Reclaiming the gaze</h2>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/238309/original/file-20180927-48650-1sefylw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/238309/original/file-20180927-48650-1sefylw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=291&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/238309/original/file-20180927-48650-1sefylw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=291&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/238309/original/file-20180927-48650-1sefylw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=291&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/238309/original/file-20180927-48650-1sefylw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=366&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/238309/original/file-20180927-48650-1sefylw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=366&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/238309/original/file-20180927-48650-1sefylw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=366&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Detail from Little Big Woman: Condescension.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Debra Keenahan</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In an article on the <a href="https://theconversation.com/friday-essay-the-female-dwarf-disability-and-beauty-84844">aesthetics of dwarfism and returning the gaze </a>, Australian academic Debra Keenahan argued that the representation of people with dwarfism within the visual arts often mirrored the societal attitude towards people with this disability. That is to say, how people with dwarfism are seen in culture and in the arts, reflects our societal conscious at the time.</p>
<p>When considering the “gaze”, you have to question and critique three perspectives. Who has control behind the lens? What is the representation in front of the lens? And finally, who are the spectators? In her own art, Keenahan is reclaiming ownership and complete control of the representation of dwarf images.</p>
<p>Actor <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-news/peter-dinklage-master-of-the-game-57152/">Peter Dinklage</a> has become world famous as Tyrion Lannister in the smash hit television series Game of Thrones. But since he first came to prominence in 2003 as Finbar, the central character in The Station Agent, he has been regarded as a leading figure in challenging and redefining societal expectations around dwarfism and the dwarf body.</p>
<p>Taking roles where he can control or manipulate the gaze levelled at his body, Dinklage’s dwarfism often becomes an incidental aspect of his character’s personality. As one of the central characters in Game of Thrones, Dinklage has shown the complexity and agency of Tyrion Lannister – a wise, witty, dangerous intellectual as well as a bon viveur and sexually promiscuous charmer. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lvRj9EBQ1qY?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>Dinklage is known for speaking out about the representations of dwarfism in society, art and culture. He once described the abuse and mockery people with dwarfism receive as <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/01/magazine/peter-dinklage-was-smart-to-say-no.html">“one of the last bastions of acceptable prejudice”</a>. In his 2012 Golden Globe acceptance speech, he mentioned the name of a British man who had been assaulted by members of the public in an apparent copycat attempt at “dwarf tossing”, shortly after an incident involving the English Rugby team in New Zealand. Dinklage encouraged the audience <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2087341/Dwarf-tossing-victim-Martin-Henderson-trends-Twitter-Peter-Dinklage-Golden-Globe-speech.html">to Google him</a>.</p>
<p>It is at this juncture where organisations such as the RGA and LPA are making the connections between representations from culture and society and dangerous repercussions among the wider dwarfism community.</p>
<h2>Exploiting oppression</h2>
<p>There are clear historical links between dwarf comedy acts and the oppression of this community. A recent BBC4 documentary <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0bgffgg">Dwarfs in Art: A New Perspective</a> demonstrated how dwarfs have often been the subject of ridicule throughout history. Not least during the times of the freak show when many were not even afforded their own names, let alone their own liberty. <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-Stratton">Charles Sherwood Stratton</a>, for example, was taken as a child by P T Barnum and used in his circus acts under the name of <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-ouch-30034409">Tom Thumb</a> .</p>
<p>The documentary also noted occasions when people with dwarfism were sold or presented to royal households as pets – objects of pleasure for their non-disabled owners’ gaze.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/237901/original/file-20180925-149970-vzz75i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/237901/original/file-20180925-149970-vzz75i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=987&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/237901/original/file-20180925-149970-vzz75i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=987&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/237901/original/file-20180925-149970-vzz75i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=987&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/237901/original/file-20180925-149970-vzz75i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1241&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/237901/original/file-20180925-149970-vzz75i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1241&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/237901/original/file-20180925-149970-vzz75i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1241&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Queen Henrietta Maria of France (1609-69) and her dwarf, Jeffery Hudson (1619-82), by Anthonis van Dyck.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wikimedia Commons</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Dwarfanators wrestling show has reignited these fears. There is consensus between all involved that the acts and freak shows of the Victorian era were exploitative and oppressive. But are things any different today? How can an exploitative and oppressive show from a century ago be remodelled as a bastion of liberation and proof of progressive disability rights? </p>
<p>The wrestlers have all repeatedly stated that the difference between the past and the present is down to choice. As a doctoral researcher investigating demographics within the dwarfism community, I am left scrutinising this voyeuristic gaze in the visual aesthetics of dwarf wrestling. As <a href="https://www.crcpress.com/Film-Comedy-and-Disability-Understanding-Humour-and-Genre-in-Cinematic/Wilde/p/book/9781472455451">Alison Wilde</a> argues, cultural portrayals of disability can either act as “a mechanism for the transformation of prejudicial attitudes which discriminate”, or they can legitimise existing narratives and “perpetuate cultural, social, and economic inequalities”. </p>
<p>I feel that the Dwarfanators have missed an opportunity for the former, and have done nothing to help the latter.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/103628/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kelly-Mae Saville is a family affiliated member of the Restricted Growth Association</span></em></p>
Dwarf wrestling is a spectacle that harks back to the Victorian age of ‘freak shows’.
Kelly-Mae Saville, Doctoral Researcher, Aston University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.