Dueling Pop Culture

Movies that are produced by the big movie studios are designed to "win you over". Even so, the movie wouldn't be produced if the executives weren't confident that the movie audience would relate to the theme. This is the delicate but interesting spot that popular culture is in. Pop Culture affects the attitudes of the masses, but at the same time must play to the core beliefs of those same masses before it can try to give them a new perspective and possibly a new direction.

In this day and age there are various issues confronting people. Some of them involve political opinion. Movies often attempt to influence public opinion on political issues by winning an audience over to a character and then her beliefs. Then they make the symbol of the opposing side into a "bad guy". Sometimes, situations in movies are used as metaphors for certain modern political good guys or villains. In this environment it is no surprise that there are different and conflicting "messages" portrayed by the movies. If you saw certain movies back-to-back and thought about what the metaphors stood for you might feel a little uncomfortable at your own inner conflicts.

Three movies that come to mind that deal with similar issues are Avatar, Star Trek (all the movies adhere to the same overall history and belief system), and Pearl Harbor. All three of these movies deal with war, technology, pacifism, belligerence, and savagery. On a larger scale these three movies deal with who's world-view is the right one.

Avatar is about a planet of indigenous creatures called the Navi. In this world, humans are alien and are trying to exploit the resources of the planet Pandora. In the process of exploitation there happens to be a very large tree home in the way. The humans are determined to remove the tree and obtain the precious "unobtanium" beneath it. This is destroying the most important home and symbol of their culture.

This movie portrays the invaders as ruthless inconsiderate bad guys and the indigenous people look pure, innocent, wise, and somewhat pacifist. The messages here seem to be about certain countries using their military might to bully less powerful ones. We call it Imperialism and it has been a factor throughout the history of the Western World. But the parallel doesn't end there. It seems likely that some might be thinking "what business does the US Military have in overseas occupations like Iraq and Afghanistan?"

On the other hand, Star Trek seems to have a lot more sympathy for civilization. Captain Kirk seems to find himself either fighting to save civilization from destruction or asking aliens (who are worthy enough) to join the coolest thing ever, the "United Federation of Planets". The mission of "Star Fleet" has an imperialist sound to it:


"To explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no man has gone before."

Seeking out new life seems to mean 'to get them to join the UFP or vaporize them'. In fact, the races that refused to join were either savage (Klingons and Romulans) or don't have real bodies (the Organians and the Q).

Pearl Harbor has a very different message than Avatar. That is, pacifism can get you killed. Those brave home boys are out there protecting the country from the savage Japs who don't even have the decency to send a letter before bombing your stuff. The message includes the rally that we have to be willing to fight to protect our "way of life."

All three of these movies have high emotional content that prepare you for the messages that tend to follow. In some movies with these messages are sometimes subliminal as you gradually realize what the symbolic representations might mean. We are actually having sympathy for a cause before we know what that cause is. Therefore, as observers, we are presented with the choice to take what we feel is right but also sometimes allow ourselves to be influenced or at least have sympathy for the "other side."

Be a Skeptic

It's interesting, funny, and troubling to think about the many urban legends that circulate from person to person or on the internet. Some of the stories have been around for decades or centuries, before the internet, being spread by human contact.    

  Many of these older stories are ripe for another go-round. For example, the girl who kept her pony tails too long without brushing them out. A family of spiders hatched in her hair and ate her scalp. 

The stories are interesting because they are creative. These stories are intriguing, often gruesome, sometimes funny.It can be both entertaining and troubling to see how vulnerable the human psyche is to unbelievable, ridiculous stories. On the other hand, there are a small number of items that have been found to be true. So, how is someone to evaluate which are silly and which are worthy cautionary warnings? Are there thinking skills we can use to evaluate Urban Legends? What about other stories and claims that we are confronted with in life? How can we use reason and critical thinking to evaluate all these things?

                   

There are several organizations that try to bring folks back to their senses and reason on these stories. One entertaining and thought-encouraging site I found is urbanlegends.about.com. This site has a fun approach to discussing and investigating urban legends, myths, and audacious stories. All the time, evidence is reviewed, and reasonable thinking is encouraged. There are discussions relating old folklore to newer regurgitated stories. Beyond being useful in evaluating Urban Legends, it seems that the reasoning skills that are encouraged on this site would also useful for evaluating all types of claims, including sales pitches!

The charter of the site talks about human values and cultures:

"Here we'll explore the fundamentals of folklore and urban legends -- what they are, where they come from, and what roles they play in human cultures, now and down through history."     

             

 Indeed, there are several tools on this site that are intended to educate you on general folklore, and test your "Urban Legends IQ". You can take various quizzes that cover history and make you think about how you already react and reason on these things.

                   

 David Emery seems to be the main writer on this site. Reading his bio it seems that he amply qualified to discuss these topics. His mission statement is placed in his profile. In it he states his intent and the types of stories he investigates:

                   

"On this site we'll debunk, deconstruct, and, wherever possible, simply revel in the strangest, scariest, funniest, most popular tall tales, rumors, and hoaxes people see fit to share, both online and off. I'm pleased to have you join me in what promises to be a constantly entertaining, ever-enlightening exploration of the urban legends and folklore of the digital age."

Different stories require different treatment, but generally, a standardized approach seems reasonable. This site seems to show a pattern of examination. First, the story is presented clearly. Second, when they are available, variations of the story are shown to reinforce the basic ideas. After this the facts or lack of facts are examined. Often included are reports, quotes, and findings of people who have investigated the story or have tried to reproduce the results. Where possible, links are made to sites that are generally accepted to be reliable, such as government, education, or medical authorities.

                   

This site promotes critical thinking by appealing to reason and common sense. It also evaluates the story by systematically examining the facts. The quotes are linked to the people who said them so they can be examined. Variations of the stories are included and it often becomes immediately obvious the story is a fabrication.

                   

One of the methods of presenting the urban legend is through video clips.

                   

It would be easy to research the statements made on the clips but you are inclined to pretty much trust that the author is telling the truth. Often there is a further explanation or background information given, along with some appeals to reason. Some of the "legends" are verified to be true, and some reasonable advice is given when it comes to things that could be unsafe to consume or use. The site is interesting and might appeal to a large audience, but I don't see that rigorous critical thinking is compromised.

                   

Urban legends are interesting to read and evaluate. The site urbanlegends.about.com is a fun place to check out the latest urban legends as well as the classics. This site will help reinforce your powers of reason as you learn how to evaluate all kinds of claims and stories.