Learning Update 8

Last week we learned about popular conspiracy theories and the reasoning behind why people are more likely to believe in certain ones compared to others. I found it interesting that people are more likely to believe in conspiracy theories when they are trying to rationalize in times of conflict or stress. Humans have a desire to make sense of the world around them in times of chaos. We see this with the conspiracy theories around 9/11 or JFK's assassination because people are looking for answers during fearful times. 

An example that stood out to me during class was the conspiracy around how people believed that the COVID-19 vaccines contained a microchip so that the government could track everyone. COVID-19 was the first large-scale global pandemic since influenza in the early 20th century, so it was the first pandemic that (mostly) everyone was experiencing in their lifetime. The fear and uncertainty that surrounded this time caused some Americans to think it must be some sort of hoax for the government to gain control over them. However, in this day and age it is dangerous to promote false conspiracies with how rapidly technology allows them to spread -- especially when the health and lives of millions were in a precarious position. Vaccines are created to save lives and the rapid scientific research that had to occur during COVID was what allowed for the progression of the pandemic to slow. When so many people are not educated in science or immunology, it is easy for them to hear "mRNA vaccine" and immediately begin to fear, rationalize, and ultimately begin a conspiracy theory. 

Learning Update 7

On Thursday we learned about hoaxes and some of the most infamous hoaxes in history. Something I enjoyed the most about their presentation was how they touched on the psychology behind hoaxes. As a pre-med student, I enjoy scientific reasoning by why certain things happen. How did people believe some of these hoaxes that are obviously scams to us now (which I say because of hindsight bias)? I think that confirmation bias plays a large role in this. People look for information and reasoning that supports beliefs they already have. If a couple desperately wants to believe their kidnapped child is still alive, and a psychic tells them that, it is so much easier to believe simply because the parents want to. This is exactly what Sylvia Browne did for around 40 years. She profited off of preying on concerned parents and even spread lies about White Slavery -- another topic we have touched on in this class. 

Another infamous hoax we learned about was the Piltdown man scheme orchestrated by Charles Dawson. The "missing link" in human evolution is something that all biology students are aware of, so I am not surprised that researchers in the field were eager to accept his findings as true. As a researcher myself, I have been taught that the worst thing you can do is fabricate your findings. It is such a faux pas, that when another scientist releases their findings you would never expect them to be made up. This is another instance where confirmation bias most likely played a role since an aspect of it involves viewing ambiguous evidence as proof that your existing view is right. However, it is also due to the authority figures and institutions that backed up his findings, adding to Dawson's credibility. 

Learning Update 6

In class today I enjoyed our discussion on the "self" versus the "other." Throughout the course we have seen many examples of how this distinction has added fuel to the fire for witch and werewolf hunts, religious cults, and just mass hysteria. Having someone or something that becomes a common enemy for a group (the other) results in a much more passionate "self." Not only does it allow for the "self" to examine and reaffirm their own believes but it also isolates the "other", turning them into a villain in the story of the "self." I was relating the themes of this conversation back to my pop culture presentation on "Die Welle" because as the group received more and more backlash from girls like Karo, it provided them with a common mission when they were trying to getting rid of her flyers and unite against her in solidarity. 

Another example (which I will be diving deeper into after fall break) is the Waco siege. From what I understand about it so far, the U.S. government was the "other" to the members of the Branch Davidians based off of what their leader had told them. After the fallout of what happened in Waco, the distrust of the government spilled into other extreme religious groups, turning the government into the "other." A well-known example of how extreme the distrust became was when the deadliest domestic terrorist attack happened in OKC, citing what happened at Waco as his primary motivator.  Despite being from Tulsa, not even I had connected that this was the motivation behind what happened the day of the bombing (our school field trip to the bombing museum was cancelled due to storms). Ultimately, I am intrigued by this concept of "self vs other" and am excited to explore it more in my presentation next week. 

Werewolves and wolves in sheep's clothing

My personal experience with werewolves involves the Twilight movie franchise and the Vampire Diaries television shows. As children, we are exposed to these myths early on and they are mentally put in the same categories as vampires and ghosts. This mental set has sort of separated the reality behind what actually happened when the myth of werewolves originated. When I hear about witches I now know the history behind what happened at the Salem witch trials, but I did not know there would be a similar history behind werewolves -- I thought of it more as a ghost story people told back when early settlers were afraid of the woods at night. What I found most interesting when reading about werewolves was that they actually may have just been pedophiles or serial killers. Just like we see today with cannibalistic serial killers, I think that there were likely similar mental illnesses throughout the history of time before anyone even knew what a mental illness was. Cannibalism does cross an interesting line between wild animal and man since humans evolved from something similarly wild but have become a more conscious/civilized species. It is interesting to learn about the history of werewolves and see the myth in a new light knowing that it was something people were prosecuted for.

Learning Update 5

Yesterday we learned about the Millerite Movement which occurred in the US in the 1840s. I like to believe that William Miller did in fact fall off a wagon and onto his head to start such a thing. He abused people's religious zeal by convincing them to believe in something that was never going to happen. I wonder if he truly believed that the second coming was going to happen or if he just relished in being able to gather large crowds and convince them of it. However, in a case like this, it is easier for me to imagine how everyone joined in the mass movement since there is a religious aspect to it. People have a fear of death and worry about wether they will end up in heaven or hell. 

During the presentation I kept thinking about one thing: how did people react when they realized everything he preached about was not going to happen? Since many people sold their "earthly possessions" I imagine that there was outrage against Miller. I suppose that many people walked away from religion entirely after experiencing the Great Disappointment. But even after the prediction failed, not everyone abandoned the ideas behind the movement, and instead reinterpreted what had happen to use as a foundation for new religious beliefs. It is interesting that this movement spurred other religions such as the Seventh-Day Adventist Church despite it being a sham. Ultimately, the presentation made me wonder how something that ended in a huge disappointment could still have a lasting impact on religion today. 

Learning Update 4

Last week we learned about mass hysteria, specifically focusing on the Salem Witch Trials. I realized that growing up and hearing about the trials in conversation and pop culture media gave me a skewed perspective on what really happened 300 years ago. The most famous example of a misconception being that it was all women who died through being burned at the stake. One of the things that surprised me the most was that a lot of the accusations came form young girls. Considering an accusation of being a witch led to either execution, jail time, or (at best) ruined reputation, it is almost hard to believe that everyone in the Salem Village would listen to them. To me it seems like they were looking for scapegoats to blame issues they were facing which Sandra and Ashley touched on in their presentation. Throughout time we have seen marginalized groups being used as scapegoats to justify brutal actions such as murder, but this case is interesting because the people being blamed were, for the most part, not an necessarily apart of an "outgroup" -- people were blaming their neighbors and acquaintances as things being to spiral out of control.  

Before last week, I had never heard of ergot. On History's website they mentioned "it contains a chemical cousin to hallucinogenic LSD" which may have been why people were seemingly delusional. This is fascinating to me since it gives a scientific reason for what may have happened instead of having to think every accusation was completely unbased. 

As we turn towards the Millerite movement this week I am interested to dive more into mass hysteria, specifically how people use religion to drive people's actions. 

Learning Update 3

Today I watched the movie Die Welle for my popular media presentation on Thursday. It is a German psychological thriller on the dangers of autocratic ideology. A teacher begins an experiment with his class after they mistakingly believe that an autocracy could never form in Germany again after learning extensively about the history of the Third Reich. It was interesting to see how the teacher, Rainer, slowly starts to implement things in his classroom to get the students engaged. At first he told students to only call him Mr. Rainer and to always stand when they speak to him. Over the course of the week as the students got more excited about "The Wave," they adopted a uniform, a logo, a hand sign, and even a website. 

What I really enjoyed about this movie was how real it felt. The student characters were normal high schoolers -- each struggling with different things at home and with their changing identity as young adults. These factors played into why some of the students leaned so hard into The Wave since it provided them with community and friendship they hadn't had before. This mirrors why a lot Germans were easily persuaded to join the Nazi party; the country was struggling and Hitler brought them together with a common goal and shared symbols/hand signs. 

The ending of this movie is explicit but I believe was necessary to get the main point across. Although the teacher started this project to teach his students a lesson, he himself got wrapped up in power and authority. The final meeting on Saturday showed just how easy it could have been for Rainer to continue The Wave and truly turn it into a fascist regime, but he said exactly what he needed to to teach his students a lesson. Unfortunately, since Tim was an isolated student before the Wave it was much easier for him to become indoctrinated by its messages and become an extremist. 

This is an important movie, especially today. Rainer was a charasmatic, likeable teacher who within a week was able to manipulate an easily impressionable group. It is a clear example of how easy it is to fall into fascism since they don't always begin as oppressive and often attract individuals who are lonely. Under the right social conditions I think it could happen anywhere.