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bpambberger I read a really interesting article a while ago about how Movies are Controlling your Brain (that was part of the title). Despite sounding like a nutjob conspiracy theorist came up with it, the article was incredibly nuanced, touching on mythology, pop culture, the concept of 'Source Amnesia' and a few other things. It was a great read, and while I didn't delve too far into the science articles it linked, I came away from it slightly more thoughtful which to me means a win.
I was particularly intrigued by the concept of the aforementioned Source Amnesia - the idea that most of the knowledge in our minds comes from pop culture, and for the most part, we've forgotten that that's where we learned it and that it may not be true. We latch onto the big, obviously fake stuff (Arnold Schwarzenegger can't actually ramp a motorbike off a Washington, D.C. skyscraper in True Lies), but we miss the smaller stuff that we don't even think to question, and that registers into our minds as fact. In that particular case, the idea that Washington, D.C. actually has skyscrapers. (Spoiler - it doesn't.)
Anyway. I've been reading more folk stories for the past few days for my allotted time. Nothing particularly worth mentioning, but it's interesting how the written stories often contradict societal beliefs about the folklore. I definitely still need to run that workshop in the future, assuming there are people out there who would be interested in learning more about Fantastic Beasts and How to Kill Them.
Holiday's almost over, so I'd better squeeze in some music practice while I still have the time.
I was particularly intrigued by the concept of the aforementioned Source Amnesia - the idea that most of the knowledge in our minds comes from pop culture, and for the most part, we've forgotten that that's where we learned it and that it may not be true. We latch onto the big, obviously fake stuff (Arnold Schwarzenegger can't actually ramp a motorbike off a Washington, D.C. skyscraper in True Lies), but we miss the smaller stuff that we don't even think to question, and that registers into our minds as fact. In that particular case, the idea that Washington, D.C. actually has skyscrapers. (Spoiler - it doesn't.)
Anyway. I've been reading more folk stories for the past few days for my allotted time. Nothing particularly worth mentioning, but it's interesting how the written stories often contradict societal beliefs about the folklore. I definitely still need to run that workshop in the future, assuming there are people out there who would be interested in learning more about Fantastic Beasts and How to Kill Them.
Holiday's almost over, so I'd better squeeze in some music practice while I still have the time.
