The media is often accused of being responsible for prevalent stereotypes found in contemporary society. Perhaps the best-known accusation of this kind is that media outlets are responsible for depicting mainstream religion as non-progressive, and new, alternative religion or spirituality as faintly ridiculous.
It is true that this is a perspective modern Western media often adopts. However, it is possible that this is due in part to certain stereotypes - or guidelines, or limitations - to which the media itself must conform. When considered, it is obvious that there are certain formulas that certain types of media do have to respect, and it is possible that these have an impact on how religion and spirituality are portrayed.
The Canadian television program Little Mosque on the Prairie is an example of this. Little Mosque is a comedy aimed at illustrating how Islam and non-Islamic societies can integrate, and as such, has a different focus on the issue than media such as journalism would have. It portrays a small Muslim community working to thrive in the fictional Canadian town of Mercy. The mosque of the title exists inside a Christian parish.
In spite of the unusual and conciliatory approach this example takes, it is still possible to observe conventions at work. As a comedy, the program has an obligation to pursue plot lines that give rise to opportunities for humour, and to represent the emotions and sensibilities of the characters with a view to the humourous, rather than the realistic. Issues that arise during an episode must be resolved, one way or another, by the end of that episode. These things may hinder the ability of the program to achieve its goal. It may not end up as a very realistic, or relatable, depiction of Muslim life in non-Muslim society.
Reference
Cañas S. 2008. The Little Mosque on the Prairie: Examining (Multi) Cultural Spaces of Nation and Religion. Cultural Dynamics, 20: 195-211
Monday 29 April 2013
Nature and spirituality
This is one of the poems my three o'clock tute came up with last week.
Eternity is used to measure the mind. The sky is used to measure eternity.
While the hills are used to measure the blues, the lakes have been left lonely.
There stood the lonely house with only the lake for company,
But company it was, and in company it was kept.
Empty windows with a vigil to uphold.
Eternity is used to measure the mind. The sky is used to measure eternity.
While the hills are used to measure the blues, the lakes have been left lonely.
There stood the lonely house with only the lake for company,
But company it was, and in company it was kept.
Empty windows with a vigil to uphold.
Monday 15 April 2013
Online Religion
Tim Hutchings' article I am Second: Evangelicals and digital storytelling discusses the evangelical video series I Am Second, in which well-known American personalities discuss struggles they have overcome through Christian faith. It analyses the techniques I Am Second uses, and their efficacy, but does not expand very far into broader issues of online religion. Using Hutchings' findings, however, it is possible to examine some of these issues.
One of the questions online religion often raises is whether it is 'as good' as religious practice in real life. I am Second is interesting in that, while it delivers religious content, it also makes it very clear that watching an IaS video is not an explicitly religious act. That is, while it encourages and sometimes inspires viewers to commit to Christianity, it does not present itself as an alternative to real life Christian communities (Hutchings, 2012). What it does do is promote the idea that digital media, such as Facebook and YouTube, can be excellent vessels for religious conversation and that religion belongs on the internet as much as it belongs anywhere.
Another issue relating to online religion is the question of whether everything that is produced is honest, with honest and harmless intentions. For example, IaS might suddenly decide to only produce videos of extreme militant fundamentalists abusing non-believers. Were this to happen, IaS would undoubtedly lose the support of evangelical Christian communities, but there would be little these communities could do to stop IaS from producing hate material in the name of evangelism.
While there may always be places on the internet where religious material is militant or exclusivist, if more religious communities maintain a cyber presence, the variation of stance online will become an accurate representation of the variation in the real world. IaS is an example of a non-denominational Christian community promoting its values online without becoming detatched from communal religion offline.
Finally, the issue of personal religious identity is often raised in relation to online religion. If a person has a developed religious identity online, is this the same as having a developed religious identity offline? Is there a difference between being part of an online religious community and being a part of a real world religious community?
In the case of IaS, this is not really an issue. The IaS community is made up of many different real world Christian communities, as well as some non-Christian viewers. What IaS does do is demonstrate how an online religious identity might add to or even inspire an offline religious identity. The two don't have to be distinct from each other. Being an IaS follower does not take the place of being a practising Christian, it encourages the viewer to develop their Christian identity.
Reference
Hutchings T. 2012. I Am Second: Evangelicals and Digital Storytelling. Australian Journal of Communication, 39(1): 71-86.
One of the questions online religion often raises is whether it is 'as good' as religious practice in real life. I am Second is interesting in that, while it delivers religious content, it also makes it very clear that watching an IaS video is not an explicitly religious act. That is, while it encourages and sometimes inspires viewers to commit to Christianity, it does not present itself as an alternative to real life Christian communities (Hutchings, 2012). What it does do is promote the idea that digital media, such as Facebook and YouTube, can be excellent vessels for religious conversation and that religion belongs on the internet as much as it belongs anywhere.
Another issue relating to online religion is the question of whether everything that is produced is honest, with honest and harmless intentions. For example, IaS might suddenly decide to only produce videos of extreme militant fundamentalists abusing non-believers. Were this to happen, IaS would undoubtedly lose the support of evangelical Christian communities, but there would be little these communities could do to stop IaS from producing hate material in the name of evangelism.
While there may always be places on the internet where religious material is militant or exclusivist, if more religious communities maintain a cyber presence, the variation of stance online will become an accurate representation of the variation in the real world. IaS is an example of a non-denominational Christian community promoting its values online without becoming detatched from communal religion offline.
Finally, the issue of personal religious identity is often raised in relation to online religion. If a person has a developed religious identity online, is this the same as having a developed religious identity offline? Is there a difference between being part of an online religious community and being a part of a real world religious community?
In the case of IaS, this is not really an issue. The IaS community is made up of many different real world Christian communities, as well as some non-Christian viewers. What IaS does do is demonstrate how an online religious identity might add to or even inspire an offline religious identity. The two don't have to be distinct from each other. Being an IaS follower does not take the place of being a practising Christian, it encourages the viewer to develop their Christian identity.
Reference
Hutchings T. 2012. I Am Second: Evangelicals and Digital Storytelling. Australian Journal of Communication, 39(1): 71-86.
Tuesday 9 April 2013
Conformity in the media
Adorno and Horkheimer state that the seperate media - radio and television, primarily - are producing the same commodities disguised as different things, and that this procedure has been adopted by all media. They argue that conformity is being proffered as choice in everything, from career to recreation to religion. The minute differences between products that create competition in consumer markets are in fact examples of the overwhelming similarity between all products. They discuss the situation in which a classic novel, or piece of music, is adapted for film, and claim this is cheapening of something valuable.
I disagree with this interpretation. To me, it seems that every new medium that takes up the same story is a translation, not an adaptation. In a recent conversation with a friend about Les Miserables, we discussed the polarised opinions about the film. Some say it is a wonderful example of filmic art, and others say that it loses in comparison to the musical. In truth, the singing in the musical production is of a better quality than in the film, but because the purpose of the film is not to produce great music, this is not a problem. A film is about cinematic art, while a musical is about music. Thus, taking Les Miserables - which actually originated as a novel - and turning it into a film is a translation of a well-known story, rather than a poor imitation. In this way, people who might never have felt the inclination to read the book, or been able to afford the time or money it takes to attend a musical, are still able to see a legitimate version of the story.
While it may be true that a great deal of crossover takes place between the various media, this does not devalue the reproductions. Each retelling of the same story is a translation that adds new worth even while it loses what previous renditions have had.
References
Adorno T & M Horkheimer. 1973. 'Culture Industry: Enlightenment as Mass Deception', in The Dialectics of Enlightenment, trans. J. Cumming. Verso, London.
Each new medium is a translation, not an adaptation. It does not lose exactly, but changes - every medium is supposed to expres different things, so it is not for a film to be worse than the book it is based on, but different - a retelling of the story with different purposes, with different focuses.
I disagree with this interpretation. To me, it seems that every new medium that takes up the same story is a translation, not an adaptation. In a recent conversation with a friend about Les Miserables, we discussed the polarised opinions about the film. Some say it is a wonderful example of filmic art, and others say that it loses in comparison to the musical. In truth, the singing in the musical production is of a better quality than in the film, but because the purpose of the film is not to produce great music, this is not a problem. A film is about cinematic art, while a musical is about music. Thus, taking Les Miserables - which actually originated as a novel - and turning it into a film is a translation of a well-known story, rather than a poor imitation. In this way, people who might never have felt the inclination to read the book, or been able to afford the time or money it takes to attend a musical, are still able to see a legitimate version of the story.
While it may be true that a great deal of crossover takes place between the various media, this does not devalue the reproductions. Each retelling of the same story is a translation that adds new worth even while it loses what previous renditions have had.
References
Adorno T & M Horkheimer. 1973. 'Culture Industry: Enlightenment as Mass Deception', in The Dialectics of Enlightenment, trans. J. Cumming. Verso, London.
Each new medium is a translation, not an adaptation. It does not lose exactly, but changes - every medium is supposed to expres different things, so it is not for a film to be worse than the book it is based on, but different - a retelling of the story with different purposes, with different focuses.
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