[lbo-talk] another view of Seinfeld

Bryan Atinsky bryan at alt-info.org
Thu Nov 23 23:23:21 PST 2006


This reminds me of the work of the Harvard social psychologist Mahzarin Banaji.

You can watch a recent lecture by her from the "Beyond Belief: Science, Religion, Reason and Survival" (Mon, Nov. 6, Session 7)

(That day of sessions also contains interesting arguments between Scott Atran, Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins)...

http://beyondbelief2006.org/Watch/

She set up an interesting research program in which you can take tests on the internet. It is called Project Implicit:

https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/

"Here you will have the opportunity to assess your conscious and unconscious preferences for over 90 different topics ranging from pets to political issues, ethnic groups to sports teams, and entertainers to styles of music. At the same time, you will be assisting psychological research on thoughts and feelings.

Sessions require 10-15 minutes to complete. Each time you begin a session you will be randomly assigned to a topic. Try one or do them all! At the end of the session, you will get some information about the study and a summary of your results. We hope that you will find the experience interesting and informative."

Bryan

Tayssir John Gabbour wrote:
> On 11/24/06, Doug Henwood <dhenwood at panix.com> wrote:
>> Danny Hoch talks about his experience as a failed supporting towel
>> boy on Seinfeld - he's gotta be Ramon, talk with a Spanish accent -
>> and Jerry says let's do the next scene in blackface!
>> <http://www.maximumfun.org/blog/2006/11/danny-hoch-on-seinfeld.html>
>
> I might've been tempted before to shrug and say that part of
> Seinfeld's humor is to exaggerate stereotypes, and such exaggeration
> makes the humor go down more quickly. But now it reminds me of how
> PR's father Bernays linked market forces with this sort of cultural
> stagnation:
>
> "The American motion picture is the greatest unconscious carrier of
> propaganda in the world to-day. It is a great distributor for ideas
> and opinions.
>
> "The motion picture can standardize the ideas and habits of a nation.
> Because pictures are made to meet market demands, they reflect,
> emphasize and even exaggerate broad popular tendencies, rather than
> stimulate new ideas and opinions. The motion picture avails itself
> only of ideas and facts which are in vogue. As the newspaper seeks to
> purvey news, it seeks to purvey entertainment."
> http://www.pentaside.org/article/propaganda-bernays-1928.html
>
>
> Tayssir



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