The Hero’s Journey

Created on Friday, 2 January 2015 12:37

In the early 20th century while studying world mythology, Joseph Campbell discovered a pattern hidden in every story ever told and called it 'The Hero's Journey'. This film, titled 'Finding Joe', is about the ultimate hero's journey: the journey of self-discovery.

As you 'slay dragons and uncover treasures' you may just find that the holy grail you seek is closer than you think – namely, within yourself.

Definitely one to watch.

Source: findingjoethemovie.com

 

The Codes Of Gender

Created on Saturday, 16 August 2014 10:33

Sut Jhally is a Professor of Communication at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and Founder and Executive Director of the Media Education Foundation. He is one of the world's leading scholars looking at the role played by advertising and popular culture in the processes of social control and identity construction.

His documentary film 'The Codes of Gender' offers an in-depth analysis of how gender is portrayed and performed in advertising. It's a very informative film that will raise viewers' consciousness about the omnipresent codes of gender, that are repeated in concentrated form throughout the media. It will also encourage viewers to question the seeming normality of these codes and understand that these codes, while presented as normal, are insidious, especially for women.

As one reviewer put it:

"Completely engrossing… For a generally jaded viewer such as I, perhaps the best measure of the effectiveness of this work is the fact that it made me see things I hadn't seen before and made me think in new ways, about the ubiquitous images and messages that inundate and inform everyday life."

 

– Gary Handman | Educational Media Reviews Online

The second video in this playlist is a presentation given by Jeanne Kilbourne, that focuses specifically on how women are portrayed in advertising. After watching these 2 videos you'll probably never look at an ad the same way again.

Source: mediaed.org

Jean Killbourne on The Image Of Women In Advertising

 

Fishead: Are Political And Corporate Leaders Psychopaths?

Created on Friday, 16 March 2012 15:45

A fish rots from the head down. – Chinese proverb

Who, or what, is a psychopath? Unlike Hollywood’s stereotypical image they are not always blood-thirsty monsters from slasher movies. 

The medical definition is simple: A psychopath is a person who lacks empathy and conscience, the qualities that guide sane human beings when they have to choose between good and evil, moral and immoral. Most of us are conditioned to do good things. Psychopaths are not. Their impact on society is staggering yet altogether psychopaths barely make up one percent of the population.

Through interviews with renowned psychologist Professor Philip Zimbardo, leading expert on psychopathy Professor Robert Hare, former President of Czech Republic and playwright Vaclav Havel, authors Gary Greenberg and Christopher Lane, professor Nicholas Christakis, among numerous other thinkers, this film delves into the world of psychopaths and heroes and reveals shocking implications for us and our society.

Source: www.fisheadmovie.com

STUPIDITY

Last updated: September 14, 2022 at 22:06 pm

Created on Saturday, 28 March 2009 13:52

‘STUPIDITY' by Albert Nerenberg features interviews with various people who engage in critical thinkingIf you don't know what critical thinking is, you should not be on my website.

Some of the subjects covered in this 2003 documentary are the effects of television and mass media on the intellect, the dumbing-down of the masses, the popularity of Steve-O and Jackass, the role of religion in willful stupidity, and the evolution of such concepts as 'idiot' and 'moron'.

 Updates 14 September 2022 

This is the song that's played during the closing credits of the documentary. Quote from the lyrics:

If you want a place in the history books then do something dumb before you die. 

 

Why Stupid People Think They're Smart

 

The 5 Basic Laws Of Human Stupidity

Link to the full article on Principia Scientific International (PSI). You can also copy/paste this link into your browser – https://principia-scientific.com/the-5-basic-laws-of-human-stupidity-according-to-cipolla/

1. Always and inevitably, each of us underestimates the number of stupid individuals in the world
 
2. The probability that a certain person is stupid is independent of any other characteristic of the same person
 
3. A stupid person is one who causes harm to another person or group without at the same time obtaining a benefit for himself or even damaging himself
 
4. Non-stupid people always underestimate the harmful potential of stupid people
 
5. The stupid person is the most dangerous person that exists

A very interesting study conducted at the Eötvös Loránd University gives us other clues to gain self-consciousness in determining the 3 causes of human stupidity:

1. Ignorance or overconfidence. It would be the highest degree of stupidity and appears in people who take risks of any kind, although they lack the skills or knowledge necessary to face them.

2. Lack of control. It’s a medium degree of stupidity that corresponds to impulsive people, who lack self-control and act letting themselves be carried away by the first impulse.

3. Distraction. It would be the slightest degree of stupidity, which manifests itself in those who fail to achieve something because they don’t pay attention or don’t allocate sufficient resources, struggling uselessly.

 

The Dunning-Kruger Effect or Why Incompetent People Think They're Amazing

 

Bonhoeffer‘s Theory of Stupidity

Bonhoeffer on Stupidity (entire quote)