Black Mirror

After watching "The National Anthem" for the second time I found myself just as immersed in it as my first viewing. I already knew the Prime Minister's fate but the slow realization that he actually has to go through with the fornication is the real payoff. This idea of using the internet, specifically youtube, as vehicle for terrorism is great and shows how the internet can still be seen as the digital wild west. What I found particularly interesting was how the show addressed the way we use social media and how it is so prevalent in modern life.
 Once the video appears online it is impossible to remove it because of the endless copies made. This shows how the internet can serve as an endless archive and how it makes forgetting something impossible. This idea is also addressed when there is a disclaimer before the live shoot of the Prime Minister. The Government makes it illegal to own or replicate any form of the video, blacklisting it. I wonder if this also mean foe other countries or just Britain itself? The show also provides an example of sexting in order to receive information. Every time her source won't give her information she sends anther nude getting what she wants. This only leads to trouble when she is eventually shot.
The final twist of the episode is revealing that this whole plot was created by an artist. IT was the complete opposite of what everyone thought and will continue to think because of the coverup of that detail. This is a good commentary on how the media can use terrorists as a scapegoat for any threat. The fact that the artist chopped off his own finger and disguised it shows how media can be manipulated to alter what is thought to be true.

Some Thinking on Black Mirror

I’m not entirely sure if this was discussed at length in class, but in fear of repeating something someone had already said I avoided bringing up the allegory this episode plays toward the role of social media and, perhaps within that, its role in relation to celebrities and fame. It’s very obvious from the start of the episode that social media is playing a role in relation to the episode itself. (i.e. Youtube being the initial source of the ransom, Twitter being used as a litmus for public opinion, etc.) But the themes that present themselves without the technology I think say the most about it.
The Prime Minister must broadcast himself having sex with a pig. This is obviously the largest part of the allegory. He must, to the masses, present a facet of himself that does not accurately represent who he is, but he must do so to reach a desired end. In this, he becomes a student of the internet. He tries everything to prevent what happens from being associated with himself, but must, in the end, use his identity as the very tool with which he makes things happen. This is similar to the way we use Facebook. We use our identities to broadcast an image of ourselves that may or may not be accurate to who we are. It may be an exaggeration, as the artist in the episode may have seen the act of having sex with a pig. Or it could be a complete falsity, as the Prime Minister (PM) himself may have seen the act of having sex with a pig. In the end, the PM’s wife sees it as falsity and turns her back on him. But at the same time, there is the importance of the audience. People watch along regardless of whether or not they want to. Again, similar to social media in that there is always a flux of information regardless of receptivity of the viewer. Most important is the moment when the suggestion to turn it off is put forward and thereafter rejected. The way we consume this information becomes a false necessity. FOMO. A fear of missing out.
Another huge proponent is the news station attempting to cover the story. This facet of the episode presents itself as the war between social media and news media. Papers are dying out and televised news is day-by-day losing its legitimacy. The initial inability to cover the story comes from higher up, but it’s quickly realized that whether in the narrative of the episode or not, more information is coming through social media than through that of the television news. And the story continues to build momentum even after the news reporter is shot near death: a very representative moment for the state of news media in the fast world of social media.
The role of the artist plays more on the second paragraph’s subject matter in that it’s the necessity one feels to broadcast one’s self. The fact that in the end there is no necessity is probably the most important part of that, in that there truly is no necessity in the realm of social media. It’s a tool that manifests its own necessity. It’s as though someone invented a hammer to produce only hammers and then that same someone convinced everyone that without hammers we’re lost.
That’s about as much as I’ve sorted out in my head, but I think that’s about as much as is necessary.

Black Mirror Thoughts

Black Mirror, is a show that depicts the extreme ways advanced technology can affect our lives negatively. The first episode of the prime minister having sex with the pig is disturbing but it demonstrates the difficulty of balancing a family and a professional life. The prime minister chose to have sex with the pig because he was placed in a difficult situation: have sex with the pig or to let the princess die. As a result of having sex with the pig, this led to the disruption of his marriage. The first episode also highlighted the power of public opinion can have a huge affect on how successful a politician can be during their term. One can argue that the prime minister cared a lot about his perception in the public eye more than his marriage.

Marshal McLuhan would be proud: Reviewer calls new Apple Watch is "a natural extension of my body"

The New York Times ran this article/review of the new Apple watch, in which the reviewer states: "the Watch became something like a natural extension of my body — a direct link, in a way that I’ve never felt before, from the digital world to my brain. "

Think back to what McLuhan said about technology being an extension of the human body…

Because all media, from the phonetic alphabet to the computer, are extensions of man that cause deep and lasting changes in him and transform his environment. Such an extension is an intensification, an amplification of an organ, sense or function, and whenever it takes place, the central nervous system appears to institute a self-protective numbing of the affected area, insulating and anesthetizing it from conscious awareness of what’s happening to it. It’s a process rather like that which occurs to the body under shock or stress conditions, or to the mind in line with the Freudian concept of repression. I call this peculiar form of self-hypnosis Narcissus narcosis, a syndrome whereby man remains as unaware of the psychic and social effects of his new technology as a fish of the water it swims in. As a result, precisely at the point where a new media-induced environment becomes all pervasive and transmogrifies our sensory balance, it also becomes invisible.

This problem is doubly acute today because man must, as a simple survival strategy, become aware of what is happening to him, despite the attendant pain of such comprehension. The fact that he has not done so in this age of electronics is what has made this also the age of anxiety, which in turn has been transformed into its Doppelgänger — the therapeutically reactive age of anomie and apathy. But despite our self-protective escape mechanisms, the total-field awareness engendered by electronic media is enabling us — indeed, compelling us — to grope toward a consciousness of the unconscious, toward a realization that technology is an extension of our own bodies. We live in the first age when change occurs sufficiently rapidly to make such pattern recognition possible for society at large. Until the present era, this awareness has always been reflected first by the artist, who has had the power — and courage — of the seer to read the language of the outer world and relate it to the inner world.

NY Times on Matamoros Murders; West Memphis Three

The Matamoros Cult murders in 1989 were major news story that lent fuel to the Satanic panic of the last 1980s. The New York Times covered the story. The convicted killers claimed to have been influenced by the Hollywood film The Believers.

By 1993 the iconography and rumors of Satanic panic was widespread and the setting was fertile for an occult interpretation of the West Memphis child murders. This story found some degree of closure in 2011 when the West Memphis Three were released from prison, but the crimes remain unsolved and the killer or killers are still unapprehended.

Twisty the Clown

This is kinda neat…

Satanic Panic and the Media

from Satan''s School for Girls, 1976 (made for TV movie)

While I keep trying to locate my DVD of the daytime talk show episodes of Oprah! and Geraldo that deal with this topic (specifically the Matamoros cult murders), a friend fortunately found this link to one of Geraldo's primetime shows. He made several dealing with this topic. He later apologized for his role in sensationalizing these stories and feeding the rumor mill; Ms. Winfrey never did, however. Here is a short clip from one of her episodes on this topic.

Please watch these videos in their entirety sometime over the spring break so we can discuss them the first week we get back. I wrote a book chapter on this topic which might also be of interest (the preview does not include all of it but I can make a copy or send a Word file if anyone wants to read the whole thing).

University Of Oklahoma's Racist Frat

The Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, comprised of students from the University Of Oklahoma, is currently being removed from the school because of a leaked video of members chanting racial slurs. The fraternity was on a bus on the way to an event and the video captures them singing racial slurs in unison to pass the time. The national chapter of the fraternity is shutting down the UOA brotherhood and the president of the school issued an apology saying this video does not represent the beliefs of the school. It was also stated all the students involved were being expelled.

NBC published coverage March 9th 2015, 12:45 am.The video starts in the studio with the anchor briefing the story. The footage of the students chanting is shown them pictures and videos of the schools reactions are shown. The most interesting part to me was the inclusion of various tweets. The twitter accounts of the fraternity and its affiliates act as an official statement. The coverage then showed interviews conducted with students of the university with most reactions being ones of disgust. The anchor in the video had a very serious tine throughout the whole piece and made it very obvious that he was ashamed of the students' actions. 

The CNN coverage was much different than NBC's. The video starts with the footage of the students chanting accompanied by subtitles to what they were saying. Statements made by the Fraternity follow the footage with the narrator of the piece exemplifying the main points. The piece ends with the voice over explaining the grief within the community. The narrator has a very calm, toned down voice. He delivered the story with a very serious tone and used inflections of sadness that seemed genuine. It was published March 9th, 4:15.

ABC's coverage featured an anchor introducing the story then giving voice over commentary while the clip is being shown. The tone is very straight forward and delivered in a serious matter. This was not as fluffy as NBC's broadcast and probably my favorite coverage that I found. It seemed to be the most genuine.

10 People die in Helicopter collision and people are only concerned with the Olympians who were involved.

On Monday, March 9th, 2015, two Argentinian Helicopters collided while filming a reality television show “Dropped” for French broadcaster TF1. The crash killed ten people but the story centralized around the deaths of two french olympians. There is no specific details of why this collision occurred

CNN updated their story today at 11:58 am stating that there have been three french sport stars who have lost their lives in this horrific accident when the two helicopters collided in mid air. The Anchors seem to be sympathetic and informative with whatever news coverage they have collected. They state that the story has still been unsolved and will be continuing to cover this happening for the next several days. CNN’s footage they show in this News story is intense and nerve wracking. They show people running towards several clouds of smoke of what we believe are the burning choppers. CNN doesn't show the choppers collision but the audience later sees footage of the helicopters remains.

NBC on the other hand shows full coverage of the helicopters colliding. There was hardly any sound or background noise of the crash which lightens up the video a bit. A news anchor is lightly talking over the footage and retelling the story. NBC gave the audience the full story whereas CNN provided the audience with this scare tactic and leaving us to think for ourselves and imagine what happened. The article mourned the loss of the french athletes as if they were all that mattered.

“French Olympic medalists filming reality show among 10 dead in Argentina helicopter crashes” is the title of Fox’s news report. The clip opens open with the anchor woman stating the devastating news cutting to photos of the olympic medalists who were participating in this reality show. Fox then uses photos of the aftermath of the crash while the anchor woman talks over the slide show. There was no background sounds of music taking place in this report. It was straightforward and to the point but left us hanging graphically.

All three stories seem to be focused on the olympic medalists that were involved in the terrific accident. The other 8 people didn’t seem to matter and it seems as if they weren't creating this reality TV show than this wouldn’t be breaking news.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/09/americas/argentina-helicopters-crash/index.html

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/argentina-helicopter-collision-kills-dropped-sports-stars-camille-muffat-alexis-n320511

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2015/03/10/10-dead-after-2-helicopters-crash-in-northwest-argentina/

At about 12:00 on Monday, March 9th 2015 an AMTRAK train is derailed after hitting a truck in Halifax, North Carolina that had been on its way from from Philadelphia. The truck allegedly became attached to the track and was trapped until collision from a speeding passenger train.

http://edition.cnn.com/videos/us/2015/03/09/nr-bpr-tripp-sheriff-amtrak-train-derails.cnn
CNN reports immediately with helicopter footage and an interview with the Halifax Sherrif who, at this early point in the day (2:00PM), reports that minor injuries have only been reported. Very calm interview manages to help understand that the situation is under control and all is being taken care of.

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/amtrak-train-collides-rig-north-carolina-injuries-unclear-n320076
NBC reports, later in the day, reports much more from a kind of onlooker perspective exemplifying how intense the crash was. They interview witnesses and get the shocked responses and bring attention to how scary the crash was, topping it off with actual footage of the crash in action they must have gotten from one of their interviewed witnesses. They go on to build it as one of the biggest train accidents in recent days. Notice how they've decided to title the segment: dangerous collision caught on tape whereas CNN just references that it was 'derailed.'

http://abc11.com/news/amtrak-train-slams-into-truck-in-halifax/550657/
This ABC local station also shows the crash on tape, and has a reporter on scene conducting interviews that are much more grave and capture the gravity of the situation better than NBC or maybe CNN. They interview a woman holding a baby who talks about how terrifying the situation was. They end the segment with an interview with a religious man stating that "god had his hands on this entire scene today" glad that nobody was hurt.

NPR piece on teens opting to go tech-free for 3 days

Interesting story with some surprising revelations.

"Technology has the odd distinction of both connecting people in unprecedented ways at the same time that it isolates them. Several students noticed that when they didn’t have their phones or iPads, they were more ready to connect with friends and family, and more aware when those people were themselves wrapped up in devices."

Harrison Ford's crash in the news

Last Thursday, actor Harrison Ford was in a crash while piloting a small plane. Initial reports had many conflicting reports about the severity of the crash, as well as the level of his injuries. Some reports stated that the crash was very mild, and he was totally fine. However, some outlets reported that the crash was major, and that Ford was in critical condition, on the brink of death. However, as the mystery around the event dissipated, it was revealed that the injury's were "non-life threatening," as described by Ford's publicist. He crashed into golf course, and the course's conditions are partially to blame for the level of the crash, in the opinion of ABC correspondent John Nance. It was also revealed that two doctors were actually at the course at the time, and aided in the handling of the situation. TMZ's reports indicate in their timeline of the incident that Ford actually got up and walked away from the plane a bit before being helped, and had a minor gash in his head.

Amtrak Derailment in North Carolina

          On March 9^th, 2015 during the afternoon an Amtrak train that was heading to NYC from North Carolina crashed into a truck and derailed in Halfiax County, North Carolina.  Many Americans tuned into this breaking news since Amtrak is a popular mode of transportation for many people and to see if any fatal injuries occurred.  According to many sources there has been approximately 50 injured in the incident. The three sources I used are: CBS News, Fox News and Wral News to see the different perspective taken on the breaking news.  

CBS News covered the news story in association with their affiliate Wral. Wral is a local television station in Raleigh, North Carolina.  CBS had two anchors reporting the breaking news of the derailment of the Amtrak train. The two anchors had spoken few words because the video they showed had a bigger impact. The video presented by CBS had a woman in the background screaming as the Amtrak train derailed. The tactic used by CBS evoked an array of emotions from anxiousness and astonishment.  The last update that CBS made on this event was at 5:19 pm. Fox News was another news affiliate that gathered some of their information from Wral and from the Associated Press. Fox News coverage was short, but both the news anchor and the invited guest seemed very shocked and concerned. Especially since, this is the third time there has been an Amtrak crash. The video report showed a  woman screaming as the Amtrak derailed and added more to the shock. 

        As I mentioned before Wral, is a local television station in Raleigh, North Carolina that had a lot of information covered on this event. The online site of Wral was updated constantly, the last one being 20 minutes ago. Wral had a full team covering the scene of the crash through a helicopter on video for approximately 10 minutes on their website.  The site also had a news article that was very detailed, with various quotations and specific information about the eye witnesses of the incident.

http://video.foxnews.com/v/4102841856001/at-least-55-injured-after-amtrak-train-hits-truck/?#sp=show-clips

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/amtrak-train-truck-collide-in-north-carolina/

http://www.wral.com/40-hurt-when-amtrak-train-slams-into-truck-in-halifax-county/14502409/

Amtrak train collides with truck in North Carolina

Today, March 9th, 2015, an Amtrak train collided with a truck crossing the tracks in Halifax County, North Carolina. The accident is said to have happened around 12:15 PM and immediately became breaking news around the US, as everyone waited to hear if there were any fatalities. The trains main car that struck the truck toppled over, leaving 40 injured. Thankfully all injuries were not life threatening. The Amtrak train was a daily running train between Charlotte, North Carolina and New York City.

NBC New York News at 6 covered this story at 6:06 PM, making it one of its top stories. However, the story was short, because they were still trying to figure out the details of accident. The anchor spoke through this story very quickly, with an unconcerned tone to his voice. This may be because no one was actually killed, but it still was a dangerous accident that made US news all around the country. Their last online update was 6 hours ago around 5 PM. I could not find a video that showed the newscast with this story. All in all, this station did not seem to give as much attention to this story as the two below did. 

ABC Eyewitness News 11, which is stationed in Raleigh, North Carolina, held this story with much more importance. Because it is a local station to where the accident occurred, the story was updated frequently when new information was discovered. Much more time seemed to be put into this story than with other news sources, and the tone of the anchors reading seem much more worried and concerned. The story has been updating at least once an hour since the accident occurred.

Video: http://abc11.com/news/amtrak-train-slams-into-truck-in-halifax/550657/

CBS News New York actually seemed to be covering it very much like the Raleigh Station as well. They have posted several updates to the story, and with each one go more and more into detail about what has occurred. Unlike the NBC New York station, which seems to be very concise about the story whenever it appeared on air (6 and 10PM), CBS covered this story to the extent of it being local just like ABC News 11 did.
Video: http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2015/03/09/amtrak-train-headed-for-nyc-strikes-truck-derails-in-north-carolina/

Final Verdict in Randall Allman Biopic Tradegy

            Last year a film crew was shooting in a train yard in Wayne County Georgia, and decided to film on the tracks themselves.  The trains were still running at the time and unfortunately one of them struck and killed a camera assistant, Sarah Elizabeth, and injured a few others.  Randall Miller, the director, was then brought up on accounts of involuntary manslaughter and criminal trespassing, to which he pled guilty.  The movie was a biopic on Gregg Allman who was a singer/songwriter that founded the Allman Brothers Band.   Miller now faces two years in prison, and 8 years of probation.  This prohibits Miller from directing, or supervising, anybody for the next 10 years.

            The CNN coverage of the incident explains how busy the train yard is, and shows a montage of trains and people patrolling the area where Sarah Elizabeth was struck and killed.  The video then shows a detective explaining how they didn’t have permission to be on the tracks at the time.  The voice-over explains the speculation of what scene they were shooting at the time when Sarah Elizabeth was killed, and it has yet to be released.

            CBS covered more of Randall Millers sentencing and punishment instead of what happened, and the spot was significantly shorter than CNN’s.  The anchors spoke in an almost question like tone, which I suppose is so that CBS doesn’t seem like it is taking a stand on the issue.  Even though a news channel shouldn’t necessarily take a side, more than often they do without saying it.  Many news channels take sides by content context rather than saying it outright, because than it would almost become a tabloid.

            ABC only covered the trial and not the verdict, but considering the verdict was made very recently it will probably be breaking news in the morning.  ABC has actual footage from the front of the train as it approached the film crew, and ultimately hit them.  They did not show the train hitting the crew, because it was too explicit for television, but ABC did the most thorough job with the story.  ABC interviewed other crewmembers, and even showed 3D simulations of what happened.  The story did match up with CNN’s in the fact that they both stated the film crew was denied access to the tracks yet shot there anyway.

Racist Chant Coverage at University of Oklahoma

A "disgraceful" fraternity, SAE, has been shut down on the University of Oklahoma campus. A video surfaced of a bus load of SAE members performing a racist chant, "There will never be a n----r at SAE." The university president David Boren has spoken out about this in a student rally and has severed ties with the fraternity completely. He has removed the students from the house stating that the school will not tolerate this type of behavior. 

CNN reported on this issue showing multiple videos and social media posts. They included statements from the SAE spokesman and the university president as well as posts from figures on social media speaking out against the fraternity. They also explained the campus organization "Unheard" and their attempts to show that this behavior is unacceptable on the University of Oklahoma campus. They explained how the original chant video surfaced in an email to the student newspaper. This network included the most detail on the issue. Their article online was last edited at 2:41 p.m. on March 9th. 

NBC reported on the issue using some of the same social media posts as well, but didn't go as in depth as CNN. They didn't explain the Unheard organization or explain how the video was discovered. Also, instead of including the whole chant, they only wrote about the first line, and replaced the racial slur with the word "epithet." This network was the first to post online at 10:58 a.m. March 9th. 

The report by ABC was almost completely made of quotes from the SAE spokesman and the university president. They only included one picture, which was of the SAE house. They didn't include any social media posts, and didn't include many other details besides direct quotes. They did give credit to Unheard for posting the original video on Twitter. They posted this online at 1:01 p.m. March 9th. 

SAE Fraternity Members Singing Racist Chant

The news story I am covering is about the fraternity, Sigma Alpha Eplison, at the University of Oklahoma. On a bus going to a celebration, there was a video leaked about members singing "there will never be a n***** at SAE, you can hang them from a tree but they will never sign with me...".  Since this has been leaked, both the President of the University and the President of the National Board of SAE has taken stances to expel these boys from the fraternity and possibly the school. The first news story that I watched that occurred last night during the 10 o'clock news on March 8th was from KOCO, a news station for the state of Oklahoma. The difference between this coverage and the others that I watched was that they used the words "alleged" and "if in involves OU students" which does not immediately place the blame on these students. It was covered at the beginning of the investigation, but later in the story they talk about speaking to students both in and out of the fraternity which signifies that they do in fact know that they are the perpetrators. The station probably does not want to believe that a University in their state has been a part of such heinous racial crimes. The other difference of this newscast is that it was shot on the campus of OU, so they were able to show us the police at the scene of the crime along with other on the spot coverage.

CNN and NBC had a similar recount of what had occurred, yet both of the newscasts were on March 9th between 10 and 11 in the morning. CNN and NBC both played the video with subtitles, gave the statements of both of the Presidents, and told that the University was participating in both rallies and prayer services to help students cope with what had happened. The two stations made it clear that everyone was in disgust about the actions of the fraternity, and actions will be taken towards justice. What made NBC stand out against CNN is that they provided a few interviews of students who study at the University of Oklahoma which lets the viewer know that they do not want to be associated with SAE. NBC also provided a follow up clip that the fraternity building has been vandalized by other students. This is definitely a story that needs attention too prove how important it is for this ignorance to stop. All newscasters had a disappointed tone in rehashing the events that took place, and it will be interesting to hear what will happen to those distasteful SAE boys.

Sigma Alpha Epsilon Chapter in Oklahoma Shut Down

The leadership of Sigma Alpha Epsilon have closed the Chapter at the University of Oklahoma for video with unacceptable and racist behavior by the members. The Sigma Alpha Epsilon website reports the story with an apologetic tone, while at the same time showing they will not tolerate the behavior displayed in the video, and state that the members where immediately suspended and that the ones who instigated the activity will possibly have their membership permanently revoked. The story as states how overall the Fraternity has a diverse population and how the actions of this Chapter do not represent what Sigma Alpha Epsilon stand for. The closing for the story presents the students as an example for the future where the leadership will hold people responsible for their actions. The local news station in Oklahoma KOCO news report follows the story by presenting the video of the members of Sigma Alpha Epsilon singing racist chants. The story is supported by statements from the president of the fraternity, which one of the quotes appear in the story on the Sigma Alpha Epsilon website. KOCO also reports that some members moved out of the house with police protection and the house was vandalized over night and that the phrase, “Tear it down” has been written on the outside wall. ABC reporters go into a little bit of the history on the fraternity and how they have been the biggest fraternity across the nation for the past one hundred fifty years, after the initial introduction to the story. ABC shows reaction from students as well as the co-director of the group UNHEARD which is an alliance of African American students, and the group is the source of the video exposing the behavior of the fraternity members. Also shown in the broadcast a developing trend on Twitter inspired by the events, which is called Not on my Campus, which is against the types of actions presented in the video.    

Wisconsin Teen Shot, What CNN, CBS, and NBC say

In my analysis of three different new sources, I used CBS, CNN, and NBC news networks and compare the differences in reporting and attitudes of the story of the death of Tony Robinson in Madison, Wisconsin.  First, CNN reported this story on March 7, 2015 at 9:28 pm.  There are some major differences in the reporting from CNN as compared to the other two.  One of these differences is that the reporter called the teen shot, Tony Robinson, is called an African American instead of black which both NBC and CBS called him, which could be to draw more attention to the race of Robinson.  Also CNN compared to the other two, provided analysts to discuss this situation and the implication such as the Wisconsin state police officers will not be involved and the protests occurring as well.  On the NBC and CBS news networks compared the death of Tony Robinson to the actions that occurred in Ferguson, saying that this can provide more political and social movements for black in the US.  NBC, 3/8/2015 at 1:58pm, reported that the officer that shot Tony Robinson forced his way into the apartment or home where Robinson was shot and killed, which none of the other sources reported the officer “forced” into the home.  Lastly, CBS reported on 3/7/2015 at 8:15am, showed a different perspective then the other two, the beginning showed and told a story of a community and group of people coming together after a tragedy rather discussing grief but unity.  Also CBS discussed that that Robinson had a previous police record that included armed robbery, showing that Robinson was not as innocent as previously thought.  All these networks report differently than the other because they try to appeal to the target audience and due to political agendas of these networks as well.  

Sample Abstract: TWIN PEAKS

This is an abstract I recently submitted for a scholarly journal. It will probably be altered and refined before the final essay is completed. But this gives some idea of the kinds of topics one can apply to a close reading of a narrative television show.

<a href="http://s268.photobucket.com/user/gstueve/media/Myspace/Twin%20Peaks/gateway.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj40/gstueve/Myspace/Twin%20Peaks/gateway.jpg" border="0" alt="Gateway photo gateway.jpg"/></a>

 “These old woods”: The Mystical, Pagan Landscape of Twin Peaks

The setting of Twin Peaks, a small town surrounded by evergreen forest, mountains and waterfalls, is a natural landscape described by many of the characters as both peaceful and invigorating. Dale Cooper is instantly charmed by it and decides to buy a house there. But its beauty is more mysterious than bucolic. The woods are associated with mystery, transformation and, at times, evil. The local law enforcement have been part of a secret society for years that also meets in the woods: the Bookhouse Boys work to keep the peace, but their meetings are clandestine and they embrace the mysterious qualities of the landscape to gain insights for their cause. Sheriff Truman says the woods contain “a darkness, a presence.” There are extra-dimensional locations that play a prominent part in the narrative: most notably, the Red Room, the White Lodge, and the Black Lodge. The Black Lodge is described by Deputy Hawk as being part of the Native American mythology of his ancestors. The entrance to these locations is a kind of portal located within a grove of sycamore trees in Ghostwood National Forest, known as Glastonbury Grove (a reference to the dual realms of Avalon, the legendary home of King Arthur). The grove’s portal may only be entered, it is said, “when Jupiter and Saturn meet.” As well, Margaret the Log Lady brings Cooper a jar of a sticky black substance from a pool at the entrance to the grove, said to be a portal to the Black Lodge. Many of the denizens of Twin Peaks seem unaware of the mysterious nature of their surroundings, but certain characters function as adepts who help unlock the meaning behind the mysterious events that surround the murder of Laura Palmer. This essay will explore the ways in which the pagan and occult qualities of the landscape directly affect the actions and beliefs of the town’s inhabitants and visitors, making it a key element in the narrative trajectory of the series.

Twin Peaks Analysis

One of the main themes of Twin Peaks, wether specifically addressed often or not, is the concepts of domestic abuse, both physical and sexual. Most of this sexual abuse takes the form of incest, which J.G. Bainbridge and E. Delany define as “the forbidden sexual relations between family members” in their journal Murder, Incest and Damn Fine Coffee: Twin Peaks as a New Incest Narrative. The main plot of most of the show is based around one central question: “who killed Laura Palmer?”. In the 7th episode of the second season, this question is finally answered, with an incredibly unexpected result. The killer was none other than Laura’s own father, Leland Palmer. There is, however, a catch to this: Leland was under the influence of a vicious inhabiting spirit named BOB for most of his life, and it is heavily implied that he committed these incestuous and murderous acts while under the control of BOB. Upon Leland’s confession and suicide, Sheriff Truman questions whether or not Leland sexually abused his daughter due to BOB’s control, or of his own free will. In the film Fire Walk With Me, which was released after the series ended and served as a prequel, detailed the life of Laura Palmer in the time right before her death. In this movie, Laura’s personality is outlined. In the review of the series and film on the blog Cinema Autopsy, the author lists the most prevalent signs that an individual was the victim of child abuse. These symptoms include “problems with concentration, nervousness, irritability and mood changes, withdrawal, wetting or soiling, regressive behaviour, trouble getting along with others, problems with emotions, personality changes, problems with depression and anxiety, post-traumatic symptoms, impaired sense of self, distortions of thinking, relationship problems, avoiding certain situations or people, use of substances or activities to reduce stress, sexualised behaviour, ritualistic behaviour, self-mutilation, suicidal thoughts or attempts, and dissociation including ‘multiple personalities’” Laura shows several of these in the film. A good place to start would be her love life. Her boyfriend, Bobby Briggs, was manipulated romantically into getting involved in very dangerous drug trafficking operations. While dating Bobby, she also engaged in a secret relationship with James Hurley, whom she also heavily used for her own amusement using love. She kept a secret diary, which upon investigation, detailed her escapades in getting into dangerous situations with no regard for consequences. As the LA Times review states in their Fire Walk With Me review, several people try to help Laura, including Agent Dale Cooper after her death, but she constantly ignores all potential for aid in her issues and dangers. In addition, both of her parents fit into the model of an incestuous family. Laura’s mother, Sarah Palmer, is shown fitting the model because of her low self esteem and constant feeling of helplessness. Leland, regardless of BOB’s influence, fits the mold due to his “violent and jealous outbursts” toward Laura, while seeming harmless and kind to outsiders. In addition, in Murder, Incest and Damn Fine Coffee, a point is made to highlight that almost all of this abuse, basically all of it excluding the murder, takes place in the home, in the domestic/family space. They mention Foucault’s studies on incest on this detail, in which he says “since the eighteenth century the family has become an obligatory locus of affects, feelings, love; that sexuality has its privileged point of development in the family; that for this reason sexuality is “incestuous” from the start… in a society such as ours, where the family is the most active site of sexuality, and where it is doubtless the exigencies of the latter which maintain and prolong its existence, incest… occupies a central place; it is constantly being solicited and refused; it is an object of obsession and attraction, a dreadful secret and an indispensable pivot. It is manifested as a thing that is strictly forbidden in the family insofar as the latter functions as a deployment of alliance; but it is also a thing that is continuously demanded in order for the family to be a hotbed of constant sexual incitement”. He means that the link between sexuality and abuse is most often the home. Bainbridge and Delany also cite several other incest narratives, and show their similarities to other Incest works in a purely narrative sense. In Mary Shelley’s Mathilda, the daughter’s revelation isn’t revealed until after her death, through a letter. This is similar to Laura’s diaries not becoming publicly available until after he murder. Another comparison is made to Jane Smiley’s A Thousand Acres. The two characters Ginny and Rose know they can’t tell anyone of their abuse because of their father’s popularity around the town. In Twin Peaks, Laura isn’t able to tell her best friend Donna Hayward, as their fathers are longtime best friends. Lastly, while much more vague, a comparison is made to Georgia Savage’s The House Tibet, where the character Vicky runs away from her family instead of telling anyone of her abuse. In Twin Peaks, Laura was heavily considering running away with James, to get far away from her father and her old life without compromising anything. Through all these examples and comparisons, it’s not hard to see why Twin Peaks could be seen as a modern-day incest narrative in addition to its place as a mystery or horror show.

Sources:

http://www.laweekly.com/film/twin-peaks-fire-walk-with-me-is-david-lynchs-masterpiece-2613896

http://eds.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=ea9794a5-482a-48f8-9f17-ad0f1114db29%40sessionmgr110&vid=6&hid=126

http://blog.cinemaautopsy.com/2000/10/01/shadow-of-a-twisted-hand-across-my-house/#three