Since the Victorian era, science and scientists have been portrayed in dichotomous ways. Scientists are above all powerful, able to manipulate the natural world. Through their manipulations and machinations, scientists ironically disrupt the natural order of things, leading to ungodly inventions, abominations, or actual threats to human survival itself. The most notable examples of nefarious scientists in nineteenth century literature include Dr. Frankenstein and Dr. Jekyll. As the genre of science fiction evolved from these gothic tales, the scientist became even more of a potent symbol, albeit one far more morally ambiguous. By the end of the twentieth century, scientists had taken on a whole new identity: one perched precariously between the role of the nerdy but ironically cute intellectual and that of the genuinely “mad” scientist. The infotainment industry then provided the world with a new generation of scientist celebrities, the likes of Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Stephen Kawking, and Bill Nye the Science Guy. Each of these infotainment figures offer alternatives to the comic book-like caricatures that predominated in the past. Although American audiences—religious ones in particular--struggle with the role scientists play in their own lives, the media has gradually shifted toward a more positive portrayal of scientific endeavors. Three of the most common characteristics of scientists in the popular media include intelligent, powerful, and male. Gender may be one of the most universally depicted characteristics of scientists in almost every field. The media lacks examples of female scientists,...
Female scientist celebrities are cast in feminized roles, such as Jane Goodall’s work as a caring, nurturing primate sociologist. In fact, one of the ways to reduce the gender gap in STEM might be to offer the world more examples of female scientists. Exceptions to the rule are mainly fictionalized and in science fiction, such as Sigourney Weaver’s character Ellen Ripley in the Alien series and Jodie Foster’s role as Ellie Arroway in Contact. In both of these cases, the female scientist is in an unrealistic role rather than one that could be fulfilled by a real-life human being. The recent film Hidden Figures is one of the few examples of the media shattering the racialized and gendered science professions, through a biopic of female mathematician-scientists working for NASA.References
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The spin that often surrounds war, is fundamentally damaging even if it is intended as damage control for the nation as a whole, or at the very least the leaders of the nation. Public Belief It has been hinted at within this work that the old adage, the public does not necessarily believe what it hears, but it hears what it believes is at play when it comes to media. As
In 1999, the average person in England and Wales watched 26 hours of television and listened to 19 hours of radio per week - this amounts to 40% of their waking life, and the figures are higher for youth and in particular working class youth (Young). Not only has the quantity of media usage increased, but the level of violence depicted in the media has increased dramatically, due in part
1. When you hear the word “scientist” what do you envision? When I hear the word “scientist”, what I picture is an individual conducting practical experiments and also proving theories with the endeavor of advancing the field of science and the world at large. However, I also picture both aspects of science encompassing the scientists that wish to make the world a better place, for instance, preserving the earth and also
scientist' is but a simple word, unless mad is attached to it. When I hear someone say 'scientist' I think of mad scientists and they are never more than crazy villains set on destroying the world. There is a reason why science and through extension scientist is regarded by many as a subject leaning towards darkness and chaos. People in the past associated science and scientific breakthroughs with magic,
The argument being advanced is that since, the Muslim extremists were responsible for the 9/11 disaster, the construction of the Muslim religious center would inculcate the jihad teachings and dishonor to the memory of the 9/11 victims. The question one would ask is this, what about the strip clubs, bars and other activities that are zero blocks away from the hallowed ground, do they honor the victims of the
media consumption and subsequent behaviour? Profiling the criminal behavior of rampage perpetrators is one of the main areas of focus in the social science research community. Gender, mental health issues, social exclusion, genetic susceptibility or predisposition, and ultimately, violent media, are most of the factors that guide researchers in the field, seeking to develop broader frameworks of understanding rampage violence. Over the past three decades, 78 cases of public mass
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