This week, our group reflected on the viewpoints of those involved in the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, and the extent to which the lack of concrete scientific knowledge and religious extremism had an impact on the event. Additionally, we examined the division of the East and West through a religious and geographical lens. Lastly, we analyzed Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s TED talk on the Danger of a Single Story, and the conversation shifts into how the domination of global media by America is responsible for many (not all) single story narratives worldwide.
The Separation of Church and Science
The Salem Witch Trials, which consisted of accusations against mainly women, can be clearly seen today for what they really were – a form of punishment upon those who refused to submit to the status quo, or more unfortunately, found themselves unfavourable in the eyes of the majority, which so happened to be puritan men. The trials are a prime example of the separation of church and science. The unfortunate circumstance was women, in the context of the religion, found themselves to be deemed ‘sinful’, and inherently flawed from Eve; therefore more likely to suffer at the hands of the men in power for any number of illogical reasons, only to be cast away by the community as well due to panic, superstition, and hysteria. Meanwhile, the explanation rooted in science says the potential spread of ergotism (a disease caused by rotted rye) was the cause of the intense symptoms of convulsions and hallucinations.
The Salem Witch Trials also demonstrate the dangers of blindly following authority figures or leading experts. The local doctor was able to blame the supernatural and was not questioned on the reasoning. Despite the fact those on trial rejected the claims made against them, the trials were pursued solely based on the diagnosis of the local doctor. Rather, if society as a whole had questioned the doctors rationale, the trials could have potentially been avoided altogether
The “East and West.” Framework in a Religious Lens
Despite the fact the Christian faith originated in the Middle East, it is considered to be a western religion, due to the fact the religion was nurtured in Rome, whose culture was once the basis of the western world. Distinctions in sect however can be made based on region. In the west, you have South America which was first colonized by Spanish settlers, meaning the Christianity practiced there is primarily Roman Catholic. The most common sect of Christianity in North America however is Protestant. Compared to the East, the West has considerably less religious diversity. Additionally the dominant presence of the United States in the western world means the smaller nations that may have their own traditions are often overlooked. Comparatively, the Eastern world has a larger variety and diversity in religion and ideology, however the variation in sects based on region is still evident. Whereas Western European catholics are primarily protestant, Eastern Europe and Russia Christians are predominantly Eastern Orthodox. If we were to look at the “East and West.” outside of a religious scope, it seems a country’s placement is dependent on countries they are associated with, rather than geographically. For example, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States, all European member countries are considered western civilizations despite the fact they are scattered all around the globe, as demonstrated in Figure 1. These countries share, or at one point, shared a western European culture, and were given a western country label for that reason.
Figure 1: Geographic representation of Western Countries [4]
Single Story Narratives Pushed Through Dominant Pop Culture
In the TED talk “Danger of a Single Story”, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie expresses how the single story may create negative stereotypes because it reduces a group or person to a single narrative. As a real world example, the United States seems to dominate global media, and therefore is responsible for the single story narratives in many places in the world. This could be for a multitude of reasons. Firstly, the majority of world-famous social media platforms are American based, meaning American narratives are the most pushed and distributed worldwide. The country’s tech industry, home to Facebook, Twitter, Google and Amazon, has traffic in the billions, interacting daily with these popular services and spreading information.
Figure 2: Geographical Representation of the Distribution of Informational Technology [5]
This cultural dominance is also known as Americanization – the spread of American media, popular culture and technology in countries outside the US. Although it isn’t the largest film industry in the world, the influence and outreach Hollywood has on the world is unmatched. Joseph Stalin once said, “If I could control the medium of the American motion picture, I would need nothing else to convert the entire world to communism.” [2] Oftentimes, the negative reputation of a certain country or group is constantly played on for the purpose of entertainment in film and tv. For example, the common use of stereotypes in Hollywood play a role to reinforce single narrative ideas of a community, or people. If a ‘drug trafficker’ or ‘gangster’ is needed for a scene, actors with Latin or African American backgrounds are often cast, or, similarly if a script requires a ‘terrorist’ that character is more often than not belonging to an Arabic country or a depicted as a Muslim. A society that is exposed to these portrayals through pop culture and social media will undoubtedly develop a single story narrative. Additionally, a parallel can be created between single stories and having an etic perspective. An etic, or “outsider” view could be the reason one creates a single story – they lack the sufficient information and exposure to properly understand the full narrative behind a person or group.
References:
[1] “Influence of the Puritan Religion on the Salem Witch Trials.” UKEssays.com, UKDiss.com, 23 Sept. 2019, www.ukessays.com/essays/history/influence-of-the-puritan-religion-on-the-salem-witch-trials.php.
[2] Goldfarb, Michael. “Soft Power Is the Secret to America’s Influence – from Culture to Foreign Aid.” Raconteur, Raconteur Media Ltd., 5 July 2018, www.raconteur.net/business-innovation/american-culture-rules-the-world.
[3] Kramer, Warren. “Is Christianity a Western Religion?” Quora, www.quora.com/Is-Christianity-a-Western-religion.
Images & Media
[4] Leary, Jack. “The Salem Witch Trials: Religious Vehemence or Governmental Disregard?”, Nov 17, 2013,. https://youtu.be/-X4cSJ5rBlQ?t=32
[5] Wikipedia contributors. “Western world.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 10 Aug. 2020. Web. 11 Aug. 2020. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_world#:~:text=The%20Western%20world%2C%20also%20known,and%20most%20of%20the%20Americas.
[6] “2020 IT (Information Technology) Industry Trends Analysis: Business of Technology: CompTIA.” Default, www.comptia.org/content/research/it-industry-trends-analysis.
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