Not really Web 2.0
For some reason, I have been quite interested in the news about what is happening in Texas with regard to the Yearning for Zion (YFZ) FLDS Ranch that was raided with 400+ children taken into state custody. Regardless of what was or was not occurring on the ranch, the media is circulating stories about the people who follow this faith. Interestingly, they made their own website to try to raise awareness of their perspectives on this situation. In the video section, there are images of "happy children" set to music. With regard to the fan fiction Laura and Gerry showed last week, I wonder what other stories these images could/would tell if they were edited differently and had different sound used with them.
How does the ability of the marginalized to "talk back" play out in our culture? Would we have different perspectives on historical and contemporary events if we could hear both sides of the stories? Inherently, I view this as a good thing, but what could the dangers of this be? If all stories can circulate, does this create a situation where we do not really listen to anyone? Or, will we get caught up in relativism and not be able to formulate specific arguments about anything?
How does the ability to tell your own story impact how seriously you view the "endorsed" stories that circulate with the stamp of approval from a company or government?
Comments
I am glad i am not the only one glued to this situation. I was telling someone the other day that this sittuation reminded me of the movie The Village, where they create a community to escape violence. The children do not know that they live seperated from other communities.
Could the people from the FLDS ranch be twisting our views of their happy children through video? Yes they could. But what damage is all this media attention doing to them? It is one extreme to the other, neither seems healthy.
Posted by: maggie | April 23, 2008 2:51 PM