Hollywood, the name alone sparks the interest of the public and invokes dreams of being famous in even the most humble soul. It temps us, influences us and whether we would like to admit it or not plays a role in our way of thinking. It plays a key role in Pop Culture and through movies, TV, radio and the ever expanding wave of magazines, Pop Culture and its influence seems to flow over the world like a great wave of information. One of the strongest areas that seem to be affected by this undeniable influence is the way in which we perceive other people, particularly people of other faiths. One faith that has acquired a particularly wicked reputation with the help of the negative propaganda provided by the many influences within American and European Pop Culture is Paganism.
Most people when they hear the word Pagan, they think of the old haggard Witch who stirs her dark caldron that contains some unknown malicious concoction. Unfortunately much like the old sailors stories about mermaids that turned out to be nothing more than manatees, the stories of evil witches are greatly exaggerated. Nowhere is this seen stronger than in Pop Culture, Pagans the world over fight to be understood and have paganism accepted for what it is and not what it isn’t. In fact many people who do buy into this media driven stereotype have little to no knowledge of what paganism actually is and where it comes from. Sue McCaskill an accomplished writer for Times Colonist (Victoria, British Columbia) explains this best in her article published October 5, 2013:
The Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz. The nasty woman with the candy cottage in Hansel and Gretel. But not many people know where the stereotype came from. In medieval Europe, the old-nat...
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British Columbia). (October 5, 2013 Saturday ): 522 words. LexisNexis Academic. Web. Date Accessed: 2014/04/25.
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Association To Blacklisted Artists During The ‘‘Red Scare’’ In Hollywood, 1945 To 1960." American Sociological Review 75.3 (2010): 456-478. Academic Search Complete. Web. 25 Apr. 2014.
In history the pagans have been viewed as godless infidels. Many who practice paganism live in fear related to the judgment of others that hold differing views on religion. Much of the persecution of the Pagan has been related to their practice of magic. What is amazing is that much of the magic once practiced by pagans was similar to that of modern medicine (Some Basic Pagan, n.d.). Despite their apprehension and fear of persecution, it has been reported that Paganism has been described as one of the most rapidly growing religious movements in the world today (Eilers, p.
However, after the dust settled, it was widely accepted that the blacklist was unjust, which enabled many film workers to pursue the movie studios in civil courts through the 1950’s for unpaid contracts and wages (Lewis, 2008). While the studios were initially impacted by the Paramount decision, the breadth of competition and independent successes of smaller studios gave rise to the advancement of innovative filmmaking that may not have been possible if it were not for the Paramount decision. Filmmaking is one of the riskiest and most profitable ventures in modern day society, and without these events, the studios and the film workers may not share the successes that they do
“When a great democracy is destroyed, it will not be because of enemies from without, but rather because of enemies from within.” During the late 1940s and early 1950s, these words of Abraham Lincoln were all on the minds of Americans (McCarthyism). After fighting against Communism for decades, the fear of it taking down the country terrorized people’s thoughts. Even more so, people were extremely frightened of the idea that there could be Communists within the spotlights of American influence that were plotting the destruction of the United States. A fear swept the country for almost a decade, and it transformed every aspect of American culture. This transformation began in the entertainment industry and hit here the hardest. The fear of Communism completely spun the industry upside down and distorted everything that made American showbiz so distinct. Even today, the controversies of the 1940s and 1950s have left an impression on the current entertainment industry.
In the 1930s and 1940s many Hollywood writers, actors, producers, and directors were suspected for communist affiliations. During this time, communism was a popular political movement in the United States, especially among young liberals. There was a growing fear of communism invading American society. By the end of World War Two an event known as the Red Scare resulted in communism become increasingly feared and hated by many in the United States. The Hollywood blacklist caused the Hollywood industry a lot of harm in its business and reputation.
Liz, Kelly. “Moving in the Shadows: Violence in the Lives of Minority Women and Children” 10. Stonehocker, Kolbie“Witches, Wiccans and Pagans” Rita Morgan: Daily Life, Not Religion 2012 www.cityweekly.net 11. Annemaire de Waal Malefijt, “Religion and Culture: An Introduction to Anthropology of Religion” The United States of America 1989.
The growing practice of Neo-Paganism in America has caused many to turn their heads. The misunderstanding of the religion has caused many to equate the practitioners with the popular conception of typical "witches," that perform black magic rituals, satanic sacrifices, and engage in devil-inspired orgies. After many years, the Neo-Pagan community has cleared up many misconceptions through the showing that many of them do not engage in activities, and are rather participating in a religion, just as those would that participate in a Christian community. It's unacceptance continues, perhaps due to its non-conformity to the ideal of worshipping a Christian God. Through the use of ethnography, anthropologists and sociologists are able to present the public with a much different view than what we are bombarded with in popular media.
Sterritt, David. “HOLLYWOOD'S HOLOCAUST”. Tikkun 24.3 (2009): 60-62. Literary Reference Center. Web. 10 Oct. 2013.
The controversies that surround Wicca start with its exact origin. There are some who believe that it has its origins in Witchcraft due to the similarities between the two. Witchcraft itself is a Pagan practice [polytheistic and non-Christian, Muslim and Jewish in origin] that began with the Celts around 700 B.C. As the movie The Burning Times depicts, the region during this time period was primarily a rural culture so the Celtic traditions were based completely on Nature. Their months were even named after trees and their festivals revolved around the solstices and equinoxes (Steiger). A polytheistic religion, they worshiped a host of female and male deities and are most notably associated with the concept of Goddess worship, a strong belief in the divinity of the female (Burning Times). These paganistic beliefs and rituals gradually over the centuries combined with other European religious practices, such as magic, potions, and ointments for healing, to form what we call in modern times Witchcraft. Groups who did not hav...
This was a group that declared their communist beliefs to the American Government and eventually had gained enough recognition to have hundreds of people on the list. The Hollywood Ten, Unfriendly Ten, or Hollywood Blacklist had a brief couple of instances that caused controversy and affected various lives of numerous people that were involved in the Hollywood filmmaking industry (Dickinson). Lastly, these events in history have shown the significant clashes of the political parties in various countries because of the fact that they demonstrate the controversy that was caused through the rises and falls of communism. The Hollywood Ten is a memorable group that contributed to Communism and the era of its
Paganism had three main beliefs in the Greek/Roman time periods. First, is being the sense of piety. Piety meaning the natural religious instinct to respect something greater than yourself, and that humility plays a role in order to understand man's subordinate place in the great scheme of things. Moderation and temperance went along with this. In classical civilizations, some had mottos “Nothing too much” and “Know thy self”. To man, Pagan as well as Christian, moral rules were absolute. They were unyielding and unquestionable. This ...
... what bugs most Pagans I've meet, who realize that life is lived on a spectrum of colours, not black and white. Also the Magic is Vulgar and not the way the world works as I've seen it.
Hollywood’s Blacklist developed out of complex social, political, and economical conditions. The Hollywood’s blacklist was a method utilized by the federal government to deny employment to many professionals in the entertainment industry, including but not limit to screenwriter, actor, producer, director, musicians, and animators. These professionals were “blacklisted” as a result of suspected political association with the Communist party. The manufacturing of the blacklist sprung out of panic and fear of communist reconnaissance as a result of many events that were taking place around the world such as the Soviet Eastern Europe, Berlin blockade, Chinese Civil War, confessions of high-ranking government officials of espionage for the Soviet Union, Korean War and , Atomic bomb,. The Hollywood’s blacklist was also a manifest of extreme paranoia related to the Cold War. Americans indentified a threat to their freedoms of society and democracy which facilitated a climax of intense anti-communist sentiment during the 1940’2 and 1950’s. This study will examine the creation and influence of the Hollywood’s blacklist on a political platform, and economical consequence, and a social exile of civil liberties.
What images come to mind when you think of witches? Many people immediately imagine a black pointy hat, bubbling cauldron, green warty skin, and Halloween. Usually the image that comes to mind is something scary and evil. Real witches do exist. Most modern witches go by the label Wiccan now. Wiccans practice Wicca, which is a nature-based religion with many different branches or denominations. The basic tenant of all Wicca is called the Three Fold Law. The Three Fold Law states that whatever you do will come back to you times three, good or bad, so do not cause harm or, in other words, “harm none”. It is kind of like the concept of karma in one lifetime. There is debate over how old the religion actually is with some saying that it is an ancient religion that pre-dates Christianity and some saying it is more modern, starting in the 1950’s with Gerald Gardener. Regardless of how old the religion is, Hollywood’s portrayal of witches often does have some kernel of truth, albeit sometimes it is hard to find.
Cult fans often have a shared morality, and experience of the same characteristics within religiosity of “passion; attachment; immersion; involvement; devotion.” (Martin, 2008) Fans will re-watch cult films regularly and spend a considerable amount of time engaging and learning from their chosen interest and often do so intensely to make sure that all content that is available is consumed. This is similar to the way holy texts are re-read in the hopes to discover something new or to gain a different understanding. Fans actively engage with the texts and then creatively express their devotion with others. Further demonstrating the involvement and devotion that is seen within many religious
III. Smithson, Jayne. “Magic, Witchcraft, and Religion.” Class lectures. Anthropology 120. Diablo Valley College, San Ramon 2004.