English 680V: Visual Rhetoric in a Technological Age (Purdue)

I was intrigued by Jenkins discussion of Christian reactions to Harry Potter, and, well, lots of other things that seem to bring into question or offer alternative views to the Christian mythos. It’s interesting to me where culture meets resistance in places, and how people deal with it.I did lots of research for my Master’s degree on table top role-playing. When it first emerged there was an over abundance of Christian resistance. This resistance was strange in that most of the people resisting had never played, and wouldn’t be interested in playing. The idea that there were young people out there “pretending” that they could do magic bothered the Christian organizations (see this pamphlet) to the point that they said it would derange youth. Wow (hehehe). As Jenkins points out on 196, the reaction that most players or fans have of, “Its just pretend, okay!” is something to worry about. When we have to down play the activities that engage us as just in our imaginations, or just pretend we are actively limiting our own fun. Beyond that, we are limiting the worlds we value, and the way we value ourselves. Role-playing and fan culture are not JUST pretend, and this is what is so amazing (frightening) about them. As we engage in our imaginations we are participating in the creation of self. Rather then have the possibilities of what we can or cannot do dictated at us, we are VISIONING something alternative.That Jenkins brings in the Christian groups that are actively engaging this new media was/is wonderful. These groups I think have a much healthier view of what it is to be in conversation. Denis Haack, one of the Christians willing to dialogue on the subject, states, “If we are to understand those who do not share our deepest convictions, we must gain some comprehension of what they believe…” (200). I would add that there is not necessarily any reason that fans and role-players do not share some of your deepest convictions. There is no reason that a FanRPGer can’t think that you shouldn’t murder, and that you should be nice, and, hell, believe in God. The response from the Christian Fans was most interesting, clearly showing that some of “those” people do, in fact, share all of the values that Haack is talking about. Besides, there is a lot of magic going on in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, and that’s all good. I suppose that what I am getting at is that this comes down to a control of the imagination and vision, and that increasingly “pop culture” is moving away from a strictly Christian imagination. Honestly, I think that it started going down hill somewhere in the 1950s. The images, ideas, options of imagination, are no longer pointing us in one direction, and a dominant world view is (for the moment) seemingly slipping out of favor (BBC report that echoes this sentiment). If “Satan” is the act of taking control and dominion over how your mind/imagination plays/responds in a world of choices… well, fandom and Satan may very well be in bed.