‘Disaster threatens world’, read an ominous headline on the frontpage of the Dutch daily newspaper NRC Handelsblad on Tuesday August 31st, 1971. “If life remains business as usual for everyone, an...Show more‘Disaster threatens world’, read an ominous headline on the frontpage of the Dutch daily newspaper NRC Handelsblad on Tuesday August 31st, 1971. “If life remains business as usual for everyone, an absolute catastrophe will hit us within mere decennia. It is only a question whether the catastrophe will be caused by hunger, exhaustion of essential resources, or pollution of the earth. Radical measures will be necessary – immediately! – if calamity is to be avoided”, NRC’s science journalist Arie de Kool started one of the opening stories of his paper. De Kool had not personally discovered a major disaster that was about to hit planet earth and its inhabitants, he was quoting directly from a leaked early version of a report compiled by a few experts working at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston. Although warnings like this one are common these days, when De Kool first showed his editor his scoop on The Club of Rome and the foreseen dangers of economic growth to the future of mankind in 1971, this was not the case. Back then, computer models were relatively new and although many of the warnings by The Club of Rome had been uttered by politicians and activists for decades already, attempts to create a holistic model for a combination of interconnected risks had not found a very receptive ear in most countries. De Kool, whose career could use a major scoop by 1971 as this thesis shows, found a massive audience with his story on The Club of Rome and its distressing model. Not just the general public, but also politicians from left to right across the many waning political pillars of Dutch society in the 1970s read the Club’s Limits to Growth-report. This thesis - which provides an answer to the question why the report made such a splash in the Netherlands in particular - is grounded on research of the most important Dutch contemporary sources, that is, on a close reading of the most important and widest circulating articles, reports and op-eds concerning the ideas and suggestions of the Limits to Growth-report as it came out in the early 1970s. To this body of sources, in order to explore the political relevance of such an emerging environmentalism, this thesis adds an overview of parliamentary debates and governmental deliberations, which are crucial to further embedding the Club of Rome’s reports into the Dutch evolving socio-political landscape. Finally, a large body of secondary literature helps this thesis to problematize and operationalize the most important terms of the discussion, from environmentalism to modelling, while contextualizing them historically and geographically.Show less
This thesis’ objective is to gain an understanding of how American popular culture impacts the Dutch youth’s perception of and resonance with American culture, taking the sitcom Modern Family as...Show moreThis thesis’ objective is to gain an understanding of how American popular culture impacts the Dutch youth’s perception of and resonance with American culture, taking the sitcom Modern Family as its case study. In this thesis, ‘perception’ refers to the way that American culture is viewed, and ‘resonance’ indicates the experienced affinity with American culture. This thesis statement is confirmed through the employment of a survey targeted at Dutch youth aged 16-25, in which the Dutch attitudes towards American culture are measured according to the reaction of the Dutch youth to the characterization of American culture as described by Wright and Rogers. They constitute five American values; ‘Freedom’, ‘Prosperity’, ‘Efficiency’, ‘Democracy’ and ‘Fairness’; and some features: ‘Individualism’, and ‘Cultural Pluralism and Tolerance’, which are present in Modern Family. The key finding of the quantitative research is that higher exposure to American popular culture through TV leads to a higher level of normalization of American values. The analysis of exposure levels to American popular culture and its relation to Dutch attitudes towards American culture is performed by comparing the watch histories of respondents: 81% have watched Modern Family whereas 19% have not. Expanding on the concept of ‘Perception’, this thesis demonstrates that the more one is exposed to American popular culture (like the viewers of Modern Family), the more one has normalized the American values, which impacts the Dutch perception of American culture. ‘Resonance’ builds upon this and finds that this normalization of American values among viewers of Modern Family has reached such high extents that they have become incorporated into Dutch culture. American popular culture has boosted the omnipresence and normalization of American values, which has, in turn, impacted the way Dutch youth resonate with American culture.Show less
Sinds 2002 is er sprake van een dalend vertrouwen in de overheid (Sociaal Cultureel Planbureau, 2015) en een mogelijke oorzaak hiervoor is de invloed van media, want deze spelen een belangrijke rol...Show moreSinds 2002 is er sprake van een dalend vertrouwen in de overheid (Sociaal Cultureel Planbureau, 2015) en een mogelijke oorzaak hiervoor is de invloed van media, want deze spelen een belangrijke rol in de informatie, beelden en oordelen die burgers ontvangen over de betrouwbaarheid van de overheid (Bovens & Wille, 2006). Er bestaan twee tegenstrijdige verklaringen over de gevolgen van mediagebruik op het vertrouwen in de overheid, namelijk de media malaise theorie die stelt dat mediagebruik een negatief effect heeft op het vertrouwen in de overheid en de mobilisatietheorie die stelt dat dat mediagebruik een positief effect heeft op het vertrouwen in de overheid (Van der Valk, 2007). Je kunt je afvragen of deze tweestrijd bestaat, omdat je “media” niet als eenduidige term kunt benaderen, omdat het een gedifferentieerd concept is. Dit onderzoek legt de nadruk op de verschillende vormen media, waarbij de eenduidige term wordt uitgesplitst in verschillende typen media, namelijk de krant, sociale media, televisie en radio. Er wordt een verwachting uitgesproken dat hoe meer iemand de politiek volgt via de krant, hoe meer vertrouwen diegene heeft in de overheid. Er is een verwachting dat hoe meer iemand de politiek volgt via de televisie en sociale media, hoe minder vertrouwen diegene heeft in de overheid. Er is geen verwachting over het media-type radio, omdat niet genoeg literatuur specifiek ingaat op de radio. Er wordt een ordinale regressieanalyse uitgevoerd middels de European Values Dataset (2020). In de ordinale regressieanalyse is te zien dat er een positief, statistisch significant verband bestaat tussen de mate waarin iemand de politiek volgt via de dagelijkse krant en het vertrouwen dat diegene in de overheid heeft (EVS, 2020). Dit betekent dat hoe vaker iemand de politiek volgt via de dagelijkse krant, hoe meer vertrouwen diegene heeft in de overheid. Er is een negatief, niet statistisch significant verband tussen de mate waarin iemand de politiek volgt via de sociale media en het vertrouwen dat diegene heeft in de overheid (EVS, 2020). Dit betekent hoe vaker iemand de politiek volgt via de sociale media, hoe minder vertrouwen diegene heeft in de overheid, maar dit verband berust (waarschijnlijk) op toeval. Er is een positief, statistisch significant verband tussen de mate dat iemand de politiek via televisie en radio volgt en het vertrouwen dat diegene heeft in de overheid (EVS, 2020). Dit betekent dat hoe vaker iemand de politiek volgt via de televisie en radio, hoe meer vertrouwen diegene heeft in de overheid. Er wordt uiteindelijk geconcludeerd dat de media-voorkeuren van burgers een rol spelen in het vertrouwen van burgers in de overheid, want drie van de vier hypothesen kunnen een statistisch significant verband aantonen (EVS, 2020).Show less
This thesis discusses the show 'Dexter' (2006) and proves that Dexter confronts its audience with their own (often contradictory) ideas on right and wrong and seeks to show them how to judge those...Show moreThis thesis discusses the show 'Dexter' (2006) and proves that Dexter confronts its audience with their own (often contradictory) ideas on right and wrong and seeks to show them how to judge those that do not fit into the framework of the ruling ethical order. This analysis ties into the bigger picture of how society views ‘the serial killer’ (the ultimate criminal) and the attached moral implications of sympathetic responses to criminals in our current day and age.Show less
This thesis examines the gender representation in the animated series Avatar: the Last Airbender by analyzing several male and female characters of the series. Gender theories by Judith Bulter...Show moreThis thesis examines the gender representation in the animated series Avatar: the Last Airbender by analyzing several male and female characters of the series. Gender theories by Judith Bulter served as the main sources for this thesis.Show less
The notion of the spectacle, developed in the era of traditional media, represented a sharp and accurate prediction of the society to come. Guy Debord envisioned the alienation and separation of...Show moreThe notion of the spectacle, developed in the era of traditional media, represented a sharp and accurate prediction of the society to come. Guy Debord envisioned the alienation and separation of individuals from each other and from themselves by means of images, as well as the commodification of life. At the time Debord developed his critique of the spectacle, television was increasingly expanding its monopole and flattening the general discourse to one reality. This same reality was soon to be fragmented, together with individuality, by the arrival of the internet and social media. The Italian TV program BLOB, broadcasted on Italian public television since 1989, and its presence on social media, could help us to understand more about these dynamics.Show less
This thesis explores the characterization of Frank Underwood in the Netflix Original Series House of Cards, and more specifically how Frank’s characterization changes due to certain translation...Show moreThis thesis explores the characterization of Frank Underwood in the Netflix Original Series House of Cards, and more specifically how Frank’s characterization changes due to certain translation choices. James R. Keller (2015) argues that Frank resembles the ‘vice’ – a figure from the early modern stage that is also related to the well-known villain – and describes a number of traits. These traits are linked to Frank’s language use by using Culpeper’s stylistic framework of characterization cues (2001), resulting in a qualitative analysis of the Frank’s language use. Next, Vinay and Darbelnet’s procedures (1995) and Gambier’s subtitling procedures (2006) are used to analyze the way in which Frank’s character statements and metaphors have been translated. The analysis shows that fewer information than expected was omitted in the translation, despite the spatiotemporal constraints and technical limitations inherent in subtitling. Any changes seemed to result in a change in emphasis, but not in characterization interpretation. Other information sources, such as video and audio that complement the subtitles, also confirm the character traits.Show less
This paper will deal with two Japanese television shows, and will go on to argue that foreigner casts contribute to the ongoing construction of Japanese national identity. Thus, foreigner casts do...Show moreThis paper will deal with two Japanese television shows, and will go on to argue that foreigner casts contribute to the ongoing construction of Japanese national identity. Thus, foreigner casts do not only reinforce a particular type of nationalism to the audiences, but instead are assigned specific tasks and roles, in which they fulfill in order to contribute to the construction of Japanese national identity. This paper is mainly divided in six parts.Show less
In 2010 the BBC launched a new series called Sherlock, a contemporary adaption of the Holmes stories. In this recent adaption created by Stephen Moffat and Mark Gattis, the original characters are...Show moreIn 2010 the BBC launched a new series called Sherlock, a contemporary adaption of the Holmes stories. In this recent adaption created by Stephen Moffat and Mark Gattis, the original characters are presented with a modern twist. Gattis and Moffat are known for their work on the BBC series Dr Who, a programme with a central character himself notably indebted to Holmes. The villains in the BBC series Sherlock challenge Sherlock to commit wicked deeds, and therefore perhaps to become a villain himself. This thesis will argue that in this way the show sets out to destabilize and call into question notions of an essential distinction between heroism and villainy.Show less
This thesis tries to combine characteristics of identity building in a community with the existence of gotōchi hīrō ご当地ヒーロー (local heroes) in Japan. Throughout Japan, almost every prefecture and/or...Show moreThis thesis tries to combine characteristics of identity building in a community with the existence of gotōchi hīrō ご当地ヒーロー (local heroes) in Japan. Throughout Japan, almost every prefecture and/or city has its own hero that represents the specific traits of the region it belongs to. The heroes speak in dialect, visit famous locations and constantly use and refer to local products. One of the primary reasons for creating these heroes is to strengthen the regions community identity. Television plays an important role in the distribution of imagery surrounding the local heroes. Because of cultural proximity, local television programmes are often very popular and consequently, so are the local heroes. To exemplify this connection between identity construction and local heroes, this thesis analyses Ryūjin Mabuyā 琉神マブヤー, a local hero from Okinawa prefecture. By looking at the locations, language, cultural references used and the intentions of the creators of the programme, it becomes clear that Ryūjin Mabuyā was created to introduce and emphasize Okinawan community identity.Show less
