In 2016, Matt and Ross Duffer's Stranger Things debuted on Netflix with its first season. Like many others, I was captivated by the show's story and universe, and watched the whole season in a few days. However, while watching, I was often frustrated by the way characters in the show were often put in danger because they didn’t have information other characters knew. Deception and lies said by characters to others often lengthened conflict in the show significantly. If certain characters had been more truthful at times, or even just talked about their experiences more, much of the conflict in the show would simply not exist. My research focused on analysis of the show, as well as research on perception and truth bias. This research will allow me to write my own adaptation of the 1st season of Stranger Things from the perspective of someone outside the story. In doing so, I will explore the way the truth and story changes to someone who wasn’t a witness to the events in the show.
Annotated Bibliography:
“Rose-coloured rear-view: Stranger Things and the lure of a false past”
This article focuses on Stranger Things' depiction of the past, and how it differs from the actual past in favor of nostalgia instead of truthfully showing what the past was. In describing why this disconnect between nostalgia and truth is harmful, the writer notes:
By amending outdated values and attitudes, Stranger Things reinforces their replacements as being central to modern society. … A show set in the 1980s can't appear too modern without breaking its central illusion. At the same time, this cognitive dissonance--in which we need the past to be at once the same and different to the present--is undoubtedly part of the allure. A sticking point in returning to classic film and television is the need to 'look around' outdated mores.
This commentary will help influence my project because it provides a good example of how even Stranger Things itself remembers what is comfortable and convenient instead of bearing the truth and properly depicting what the 80s were like.
“The effect of high-anxiety situations on conspiracy thinking”
This study from Current Psychology relates high-anxiety situations with an increased amount of conspiracy thinking. In its analysis, the article explains conspiracy theories “provide simple answers for unanswered questions and an enemy to blame for the problem” as well, the article says conspiracies “allow people to retain a sense of safety and predictability,” as well as “motivate people to prepare for collective self-defense against alleged threats from out-groups” (Grzesiak-Feldman). This research shows that humans often jump to conclusions and believe lies because they are familiar or comforting instead of the truth. This will help with my adaptation because my adaptation will be told from the point of view of a witness who is likely to jump to conclusions.
“Unsettling questions: cognitive dissonance in self-deception”
This article focuses on the methods and reasoning of cognitive dissonance in people who have convinced themselves of lies. In explaining the mindset of self-deception, the article explains:
self-deceivers resist the import of data, data that strike us as obviously sufficient for the settling of the question. Indeed, very often we can "rub the noses" of self-deceivers in what we take to be the truth, only to provoke renewed and intensive investigations that certainly appear to be purposefully directed toward the embrace of falsity. … What motivates her to persist in her struggles in the face of such persistent difficulties when the answer to her question is, by our lights, right there in front of her eyes? (Scott-Kaukres).
This research shows that humans often convince themselves of a lie and believe things others would normally see is simply false. This will help in my adaptation because I will write the story from an observer's point of view, who is likely to have pre-conceived bias.
“The effects of cognitive capacity and suspicion on truth bias”
This article discusses how suspicion and bias in truth and lies effects processing of information. The article discusses how humans naturally assume people are telling the truth, it states:
That is, the simple decision rule that others are generally telling the truth (truth bias) requires far less cognitive effort than scrutinizing each message for deception cues. Limiting effort is important when making veracity judgments because people do not have enough cognitive capacity to make veracity judgments based on a careful scrutiny of each communication. Furthermore, there is considerable evidence that people tend to be cognitive misers when making inferences about other people” (Millar).
This information on how people assume truth and process information will assist me in writing my adaptation, because I will be writing from the perspective of an observer to the story, and they will likely have pre-conceived bias for information.
“How 'Stranger Things' Captures '80s Panic Over Missing Kids”
This article discusses how Stranger Things depicts the search for Will Byers in a decade where missing children became a serious problem. In describing how missing children in the 80s were dealt with, the article says:
Byers goes missing during a time of national panic over the disappearances or abductions of children. … at the time, several missing child cases made headlines, including those involving Etan Patz, who disappeared in New York City in 1979, … Until recent years it was one of the secondary shocks for parents of stolen children that they were alone in their crisis--and often nightmarishly thwarted by foot-dragging police departments, jurisdictional tangles and an FBI unable to enter a case unless there was clear evidence of an abduction. … There was no infrastructure in place" for dealing with the issue at the time” (Kutner).
These statements will help me write about Stranger Things' story from an outsider's perspective, because it gives me an idea of how missing children were dealt with in the 80s, and how to write my adaptation in regards to this.
“Familiar things: the TV series Stranger Things portrays family breakdown yesterday and today”
This article discusses how Stranger Things portrays the 80s, and how family dynamics are shown in the show and whether they’re accurate. On nostalgia for the 80s, the article reads:
But some remember the 1980s rather differently: The U.S. divorce rate peaked in 1980, and children in elementary school in the Reagan years were the first generation in which the question "Are your parents still married?" was both common and of intense interest. ("Were your parents married ..." with the implicit "... at all?" came later.) The maudlin term "latch-key kids" became commonplace; "day orphans," from the 1984 documentary on the subject, never quite caught on. The murder rate in 1980 was exactly double what it had been in 1960. The great cultural holdover from the Eisenhower years was that schoolchildren were still being taught to cower under their desks in the event of a nuclear attack. It was, in reality, a terrifying time to be a child” (Williamson).
This section of the article will help me in writing my adaptation because it gives me an idea of what kinds of cultural problems the 80s had, and what being a child in the 80s was like. This will assist me in writing my adaptation from an observer's point of view.
Works Cited
Grzesiak-Feldman, Monika. "The effect of high-anxiety situations on conspiracy thinking." Current Psychology, vol. 32, no. 1, 2013, p. 100+. General OneFile, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A350975375/GPS?u=maine&sid=GPS&xid=0f0d3b80. Accessed 9 Dec. 2018.
Kutner, Max. "How 'Stranger Things' Captures '80s Panic Over Missing Kids; The Netflix series pays homage to films of the 1980s, but it also depicts the issue of missing children at a time when it was gaining national attention." Newsweek, 2 Sept. 2016. General OneFile, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A462213605/GPS?u=maine&sid=GPS&xid=e10ed89a. Accessed 10 Dec. 2018.
Millar, Murray G., and Millar Karen U. "The effects of cognitive capacity and suspicion on truth bias." Communication Research, vol. 24, no. 5, 1997, p. 556+. Business Collection, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A20572273/GPS?u=maine&sid=GPS&xid=3b438e47. Accessed 10 Dec. 2018
"Rose-coloured rear-view: stranger things and the lure of a false past." Screen Education, no. 85, 2017, p. 16+. General OneFile, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A490693234/GPS?u=maine&sid=GPS&xid=41097e28. Accessed 9 Dec. 2018.
Scott-Kakures, Dion. "Unsettling questions: cognitive dissonance in self-deception." Social Theory and Practice, vol. 35, no. 1, 2009, p. 73+. General OneFile, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A194963406/GPS?u=maine&sid=GPS&xid=db96ebfc. Accessed 9 Dec. 2018.
Williamson, Kevin D. "Familiar things: the TV series Stranger Things portrays family breakdown yesterday and today." National Review, 29 Aug. 2016, p. 21+. Business Collection, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A460508206/GPS?u=maine&sid=GPS&xid=f880bf02. Accessed 10 Dec. 2018.
Annotated Bibliography:
“Rose-coloured rear-view: Stranger Things and the lure of a false past”
This article focuses on Stranger Things' depiction of the past, and how it differs from the actual past in favor of nostalgia instead of truthfully showing what the past was. In describing why this disconnect between nostalgia and truth is harmful, the writer notes:
By amending outdated values and attitudes, Stranger Things reinforces their replacements as being central to modern society. … A show set in the 1980s can't appear too modern without breaking its central illusion. At the same time, this cognitive dissonance--in which we need the past to be at once the same and different to the present--is undoubtedly part of the allure. A sticking point in returning to classic film and television is the need to 'look around' outdated mores.
This commentary will help influence my project because it provides a good example of how even Stranger Things itself remembers what is comfortable and convenient instead of bearing the truth and properly depicting what the 80s were like.
“The effect of high-anxiety situations on conspiracy thinking”
This study from Current Psychology relates high-anxiety situations with an increased amount of conspiracy thinking. In its analysis, the article explains conspiracy theories “provide simple answers for unanswered questions and an enemy to blame for the problem” as well, the article says conspiracies “allow people to retain a sense of safety and predictability,” as well as “motivate people to prepare for collective self-defense against alleged threats from out-groups” (Grzesiak-Feldman). This research shows that humans often jump to conclusions and believe lies because they are familiar or comforting instead of the truth. This will help with my adaptation because my adaptation will be told from the point of view of a witness who is likely to jump to conclusions.
“Unsettling questions: cognitive dissonance in self-deception”
This article focuses on the methods and reasoning of cognitive dissonance in people who have convinced themselves of lies. In explaining the mindset of self-deception, the article explains:
self-deceivers resist the import of data, data that strike us as obviously sufficient for the settling of the question. Indeed, very often we can "rub the noses" of self-deceivers in what we take to be the truth, only to provoke renewed and intensive investigations that certainly appear to be purposefully directed toward the embrace of falsity. … What motivates her to persist in her struggles in the face of such persistent difficulties when the answer to her question is, by our lights, right there in front of her eyes? (Scott-Kaukres).
This research shows that humans often convince themselves of a lie and believe things others would normally see is simply false. This will help in my adaptation because I will write the story from an observer's point of view, who is likely to have pre-conceived bias.
“The effects of cognitive capacity and suspicion on truth bias”
This article discusses how suspicion and bias in truth and lies effects processing of information. The article discusses how humans naturally assume people are telling the truth, it states:
That is, the simple decision rule that others are generally telling the truth (truth bias) requires far less cognitive effort than scrutinizing each message for deception cues. Limiting effort is important when making veracity judgments because people do not have enough cognitive capacity to make veracity judgments based on a careful scrutiny of each communication. Furthermore, there is considerable evidence that people tend to be cognitive misers when making inferences about other people” (Millar).
This information on how people assume truth and process information will assist me in writing my adaptation, because I will be writing from the perspective of an observer to the story, and they will likely have pre-conceived bias for information.
“How 'Stranger Things' Captures '80s Panic Over Missing Kids”
This article discusses how Stranger Things depicts the search for Will Byers in a decade where missing children became a serious problem. In describing how missing children in the 80s were dealt with, the article says:
Byers goes missing during a time of national panic over the disappearances or abductions of children. … at the time, several missing child cases made headlines, including those involving Etan Patz, who disappeared in New York City in 1979, … Until recent years it was one of the secondary shocks for parents of stolen children that they were alone in their crisis--and often nightmarishly thwarted by foot-dragging police departments, jurisdictional tangles and an FBI unable to enter a case unless there was clear evidence of an abduction. … There was no infrastructure in place" for dealing with the issue at the time” (Kutner).
These statements will help me write about Stranger Things' story from an outsider's perspective, because it gives me an idea of how missing children were dealt with in the 80s, and how to write my adaptation in regards to this.
“Familiar things: the TV series Stranger Things portrays family breakdown yesterday and today”
This article discusses how Stranger Things portrays the 80s, and how family dynamics are shown in the show and whether they’re accurate. On nostalgia for the 80s, the article reads:
But some remember the 1980s rather differently: The U.S. divorce rate peaked in 1980, and children in elementary school in the Reagan years were the first generation in which the question "Are your parents still married?" was both common and of intense interest. ("Were your parents married ..." with the implicit "... at all?" came later.) The maudlin term "latch-key kids" became commonplace; "day orphans," from the 1984 documentary on the subject, never quite caught on. The murder rate in 1980 was exactly double what it had been in 1960. The great cultural holdover from the Eisenhower years was that schoolchildren were still being taught to cower under their desks in the event of a nuclear attack. It was, in reality, a terrifying time to be a child” (Williamson).
This section of the article will help me in writing my adaptation because it gives me an idea of what kinds of cultural problems the 80s had, and what being a child in the 80s was like. This will assist me in writing my adaptation from an observer's point of view.
Works Cited
Grzesiak-Feldman, Monika. "The effect of high-anxiety situations on conspiracy thinking." Current Psychology, vol. 32, no. 1, 2013, p. 100+. General OneFile, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A350975375/GPS?u=maine&sid=GPS&xid=0f0d3b80. Accessed 9 Dec. 2018.
Kutner, Max. "How 'Stranger Things' Captures '80s Panic Over Missing Kids; The Netflix series pays homage to films of the 1980s, but it also depicts the issue of missing children at a time when it was gaining national attention." Newsweek, 2 Sept. 2016. General OneFile, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A462213605/GPS?u=maine&sid=GPS&xid=e10ed89a. Accessed 10 Dec. 2018.
Millar, Murray G., and Millar Karen U. "The effects of cognitive capacity and suspicion on truth bias." Communication Research, vol. 24, no. 5, 1997, p. 556+. Business Collection, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A20572273/GPS?u=maine&sid=GPS&xid=3b438e47. Accessed 10 Dec. 2018
"Rose-coloured rear-view: stranger things and the lure of a false past." Screen Education, no. 85, 2017, p. 16+. General OneFile, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A490693234/GPS?u=maine&sid=GPS&xid=41097e28. Accessed 9 Dec. 2018.
Scott-Kakures, Dion. "Unsettling questions: cognitive dissonance in self-deception." Social Theory and Practice, vol. 35, no. 1, 2009, p. 73+. General OneFile, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A194963406/GPS?u=maine&sid=GPS&xid=db96ebfc. Accessed 9 Dec. 2018.
Williamson, Kevin D. "Familiar things: the TV series Stranger Things portrays family breakdown yesterday and today." National Review, 29 Aug. 2016, p. 21+. Business Collection, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A460508206/GPS?u=maine&sid=GPS&xid=f880bf02. Accessed 10 Dec. 2018.