Search

Running or yoga can help beat depression, research shows – even if exercise is the last thing you feel like

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/michael-noetel-147460">Michael Noetel</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-queensland-805">The University of Queensland</a> At least <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.665019/full">one in ten people</a> have depression at some point in their lives, with some estimates <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0749379720301793">closer to one in four</a>. It’s one of the worst things for someone’s wellbeing – worse than <a href="https://www.happinessresearchinstitute.com/_files/ugd/928487_4a99b6e23f014f85b38495b7ab1ac24b.pdf">debt, divorce or diabetes</a>. <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-are-so-many-australians-taking-antidepressants-221857">One in seven</a> Australians take antidepressants. Psychologists are in <a href="https://theconversation.com/we-cant-solve-australias-mental-health-emergency-if-we-dont-train-enough-psychologists-here-are-5-fixes-190135">high demand</a>. Still, only <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003901">half</a> of people with depression in high-income countries get treatment. Our <a href="https://www.bmj.com/content/384/bmj-2023-075847">new research</a> shows that exercise should be considered alongside therapy and antidepressants. It can be just as impactful in treating depression as therapy, but it matters what type of exercise you do and how you do it. <h2>Walk, run, lift, or dance away depression</h2> We found 218 randomised trials on exercise for depression, with 14,170 participants. We analysed them using a method called a network meta-analysis. This allowed us to see how different types of exercise compared, instead of lumping all types together. We found walking, running, strength training, yoga and mixed aerobic exercise were about as effective as <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-cognitive-behaviour-therapy-37351">cognitive behaviour therapy</a> – one of the <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00004/full">gold-standard treatments</a> for depression. The effects of dancing were also powerful. However, this came from analysing just five studies, mostly involving young women. Other exercise types had more evidence to back them. Walking, running, strength training, yoga and mixed aerobic exercise seemed more effective than antidepressant medication alone, and were about as effective as exercise alongside antidepressants. But of these exercises, people were most likely to stick with strength training and yoga. <iframe id="cZaWb" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: none;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/cZaWb/2/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0"></iframe> Antidepressants certainly help <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/article/S0140-6736(17)32802-7/fulltext">some people</a>. And of course, anyone getting treatment for depression should talk to their doctor <a href="https://australia.cochrane.org/news/new-cochrane-review-explores-latest-evidence-approaches-stopping-long-term-antidepressants">before changing</a> what they are doing. Still, our evidence shows that if you have depression, you should get a psychologist and an exercise plan, whether or not you’re taking antidepressants. <h2>Join a program and go hard (with support)</h2> Before we analysed the data, we thought people with depression might need to “ease into it” with generic advice, <a href="https://www.who.int/initiatives/behealthy/physical-activity">such as</a> “some physical activity is better than doing none.” But we found it was far better to have a clear program that aimed to push you, at least a little. Programs with clear structure worked better, compared with those that gave people lots of freedom. Exercising by yourself might also make it hard to set the bar at the right level, given low self-esteem is a symptom of depression. We also found it didn’t matter how much people exercised, in terms of sessions or minutes a week. It also didn’t really matter how long the exercise program lasted. What mattered was the intensity of the exercise: the higher the intensity, the better the results. <h2>Yes, it’s hard to keep motivated</h2> We should exercise caution in interpreting the findings. Unlike drug trials, participants in exercise trials know which “treatment” they’ve been randomised to receive, so this may skew the results. Many people with depression have physical, psychological or social barriers to participating in formal exercise programs. And getting support to exercise isn’t free. We also still don’t know the best way to stay motivated to exercise, which can be even harder if you have depression. Our study tried to find out whether things like setting exercise goals helped, but we couldn’t get a clear result. Other reviews found it’s important to have a <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31923898/">clear action plan</a> (for example, putting exercise in your calendar) and to <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19916637/">track your progress</a> (for example, using an app or smartwatch). But predicting which of these interventions work is notoriously difficult. A <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-04128-4">2021 mega-study</a> of more than 60,000 gym-goers <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-04128-4/figures/1">found</a> experts struggled to predict which strategies might get people into the gym more often. Even making workouts fun didn’t seem to motivate people. However, listening to audiobooks while exercising helped a lot, which no experts predicted. Still, we can be confident that people benefit from personalised support and accountability. The support helps overcome the hurdles they’re sure to hit. The accountability keeps people going even when their brains are telling them to avoid it. So, when starting out, it seems wise to avoid going it alone. Instead: <ul> <li> join a fitness group or yoga studio </li> <li> get a trainer or an exercise physiologist </li> <li> ask a friend or family member to go for a walk with you. </li> </ul> Taking a few steps towards getting that support makes it more likely you’ll keep exercising. <h2>Let’s make this official</h2> Some countries see exercise as a backup plan for treating depression. For example, the American Psychological Association only <a href="https://www.apa.org/depression-guideline/">conditionally recommends</a> exercise as a “complementary and alternative treatment” when “psychotherapy or pharmacotherapy is either ineffective or unacceptable”. Based on our research, this recommendation is withholding a potent treatment from many people who need it. In contrast, The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists <a href="https://www.ranzcp.org/getmedia/a4678cf4-91f5-4746-99d4-03dc7379ae51/mood-disorders-clinical-practice-guideline-2020.pdf">recommends</a> vigorous aerobic activity at least two to three times a week for all people with depression. Given how common depression is, and the number failing to receive care, other countries should follow suit and recommend exercise alongside front-line treatments for depression. I would like to acknowledge my colleagues Taren Sanders, Chris Lonsdale and the rest of the coauthors of the paper on which this article is based. If this article has raised issues for you, or if you’re concerned about someone you know, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/223441/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/michael-noetel-147460">Michael Noetel</a>, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-queensland-805">The University of Queensland</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/running-or-yoga-can-help-beat-depression-research-shows-even-if-exercise-is-the-last-thing-you-feel-like-223441">original article</a>.

Body

Out of the rabbit hole: new research shows people can change their minds about conspiracy theories

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/matt-williams-666794">Matt Williams</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/massey-university-806">Massey University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/john-kerr-1073102">John Kerr</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-otago-1304">University of Otago</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/mathew-marques-14884">Mathew Marques</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/la-trobe-university-842">La Trobe University</a> Many people <a href="https://theconversation.com/was-phar-lap-killed-by-gangsters-new-research-shows-which-conspiracies-people-believe-in-and-why-158610">believe at least one</a> conspiracy theory. And that isn’t necessarily a bad thing – conspiracies do happen. To take just one example, the CIA really did engage in <a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2019/04/13/cia-mind-control-1266649">illegal experiments</a> in the 1950s to identify drugs and procedures that might produce confessions from captured spies. However, many conspiracy theories are not supported by evidence, yet still attract believers. For example, in a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/pops.12746">previous study</a>, we found about 7% of New Zealanders and Australians agreed with the theory that <a href="https://www.earthdata.nasa.gov/learn/sensing-our-planet/on-the-trail-of-contrails">visible trails behind aircraft</a> are “chemtrails” of chemical agents sprayed as part of a secret government program. That’s despite the theory being <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/11/8/084011">roundly rejected</a> by the scientific community. The fact that conspiracy theories attract believers despite a lack of credible evidence remains a puzzle for researchers in psychology and other academic disciplines. Indeed, there has been a great deal of research on conspiracy theories published in the past few years. We now know more about how many people believe them, as well as the psychological and political factors that <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-25617-0">correlate with that belief</a>. But we know much less about how often people change their minds. Do they do so frequently, or do they to stick tenaciously to their beliefs, regardless of what evidence they come across? <h2>From 9/11 to COVID</h2> We set out to answer this question using a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-51653-z">longitudinal survey</a>. We recruited 498 Australians and New Zealanders (using the <a href="http://prolific.com">Prolific</a> website, which recruits people to take part in paid research). Each month from March to September 2021, we presented our sample group with a survey, including ten conspiracy theories, and asked them how much they agreed with each one. All of these theories related to claims about events that are either ongoing, or occurred this millennium: the September 11 attacks, the rollout of 5G telecommunications technology, and COVID-19, among others. While there were definitely some believers in our sample, most participants disagreed with each of the theories. The most popular theory was that “pharmaceutical companies (‘Big Pharma’) have suppressed a cure for cancer to protect their profits”. Some 18% of the sample group agreed when first asked. The least popular was the theory that “COVID-19 ‘vaccines’ contain microchips to monitor and control people”. Only 2% agreed. <h2>Conspiracy beliefs probably aren’t increasing</h2> Despite contemporary concerns about a “<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7320252/">pandemic of misinformation</a>” or “<a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30461-X/fulltext">infodemic</a>”, we found no evidence that individual beliefs in conspiracy theories increased on average over time. This was despite our data collection happening during the tumultuous second year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Lockdowns were still happening occasionally in both <a href="https://www.timeout.com/melbourne/things-to-do/a-timeline-of-covid-19-in-australia-two-years-on">Australia</a> and <a href="https://covid19.govt.nz/about-our-covid-19-response/history-of-the-covid-19-alert-system/">New Zealand</a>, and anti-government sentiment was building. While we only tracked participants for six months, <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0270429">other studies</a> over much longer time frames have also found little evidence that beliefs in conspiracy theories are increasing over time. <hr /> <iframe class="flourish-embed-iframe" style="width: 100%; height: 600px;" title="Interactive or visual content" src="https://flo.uri.sh/visualisation/16665395/embed" width="100%" height="400" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" sandbox="allow-same-origin allow-forms allow-scripts allow-downloads allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation"></iframe> <div style="width: 100%!; margin-top: 4px!important; text-align: right!important;"><a class="flourish-credit" href="https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/16665395/?utm_source=embed&utm_campaign=visualisation/16665395" target="_top"><img src="https://public.flourish.studio/resources/made_with_flourish.svg" alt="Made with Flourish" /></a></div> <hr /> Finally, we found that beliefs (or non-beliefs) in conspiracy theories were stable – but not completely fixed. For any given theory, the vast majority of participants were “consistent sceptics” – not agreeing with the theory at any point. There were also some “consistent believers” who agreed at every point in the survey they responded to. For most theories, this was the second-largest group. Yet for every conspiracy theory, there was also a small proportion of converts. They disagreed with the theory at the start of the study, but agreed with it by the end. There was also a small proportion of “apostates” who agreed with the theory at the start, but disagreed by the end. Nevertheless, the percentages of converts and apostates tended to balance each other pretty closely, leaving the percentage of believers fairly stable over time. <h2>Inside the ‘rabbit hole’</h2> This relative stability is interesting, because <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/2564659">one criticism</a> of conspiracy theories is that they may not be “<a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/criterion-of-falsifiability">falsifiable</a>”: what seems like evidence against a conspiracy theory can just be written off by believers as part of the cover up. Yet people clearly do sometimes decide to reject conspiracy theories they previously believed. Our findings bring into question the popular notion of the “rabbit hole” – that people rapidly develop beliefs in a succession of conspiracy theories, much as Alice tumbles down into Wonderland in Lewis Carroll’s <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/11">famous story</a>. While it’s possible this does happen for a small number of people, our results suggest it isn’t a typical experience. For most, the <a href="https://www.latrobe.edu.au/news/articles/2023/opinion/how-to-talk-to-someone-about-conspiracy-theories">journey into</a> conspiracy theory belief might involve a more gradual slope – a bit like a <a href="https://zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1111/j.1469-7998.1985.tb05649.x">real rabbit burrow</a>, from which one can also emerge. <hr /> Mathew Ling (<a href="https://www.neaminational.org.au/">Neami National</a>), Stephen Hill (Massey University) and Edward Clarke (Philipps-Universität Marburg) contributed to the research referred to in this article.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222507/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <hr /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/matt-williams-666794">Matt Williams</a>, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/massey-university-806">Massey University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/john-kerr-1073102">John Kerr</a>, Senior Research Fellow, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-otago-1304">University of Otago</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/mathew-marques-14884">Mathew Marques</a>, Senior Lecturer in Social Psychology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/la-trobe-university-842">La Trobe University</a> Image credits: Getty Images This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/out-of-the-rabbit-hole-new-research-shows-people-can-change-their-minds-about-conspiracy-theories-222507">original article</a>.

Mind

"Good luck!": Pink stops show as pregnant fan goes into labour

It's not every day that you can say pop icon Pink stopped her show as you were going into labour, but for one Sydney fan this was her reality. The So What singer briefly stopped her show after spotting a pregnant woman getting wheeled out of her concert by a medic on Friday. Wanting to know what all the commotion was about, Pink stopped half way through her performance of Our Song and excitedly tried to find out the baby-to-be's gender, after discovering that the concertgoer was experiencing contractions. "Is it Alicia or Alex being born?" she asked from the stage, referencing her birth name, Alecia Beth Moore. The singer then playfully said that they shouldn't "be looking" anymore and urged the crowd to give the woman some "privacy." <div class="embed" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; outline: none !important;"><iframe class="embedly-embed" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; outline: none !important; width: 573px; max-width: 100%;" title="tiktok embed" src="https://cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2Fembed%2Fv2%2F7333559856185593090&display_name=tiktok&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2F%40miss_chantal%2Fvideo%2F7333559856185593090&image=https%3A%2F%2Fp16-sign-sg.tiktokcdn.com%2Fobj%2Ftos-alisg-p-0037%2F22874a6d4d174a149b284ecb5a642be4_1707477473%3Fx-expires%3D1707865200%26x-signature%3DNsu2Nw7zUT%252Bf6ndURt3fjSjaZfg%253D&key=59e3ae3acaa649a5a98672932445e203&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=tiktok" width="340" height="700" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div> "Wow, Our Song, that was the one that did it. Wouldn't have called that one! I thought it would've been Get The Party Started or 'Never Not Gonna Dance Again," she said, before congratulating the mum-to-be. "That's exciting. I don't even know what to say. But we have to sing now. Good luck! It's gonna be great! You're gonna do great," she said. A clip of the moment was shared on TikTok, with fans hoping that the mum had a safe delivery. "Baby is like nah I wanna see pink I don’t wanna just hear. Hope mama had a safe delivery 💕💕" one wrote. "Yep or maybe bubba is thinking will this make pink my godmother 😂💕" another added. Images: TikTok

Family & Pets

Newly revealed diary entry shows Queen Elizabeth's final moments

A previously unseen diary entry from Queen Elizabeth's private secretary has revealed the final moments of the late monarch's life. Sir Edward Young dutifully recorded every moment of the Queen's life, including Her Majesty's last moments at Balmoral surrounded by her family. “Very peaceful,” he wrote. “In her sleep. Slipped away. Old age. She wouldn’t have been aware of anything. No pain.” The private diary entry was lodged in the Royal Archives and has not been made public until now. Queen Elizabeth passed away at the age of 96 on September 8th 2022 at her beloved Balmoral Castle in Scotland, as she was surrounded by the royal family. Others who were by the Queen’s bedside included the Queen’s senior dresser and trusted confidante, Angela Kelly, along with the Rev Kenneth MacKenzie, a minister, who read to her from the Bible. The diary entry comes from a new book Charles III: New King, New Court. The Inside Story, written by royal expert Robert Hardman, who shared other details from the Queen's final moments. The book notes that after King Charles sat by his mother's bedside for hours before her death, he went out to forage mushrooms to clear his head. It was when he was returning to Balmoral Castle that he was informed his mother has died. After her death, a footman brought a locked red box of paperwork found by her deathbed. In it, were two sealed letters: one to her son and heir, Charles, and the other, addressed to Young. The box also contained her final royal order: her choice of candidates for the prestigious Order of Merit for ‘exceptionally meritorious service’ across the Commonwealth. Hardman writes in the new book, “Even on her deathbed, there had been work to do. And she had done it.” Image credits: Getty Images

Caring

Netflix reveals top TV shows of 2023

Netflix has released its first ever biannual report into how their original shows and performed on the platform. The report titled “What We Watched: A Netflix Engagement Report”, covers over 18,000 titles and nearly 100 billion hours viewed between a six-month period from January and June. Content is included in the report if it's been watched for over 50,000 hours. According to the list the most-watched TV show during the six month period, was Season 1 of The Night Agent, a US show which stars Gabriel Basso and Luciane Buchanan. The show racked up a massive 812.1 million hours of viewership. Comedy-drama Ginny & Georgia took second spot, which was streamed for over 665 million hours. The third most-watched show was the first season of the South Korean thriller The Glory with 622 million hours of viewership. Worldwide hit Wednesday, starring Jenna Ortega ranked fourth, with half a billion hours from January to June, even though it technically had over one billion hours of viewership in the first 19 days since after it was released in November 2022. But since the show premiered late last year, most viewers had already finished the series by the time the Netflix report began. Netflix co – chief executive Ted Sarandos said that the streaming platform is making continuous effort to make viewership information more public, in order to build trust with their audience. “In the earliest days, it really wasn’t really in our interest to be that transparent because we were building a new business and we also needed room to learn but we also didn’t want to provide road maps to future competitors,” Sarandos told reporters, according to Vulture. “The unintended consequence of not having more transparent data about our engagement was it created an atmosphere of mistrust over time with producers and creators and the press about what was happening on Netflix,” Sarados said. “So we’ve been on this continuum of opening things up.” Image: Phil Barker/Future Publishing via Getty Images

"You've restored my faith": Community shows up for lonely birthday boy

One dad's desperate plea has "restored" his faith after his local community showed up for his son's third birthday party. Pre-schooler William Buck and his dad Steven sat patiently on a beach in Wellington, waiting for his friends to arrive and begin the celebrations for his third birthday party. As time passed, William and his dad grew more hopeless, and they worried about the fate of the celebrations. "He kept asking where everyone was, and we were like 'they’re coming soon'," Steven Buck told <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/wellbeing/parenting/133203054/familys-plea-after-nobody-shows-at-3yearolds-birthday-brings-community-to-beach" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" data-i13n="cpos:2;pos:1" data-ylk="slk:Stuff;cpos:2;pos:1;elm:context_link;itc:0" data-rapid_p="9" data-v9y="1">Stuff</a>. Steven felt "guilty" that none of his son's mates had come to the party, especially given how excited his son had been for this birthday, as he had been talking about the celebration for weeks. In a last ditch effort to make William's day special, Steven turned to social media for help. Steven posted an image of the pair online and invited any locals wanting "some sun and sand" to join them. "William would love some friends to play with. He has Hot Wheels, sand toys, dinos, and we have some snacks and drinks. Any and all welcome," he wrote. Amazingly, locals responded in their thousands, wishing William a 'Happy Birthday' while many others joined the three-year-old and his parents. "Going there. See you soon," one local wrote, before arriving with her family. The partygoers arrived with bubbles and inflatables, parking themselves down on beach chairs ready to celebrate the sunny day with William. "Thank you so much everyone for the birthday wishes and support," Steven wrote online after the day. "Wellington you always restore my faith in humanity!" Image credits: Facebook

Family & Pets

An X-Files expert on the show’s enduring appeal – 30 years on

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/bethan-jones-1345648">Bethan Jones</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-york-1344">University of York</a> On September 10 1993 the pilot episode of The X-Files aired. Thirty years later to the day, I was at a <a href="https://www.twincities.com/2023/04/17/moa-30th-anniversary-x-files-convention/">convention centre in Minneapolis</a> with 500 other fans and the show’s creator, Chris Carter, celebrating its legacy. Ostensibly a show about aliens, The X-Files swiftly became part of the cultural lexicon and remains there to this day. In part its success was down to the chemistry of its two leads – David Duchovny, who played FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder and Gillian Anderson, who played FBI Special Agent Dana Scully. After all, it was the X-Files fandom that invented the term <a href="https://www.vox.com/2016/6/7/11858680/fandom-glossary-fanfiction-explained">“shipping”</a> (rooting for characters to get together romantically). But, as I argue in my new book, <a href="https://www.tuckerdspress.com/product-page/the-x-files-the-truth-is-still-out-there">The Truth Is Still Out There: Thirty Years of The X-Files</a>, what really made the series successful was its ability to tap into contemporary cultural moments and ask us to really think about the times we’re living in. When the series began in 1993, the US was still grappling with the effects of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Watergate-Scandal">Watergate</a> and the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Vietnam-War">Vietnam war</a>, but concerns were also rising about the approaching millennium and the economic and cultural divisions within US society. It also coincided with Bill Clinton becoming president – marking the end of more than a decade of Republican leadership. It’s little surprise that fears about immigration, globalisation, national identity and technology emerged and were adopted – and sometimes foreshadowed – by The X-Files’ writers. Several episodes throughout the first nine seasons dealt with artificial technology, for example, and <a href="https://x-files.fandom.com/wiki/Eve">Eve</a>, an episode in season one about clones, came four years before the birth of <a href="https://dolly.roslin.ed.ac.uk/facts/the-life-of-dolly/index.html">Dolly the Sheep</a>. Critical theorist Douglas Kellner <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/432310?casa_token=44PnlIC58_oAAAAA%3AyDF-53m8WsQCfec-VrVjlF8nav_Q2y24s9ldHo7bFPUvAwUrbcieUZoEk7DZe6R3Mma-WcaUNskkC4CR4baLoAHz7EdFEqcAONLgeI4SiU85I-LPIjNk">argued in 1994</a> that The X-Files “generated distrust toward established authority, representing institutions of government and the established order as highly flawed, even complicit in the worst crimes and evil imaginable”. Though I’d argue it was less that the show generated this distrust and more that it leveraged the growing number of reports about the government’s secretive activities to inspire its storylines. As the public became more aware of the government’s role in – and surveillance of – public life, so too The X-Files considered the ways in which technology could be used as a means of control. In the season three episode <a href="https://x-files.fandom.com/wiki/Wetwired">Wetwired</a>, for example, a device attached to a telephone pole emits signals that tap into people’s paranoid delusions and lead them to kill. And in the season six episode, <a href="https://x-files.fandom.com/wiki/S.R._819">SR 819</a>, a character’s circulatory system fails because he has been infected with nanotechnology controlled by a remote device belonging to a shadow government. These themes reflected growing concerns about government agencies using technology to both spy on and influence the public. <h2>The X-Files’ enduring appeal</h2> During my X-Files research, carried out with viewers after a revival was announced in 2015, it became clear that the show has remained part of the cultural lexicon. As one fan explained: “The cultural context of conspiracy theories has changed since the beginning of X-Files. Nowadays, every pseudoscience documentary uses similar soundtrack and narrative.” Of course, the X-Files didn’t invent conspiracy theories, but as one of the show’s writers and producers, Jim Wong, <a href="https://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/how-x-files-brought-conspiracy-theories-into-mainstream-culture">points out</a>, it did “tap into something that was more or less hidden in the beginning when we were doing it”. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-P-07yN806A?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><figcaption>The trailer for The X-Files revival.</figcaption></figure> The focus on the rise of the alt-right, disinformation and fake news in seasons 10 and 11 seemed like a logical angle from which to approach the changing cultural context the revival came into. Carter and his co-writers dove straight in to what Guardian critic <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2016/feb/09/your-government-lies-why-the-x-files-revival-is-just-right-for-our-climate-of-extreme-scepticism">Mark Lawson calls</a> “a new era of governmental paranoia and public scepticism”, fuelled by the 2008 financial crisis, the fall out of the war on terror and scores of political scandals. Season 10 saw the introduction of a right-wing internet talk show host who argues that 9/11 was a “false flag operation” and that the mainstream liberal media lie to Americans about life, liberty and the right to bear arms. The parallels to conspiracy theorists like Alex Jones and Glenn Beck were obvious. Carter’s incorporation of topics like surveillance, governments’ misuse of power and methods of social control meant that seasons ten and 11 were very much situated in the contemporary moment. This is perhaps most obvious in the season 11 episode, <a href="https://x-files.fandom.com/wiki/The_Lost_Art_of_Forehead_Sweat">The Lost Art of Forehead Sweat</a>, which deals with the disinformation of the Trump era head on. The episode’s protagonist, Dr. They, tells Mulder that “no one can tell the difference anymore between what’s real and what’s fake”. While The X-Files’ search for the truth in the 1990s may have ultimately been a philosophical endeavour, in the 21st century it is a commentary on how emotion and belief can be more influential than objective facts. Watching the show again while researching my book, I was struck by how it was dated predominantly by its lack of technology, rather than the ideas it expresses. In the second season episode <a href="https://x-files.fandom.com/wiki/Ascension">Ascension</a>, Mulder pulls a phone book off a shelf in his search for Scully – now we’d use Google. But in other aspects the show remains as relevant today as it was in the 1990s, encouraging us to think about the big questions relating to faith, authority and truth. <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/bethan-jones-1345648">Bethan Jones</a>, Research Associate, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-york-1344">University of York</a> Image credits: Getty Images This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/an-x-files-expert-on-the-shows-enduring-appeal-30-years-on-213610">original article</a>.

Ed Sheeran fans left devastated moments before show

Ed Sheeran has been forced to abruptly cancel his show in Las Vegas, just hours before it was set to begin. The British singer-songwriter, who is coming to the end of his Mathematics World Tour, broke the news to devastated fans on Sunday, saying he was "so sorry" for the last minute cancellation. Sheeran wrote on Instagram, “I can’t believe I’m typing this but there’s been some challenges encountered during the load in of our Vegas show." He continued, “It’s impossible to go forward with the show. I’m so sorry. I know everyone has travelled in for this and I wish I could change it." “The gig will be postponed to Saturday October 28th and all purchased tickets will be valid for that date. I’m so, so sorry x.” Fans were quick to express their disappointment, with many saying they had travelled to attend the show and weren't able to come back for the postponed gig. One fan wrote, “I can’t believe we travelled all the way to Vegas 10 hours to see Ed Sheeran for him to cancel less than an hour before the show." “My poor husband a disabled vet along with so many people standing waiting on 103 degree heat to be turned away!!! I can’t come back in October, and no refund!!” Many demanded an explanation as to how the gig could be cancelled at such short notice, to which Ed took to Instagram again in the hours after the cancellation to shed some light on the issue. According to his statement on Instagram, the show was cancelled over safety concerns when two tall towers, used to hold up the stage and lighting equipment, had become unstable. Despite best efforts to restabilise the structures, the issue then travelled to the safety of the floor, which was set to hold 65,000 concertgoers, and the whole show had to be cancelled. Adding to the explanation, Sheeran wrote, "I really am gutted, this was very much out of my control but I do take full responsibility for everyone that was put out from the cancellation. Of course refunds are available at point of purchase, and there is a rescheduled show October the 28th if people still want to come, I promise it will be special." "We really thought the show was going to happen up until the very last moment but it just couldn’t for safety reasons. Sorry again to everyone affected, and hopefully see you in October x". Image credits: Getty Images

Music

"Buddy is the star": Jamie Oliver's son scores his own show

Buddy Oliver is a chip off the old block after landing his own cooking show for the BBC, according to reports. The 12-year-old has already made a name for himself with his YouTube channel Cooking Buddies, where he creates cooking tutorials with his famous dad, the iconic Jamie Oliver, in their family home. With an impressive fanbase of over 133,000 subscribers, Buddy's skills have been recognised and he is now reportedly set to appear on the small screen. "Buddy has taken all of his dad's experience on board and is about to put it into play with his own cookery show," a source told The Sun. The budding cook will reportedly be joined by other kids on the show, who will learn tips from him on how to get started on cooking. "Jamie's fans have long been asking for his son to have his own show for their kids to enjoy," the source added, claiming that Buddy will be the star of the show. "Buddy is the star of the show. Jamie is keen for his son to prove himself to telly audiences, not just live off the family name. "So Buddy's got to showcase his technical skills and presenting ability. But if his YouTube work is anything to go by, it'll be natural for him," the source said. Buddy is the second youngest of Jamie's children with his wife Jools. He has three older sisters Poppy, 21, Daisy Boo, 20, and Petal, 14, and a younger brother seven-year-old River Rocket. Image: YouTube

Food & Wine

Harrowing footage shows passengers clinging for life in falling cable car

Harrowing new footage has shown the moment 12 people were forced to hold on for dear life inside a falling cable car in Pakistan. The video footage, captured by a <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-66597447" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BBC News</a> drone, shows the terrified passengers - six children and six adults - clinging on to parts of the cable car as they dangled stranded for 12 hours. The group were travelling to a school in the cable car when a cable broke halfway through their journey high above the remote Allai valley in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. They were more than 300 metres in the air when they became stranded. A daring rescue operation took more than 12 hours to complete, with the use of a military helicopter and several zip wire experts. <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CwS_rAiMksY/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CwS_rAiMksY/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by BBC News (@bbcnews)</a> </div> </blockquote> The children were rescued first, with the adults the last to be plucked free. Some of the passengers told AFP that several times they lost hope in ever being rescued, and had considered leaping from the chairlift. “Some of the children were so frustrated and were considering to jump down, but the elder passengers gave us confidence,” 15-year-old Rizwan Ullah told AFP. “When the cable car was twisting, we were terrified and we started reciting the Koran and gave confidence to each other not to jump down.” Gul Faraz, a 25-year-old shopkeeper who was in the cable car, said they had started to lose hope that they would be rescued. “During the whole process we thought we would die. There were some times when we thought we would not survive,” he said. On Twitter, now known as X, Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kak said he was “relieved” after the safe rescue. “Great team work by the military, rescue departments, district administration as well as the local people.” The owner of the cable car company in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province was later arrested by police on multiple charges including negligence and endangering valuable lives. Image credits: BBC News

Travel Trouble

Bruce Springsteen cancels shows after being "taken ill"

Bruce Springsteen's upcoming performances have been unexpectedly put on hold due to his falling ill, leading to the postponement of his scheduled shows. A sudden announcement, posted on the singer's official X account, has informed fans that the show dates will be rescheduled. "Due to Bruce Springsteen having been taken ill, his concerts with The E Street Band at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on August 16 and 18 have been postponed. We are working on rescheduling the dates so please hold on to your tickets as they will be valid for the rescheduled shows." This announcement emerged mere hours before the debut show, just as eager fans were anticipating a memorable experience with Springsteen and his band. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Due to Bruce Springsteen having been taken ill, his concerts with The E Street Band at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on August 16 and 18 have been postponed. We are working on rescheduling the dates so please hold on to your tickets as they will be valid for the rescheduled… — Bruce Springsteen (@springsteen) <a href="https://twitter.com/springsteen/status/1691872953414115424?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 16, 2023</a></blockquote> This occurrence isn't the first instance where the music icon had to modify a show at the 11th hour due to health issues. Earlier this year, Springsteen communicated the postponement of his March 9 event at the Nationwide Arena in Ohio, attributing it to "illness." No explicit details about his health condition were disclosed in that instance either, but fans were encouraged to retain their original tickets for the rescheduled shows. Following the Ohio cancellation, two more postponements were subsequently declared. The performance originally slated for March 12 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut has been rescheduled to September, while the March 14 show at the MVP Arena in Albany, upstate New York, was similarly postponed. Both changes were tied to unspecified health concerns. During this period, Steven Van Zandt, a member of the E Street Band, assuaged fans' concerns. He reassured them via Twitter, stating: "No need to be anxious or afraid. Nothing serious. Just a temporary situation. We will all be back in full force very soon." The band embarked on their tour in February, commencing in Tampa and traversing the United States before crossing the Atlantic to Europe in April. Returning to the United States in August, Springsteen and his crew intended to entertain audiences for several more months before culminating the extensive tour on December 10 in San Francisco. With a career spanning over 50 years, the seasoned singer-songwriter shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

Caring

Ken’s rights? Our research shows Barbie is surprisingly accurate on how ‘men’s rights activists’ are radicalised

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lucy-nicholas-145660">Lucy Nicholas</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-sydney-university-1092">Western Sydney University</a> In the Barbie movie, we open with a picture of a perfect Barbieland where (almost) everyone is happy, diversity and sisterhood are embraced, and Barbies hold all positions of power. The Kens however, reflecting the popularity of the dolls in the real world, play a mainly decorative role. Spoilers for Barbie follow. In the film, we see a disgruntled Ken (played hilariously by Ryan Gosling) follow “Stereotypical” Barbie (Margot Robbie) to the real world where she has to find her human owner. This is all to fix an error that is allowing the real world to seep into Barbie land, with symptoms such as Barbie having an existential crisis. In the real world, Ken discovers the concept of the patriarchy. This sees him take a journey that is clearly influenced by, and pokes fun at, many aspects of contemporary anti-feminist men’s rights culture. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pBk4NYhWNMM?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <h2>Barbieland and the matriarchy</h2> It has been proposed that <a href="https://theconversation.com/in-greta-gerwigs-barbie-land-the-matriarchy-can-be-just-as-bad-as-the-patriarchy-209317">Barbieland is a matriarchy</a>, but I would argue that their attitude to Kens is instead indifference. Ken was aggrieved that Barbie didn’t notice him and reciprocate his affections. This is not dissimilar to the grievances of some real-life men under contemporary feminism. Why don’t women’s lives revolve around them? And what can they do to address this perceived injustice? The movie cleverly parallels the emotions, narratives and logics that lead men to extreme antifeminist and misogynistic thinking, and in doing so exposes the flimsiness of their foundations. Having undertaken <a href="https://apo.org.au/sites/default/files/resource-files/2020-12/apo-nid307612.pdf">research</a> on online antifeminist discourses, Ken’s journey from aggrievement to masculine “enlightenment” parallels themes we found in Men’s Rights Activist spaces. Radicalisation into this world is often motivated by a feeling among boys and men of being left behind by a feminist world or system that doesn’t value them. This then leads them to long for an imagined natural order of patriarchy where women are back in their place and men regain their entitlements. These logics underpin <a href="https://theconversation.com/yes-the-incel-community-has-a-sexism-problem-but-we-can-do-something-about-it-207206">incel</a> culture, a movement that is increasingly understood as a terror threat, and has been associated with various acts of terror, such as the 2022 Aotearoa New Zealand <a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/closest-to-an-incel-attack-nz-has-had-experts-concern-after-attempted-murder-of-auckland-schoolgirls/HYPEVZ6F4BFT3CV2O4SXS5FR7U/">Epsom crash case</a>. <h2>The manosphere and MRAS</h2> The “<a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-68360-7_2">manosphere</a>” can be understood as a loose coalition of antifeminist online subcultures. This includes MRAs (<a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1097184X15574338">Men’s Rights Activists</a>) who claim reverse discrimination and that feminism has gone too far, and <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1097184X18816118">Redpillers</a> who claim to have swallowed the “red pill” to see the truth about feminism’s dominance. PUAs (<a href="https://repository.upenn.edu/entities/publication/d8971ded-1ec3-4939-8c0a-ab248dad62ba">Pick up Artists</a>) teach men how to manipulate the women they feel they are entitled to, to give them sex; and MGTOWs (<a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1369118X.2020.1751867">Men Going Their Own Way</a>), who are antifeminist separatists (from women). Some of the most well known members of the manosphere are incels (involuntary celibates) a misogynistic community of self identified “beta-males” who want an end to women’s rights which prevent them from getting sex. <h2>Ken’s grievances</h2> Like many MRAs, Ken struggles with a sense of entitlement romantically (rather than sexually in genital-free Barbieland), and in attitudes to power and respect. Ken was being “<a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/friend%20zone">friend-zoned</a>” by Barbie, who despite being “boyfriend and girlfriend” wouldn’t let him stay over at the Dream House, because “every night is girl’s night”. This is coupled with a feeling of not being special, as Ken is essentially interchangeable with any other Ken. He is also “alpha’d” by other Kens: in the language of the manosphere, Barbie is a <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-27/incels-inside-their-terrifying-online-world/9700932">“Stacy” and the other Ken is an alpha “Chad”</a> preventing him from getting what he wants. In <a href="https://apo.org.au/sites/default/files/resource-files/2020-12/apo-nid307612.pdf">our data</a> we found women are often described as “overlords”, man-haters, misandrists and “feminazis”. Among other concerns, men perceive economic loss due to women’s participation in the workplace, and crucially a lack of men’s sexual access to women brought about by the gains of feminism such as the awareness raised around consent by the #metoo movement. These men all share a starting point of grievance at women and their perceived indifference towards them. When Ken goes to the real world, he discovers patriarchy and he LOVES it. He has been “redpilled”. Patriarchy explains his aggrievement, and affirms his feelings. He takes patriarchy back to Barbieland and transforms it to Kendom, where the men change it to a society oriented around men and their power (and horses…). <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Y1IgAEejvqM?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <h2>Redpilled ken</h2> This redpilled Ken is a hilarious parody of the “neomasculinity” of the pick up artist (PUA) movement, that seeks to restore a masculine-centred world. Neomasculinity is about a belief in biological difference, traditional masculinity and heteronormative gender roles. The amusing depiction of the Kens trying to perform traditional <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/hypermasculinity">hypermasculinity</a> and needing their egos stroked – such as in a hilarious scene where the Kens are serenading the Barbies on the beach with an acoustic rendition of Matchbox Twenty’s <a href="https://youtu.be/HAkHqYlqops">Push</a> (“I wanna push you around … I wanna take you for granted”) – brilliantly shows the extent to which toxic masculinity is learned. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HAkHqYlqops?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> Additionally, the competition among the Kens (that the Barbies ultimately stoke to overturn the Kentriarchy) is the perfect illustration of the damage toxic models of masculinity does to men. As Australian sociologist Raewyn Connell has long argued, almost no men can live up to <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/27640853">masculine ideals</a>, resulting in negative outcomes not just for women but also for men themselves. <h2>Finding the real Ken</h2> The movie ends with Barbie, her human (America Ferrera), “Weird Barbie” (Kate McKinnon) and Allan (Michael Cera) deprogramming the brainwashed Barbies and turning the Kens against each other. But what of Just Beach Ken? And what can we learn from this for preventing or managing radicalisation of this feeling of aggrievement in real men or boys? Well, Barbie and Ken reach a middle ground. Barbie encourages Ken to work out who he is outside of his relation to Barbie, and to learn being Just Ken is enough. This isn’t dissimilar to the methods of men’s behaviour change programs and counselling for men who use violence, which use <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10926771.2023.2189043">trauma-informed motivational interviewing</a>, reflect on challenging gender norms and breaking down rigid thought processes, and developing emotional literacy and communication strategies. But it also illustrates that men and boys need alternative narratives to make sense of themselves in the world, and alternative communities for affirmation, before it gets to this stage. In <a href="https://apo.org.au/sites/default/files/resource-files/2020-12/apo-nid307612.pdf">our report</a>, we recommended: "Providing alternative narratives and considering how far-right [or MRA] groups provide men with emotional support networks, with a view to providing better alternatives." Feminism has consistently been about separating attributes from their gendered associations, breaking down the Barbie/Ken binary. So if there is one thing we can take away from the Barbie movie, it is that hierarchy and rigid gender benefits nobody, and power and social roles have nothing to do with the genitals you are born with.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/210273/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lucy-nicholas-145660">Lucy Nicholas</a>, Associate professor Sexualities and Genders / Sociology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-sydney-university-1092">Western Sydney University</a> Image credits: Warner Bros. This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/kens-rights-our-research-shows-barbie-is-surprisingly-accurate-on-how-mens-rights-activists-are-radicalised-210273">original article</a>.

Caring

Why am I online? Research shows it’s often about managing emotions

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/wally-smith-1450210">Wally Smith</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/greg-wadley-203663">Greg Wadley</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a> Most of us <a href="https://wearesocial.com/au/blog/2022/02/digital-2022-australia-online-like-never-before/">go online</a> multiple times a day. About half of 18–29 year olds surveyed in a 2021 <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2021/03/26/about-three-in-ten-u-s-adults-say-they-are-almost-constantly-online/">Pew Research Study</a> said they are “almost constantly” connected. How are we to make sense of this significant digital dimension of modern life? Many questions have rightly been asked about its broader consequences for society and the economy. But there remains a simpler question about what motivates people across a range of ages, occupations and cultures to be so absorbed in digital connection. And we can turn this question on ourselves: why am I online? <h2>What are we doing when we go online?</h2> As the American sociologist Erving Goffman <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1975/02/16/archives/frame-analysis.html">pointed out</a>, asking “What is it that’s going on here?” about human behaviour can yield answers framed at different levels. These range from our superficial motives to a deeper understanding of what we are “really” doing. Sometimes we might be content to explain our online behaviour in purely practical terms, like checking traffic routes or paying a bill. Other times we might struggle to articulate our reasons for going or remaining online. Why are we continually looking at our phones or computers, when we could be getting on with physical tasks, or exercising, or meditating, or engaging more fully with the people who are physically around us? <h2>The ever-present need to manage our emotions</h2> As researchers of human-computer interaction, we are exploring answers in terms of the ever-present need to manage our emotions. Psychologists refer to this activity as <a href="https://www.guilford.com/books/Handbook-of-Emotion-Regulation/James-Gross/9781462520732">emotion regulation</a>. Theories of the nature and function of emotions are complex and contested. However, it is safe to say they are expressions of felt needs and motivations that arise in us through some fusion of physiology and culture. During a typical day, we often feel a need to <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1037/1089-2680.2.3.271">alter our emotional state</a>. We may wish to feel more serious about a competitive task or more sad at a funeral. Perhaps we would like to be less sad about events of the past, less angry when meeting an errant family member, or more angry about something we know in our heart is wrong. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PQkNb4CLjJ8?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><figcaption>Digital emotion regulation is becoming increasingly common in our everyday lives.</figcaption></figure> One way to understand our frequent immersions into online experience is to see them as acts within a broader scheme of managing such daily emotional demands. Indeed, in <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1071581922001732">earlier research</a> we found up to half of all smartphone use may be for the purpose of emotional regulation. <h2>Digital technologies are becoming key tools of emotion regulation</h2> Over the pandemic lockdowns of 2020–21 in Melbourne, Australia, we investigated how digital technologies are becoming <a href="https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3491102.3517573">key tools of emotion regulation</a>. We were surprised to find that people readily talked of their technology use in these emotion-managing terms. Occasionally, this involved specially designed apps, for mindfulness and so on. But more often people relied on mundane tools, such as using social media alongside Zoom to combat feelings of boredom or isolation, browsing for “retail therapy”, playing phone games to de-stress, and searching online to alleviate anxiety about world events. To some extent, these uses of digital technology can be seen as re-packaging <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/026999399379285">traditional methods</a> of emotion management, such as listening to music, strengthening social connections, or enjoying the company of adorable animals. Indeed, people in our study used digital technologies to enact familiar strategies, such as immersion in selected situations, seeking distractions, and reappraising what a situation means. However, we also found indications that digital tools are changing the intensity and nature of how we regulate emotions. They provide emotional resources that are <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubiquitous_computing">nearly always available</a>, and virtual situations can be accessed, juxtaposed and navigated more deftly than their physical counterparts. Some participants in our study described how they built what we called “emotional toolkits”. These are collections of digital resources ready to be deployed when needed, each for a particular emotional effect. <h2>A new kind of digital emotional intelligence</h2> None of this is to say emotion regulation is automatically and always a good thing. It can be a means of avoiding important and meaningful endeavours and it can itself become dysfunctional. In our study of a small sample of Melburnians, we found that although digital applications appeared to be generally effective in this role, they are volatile and can lead to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/sep/27/social-dilemma-media-facebook-twitter-society">unpredictable emotional outcomes</a>. A search for energising music or reassuring social contact, for example, can produce random or unwanted results. A new kind of <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10187756/">digital emotional intelligence</a> might be needed to effectively navigate digital emotional landscapes. <h2>An historic shift in everyday life</h2> Returning to the question: what am I doing online? Emotion regulation may well be the part of the answer. You may be online for valid instrumental reasons. But equally, you are likely to be enacting your own strategies of <a href="https://cis.unimelb.edu.au/hci/projects/digitalemotionregulation">emotion regulation through digital means</a>. It is part of an historic shift playing out in how people negotiate the demands of everyday life. <img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/208483/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/wally-smith-1450210">Wally Smith</a>, Professor, School of Computing and Information Systems, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/greg-wadley-203663">Greg Wadley</a>, Senior Lecturer, Computing and Information Systems, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a> Image credits: Getty Images This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-am-i-online-research-shows-its-often-about-managing-emotions-208483">original article</a>.

Technology

5 TV shows with hidden meanings in their names

Sometimes you’ll hear a TV title and think that it sounds cool, but not really pause to think about what it means. Sure, creators could go the more obvious route and call a show what it’s about (some excellent shows with such monikers include Desperate Housewives, CSI, Boston Legal, and Friends), but where’s the fun in that? We like a title that needs a little digging to uncover a new layer of meaning to the show you’re currently binging. Here are some of our favourites. 1. Mad Men If you weren’t paying attention to Mad Men’s pilot, (and it seems as though many of us weren’t), “Mad Men” are the advertising men working on Madison Avenue. Throw those words together and what do you get? I’ll wait. 2. Black Mirror If you haven’t yet experienced this eerie anthology series about the myriad potential dark futures humans face because of our obsession with and dependence upon technology, you should add it to your list. In 2014, the show’s creator, Charlie Brooker, explained to the UK’s Channel 4 that “black mirror” refers to how any kind of screen looks once it’s been turned off. Try it now – pick up your phone without pressing any buttons. Can you see your face staring back at you from a dark, reflected world? 3. Grey’s Anatomy This is one of those punny titles that plays on the lead character’s name, but it works so deliciously that I’m willing to let it slide. Lead character Meredith Grey has her life and inner workings on display for the whole world to see each week, but what you might not realise is that Gray’s Anatomy is a popular medical textbook published over 150 years ago. 4. Breaking Bad This one is a little obscure, and many people never gave it a second thought – so wrapped up were they in the spectacular downward spiral of Walter White. “Breaking bad” is a <a href="https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Break%20Bad" target="_blank" rel="noopener">colloquial term</a> that means you challenge conventions, skirt the edges of the law, or defy authority. Pretty much sums up all of Walt, right? 5. The Wire This subversive, subtle classic is so engrossing that it’s easy to skip straight past the simple name without giving it a second thought, so you might not notice that these aren’t the typical police you’re used to seeing on television. These cops use tactical methods to get their work done – usually surveillance and wire taps. Image credit: Instagram / Shutterstock

Hidden jokes in your favourite TV shows

Creating a television show has to be one of the most stressful jobs in Hollywood. Not only do you have to come up with compelling characters, plots, and stick them in the perfect setting, you also have to manage things like budgets, actor availability, and notes from networks. But even though the schedule is always tight, and despite the ever-present threat of cancellation, TV writers, designers, and cast members often find ways to insert hidden references and inside jokes for the most eagle-eyed viewers. Colloquially known as “Easter eggs”, these gags are hard to spot unless you know what you’re looking for. So, we’ve assembled a list of some of our favourites so you can keep an eye out next time you’re bingeing. 1. The West Wing Fans of Aaron Sorkin’s beloved West Wing will no doubt remember the episode when CJ is gifted a goldfish by reporter and admirer Danny. The goldfish bowl (and its inhabitant) became a feature of CJ’s desk throughout the entire series, and would often feature a deep-sea decoration pertaining to the episode’s theme. Christmas trees, Presidential podiums, and ballot boxes all featured as decorations over the years. 2. Arrested Development Fans of this hysterical family comedy will no doubt remember the fateful episode when Buster Bluth loses his arm to a runaway seal. If you go back and watch the second season again, you’ll notice visual gags aplenty that foreshadow poor Buster’s fate. Perhaps the boldest is when Buster sits on a bench, obscuring the perfect amount of letters so that all viewers can see are the words “arm off”. 3. Community With a cult following to rival any, Community packed its laughs anywhere they could. The show’s creators played a long game with a gag to summon the titular character from Tim Burton’s 1988 Beetlejuice. According to the film’s lore, Beetlejuice can be summoned by saying his name three times. Characters said “Beetlejuice” once in season one, again in season two, and for a third time in season three. When Annie says his name for the third time, Beetlejuice himself can be clearly seen walking in a hallway outside. Gold. 4. Battlestar Galactica Fans of Joss Whedon’s beloved, short-lived space western Firefly will be delighted to know that the space ship featured in the series (a “Firefly” class named Serenity) had a cameo in the 2003 Battlestar Galactica miniseries. Blink and you’ll miss this one. Pause it at the right moment and marvel in the glory. Shiny. Image credit: Shutterstock

Surprising facts about 5 classic TV shows

As well as offering some real television nostalgia, these classic shows are also regarded as some of the most iconic TV shows ever made. Here are some lesser-known facts about five of the most popular shows in TV history. 1. I Love Lucy I Love Lucy had a rather rocky start. Fraught with dilemmas and thought to maybe not move forward with the pilot, it came down to play it safe, or take a chance on the untried medium of television. Ball recounts that in a dream, Hollywood actress Carole Lombard appeared in a “very smart suit and she said, <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=uBWFgeCNAz4C&pg=PA26&lpg=PA26&dq=carole+lombard+Take+a+chance,+honey.+Give+it+a+whirl!&source=bl&ots=8jLdurHJI6&sig=lSqvQ7Uk-bHYFlraRdDppCxrj74&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjt8byl9LXRAhVmi1QKHS3-DB70Q6AEIPjAH#v=onepage&q=carole%20lombard%20Take%20a%20chance%2C%20honey.%20Give%20it%20a%20whirl!&f=false" target="_blank" rel="noopener">‘Go on, honey. Give it a whirl</a>!’” And they did exactly that and they show is one of the most loved of its kind to date. 2. The Flintstones The popular 1960s cartoon The Flintstones may have become a hit around the world but it was not well received by everyone. One of television’s most iconic actors of all time, Jackie Gleason, was not happy about the show’s inspiration. According to Alan Reed Jr. (son of Alan Reed, who voiced Fred Flintstone), The Flintstones was <a href="http://www.thespectrum.com/story/entertainment/2015/09/24/alan-reed-jr-remembers-flintstones/72626720/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">inspired by The Honeymooners</a>, taking on the short-tempered and overbearing characteristics of Gleason’s vociferous Ralph Kramden. 3. The Odd Couple After it first premiered in 1970, viewers had some questions about the sexuality of Felix and Oscar, as the two men living as roommates in New York City. Felix, played by Tony Randall, raised the most eyebrows for his flamboyant mannerisms and interest in the arts. Worried that viewers would be turned off due to the continuous speculation, ABC executives made it a point in the show’s intro to state that the roommates were “divorced men.” 4. The Ed Sullivan Show In 1953 when Broadway director Joshua Logan asked to speak about his struggles with mental illness, what ensued was one of Ed Sullivan’s proudest TV moments. Worries about CBS’s reaction, Sullivan hesitantly allowed Logan to change the running order of the show to address his mental breakdown, recovery, and the stigma surrounding mental illness. It was met with momentary silence followed by a very big applause. In the weeks that followed, CBS was sent oodles of letters of appreciation. 5. Hogan’s Heroes CBS’s Hogan’s Heroes, which ran from 1965 to 1971, was set in an actual German POW camp during World War II. Despite being successful, the sitcom was heavily criticised, given the actual atrocities that were committed during the war. Surprisingly, many of the actors portraying the dim-witted German Nazis were Jewish, too. Image credit: Shutterstock

Furious husband steals the show at a Brazilian beauty pageant

One beauty queen’s husband has caused a commotion at a pageant in Brazil, after the irate man stormed the stage to protest his wife coming second in the competition. Audience members at the Miss Gay Mato Grasso 2023 pageant could not have predicted what was coming when Emannuelly Belini - the contestant representing the municipality of Várzea Grande - was announced winner, and Cuiabá’s Nathally Becker as runner-up. The two embraced, with the crown on the way to Belini’s head, when Becker’s husband chose to storm the stage, bringing an end to the festivities when he snatched the sparkling headpiece only to smash it into the ground. according to local news outlet Globo. Footage of the incident began to circulate online shortly after, and while Becker’s outraged husband has not yet been publicly identified, thousands are now equipped with the knowledge that second place sparks rage in the man. He gave destroying the crown another go, and even tried to remove his wife from the stage, before the event’s security got involved and he was taken backstage. <iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PNBusFb7op4" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> The pageant’s coordinator, Malone Haenisch, later released a statement about what had transpired, trying to put reason to his actions, and stressing that the Miss Gay Mato Grosso judges had been fair in their decision to declare Belini as the winner. “He did not consider the result to be fair and caused all this inconvenience and damage,” Haenisch said, according to the New York Post. “We vehemently condemn the incident that occurred at the time of the crowning of the elected Miss when the partner of Miss Cuiabá, who was classified in second place, invaded the stage and aggressively destroyed the crown.” “We confirm the pageant jury’s choice and we sympathise with the elected Miss, as well as [Becker], as she is not responsible for the crazy attitudes of third parties.” Haenisch revealed that the pageant’s legal team had been informed of the events, and that any “necessary legal measures” would be taken, before circling back to the true star of the day - Bellini. “The Miss Mato Grosso Gay pageant team congratulates Miss Várzea Grande, Emannuelly Belini, elected Miss Gay Mato Grosso 2023 on the night of 27 May,” Haenisch said. “We reiterate our best wishes and wish you a glamorous reign, and that your activities may reflect the voice and desires of the LGBTQIAP+ community.” Images: TMZ / Youtube

Relationships

Westminster Dog Show waises the woof

It was a furry affair when 3,000 dogs - and their human companions - descended upon New York City’s Arthur Ashe Stadium for the 147th Westminster Dog Show, with their eyes set on one prize: the coveted title of Best in Show. The Westminster show, often dubbed the ‘Super Bowl of Dogs’ by its fans and supporters, is considered one of the world’s most prestigious dog events. With categories ranging from hound group to herding group, sporting, toy, and beyond, anything is paws-ible and the competition is fierce - and you’d be barking mad to think a win comes easy. The winner of each group advances through to the Best Show category, the final event of the entire weekend, and the prize that every pooch and partner hopes to take home. In 2022, a bloodhound named Trumpet seized victory, and put his name in the history books as the first bloodhound to win the competition. In 2023, Buddy Holly the Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen (PBGV) followed suit, emerging victorious as the only PBGV to have claimed the title of Best in Show. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> The winning moment for the Best in Show Winner, Buddy Holly, Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen! 💜✨<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WestminsterDogShow?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WestminsterDogShow</a> <a href="https://t.co/jzOVYmmtNL">pic.twitter.com/jzOVYmmtNL</a> — Westminster Dog Show (@WKCDOGS) <a href="https://twitter.com/WKCDOGS/status/1656135503291244546?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 10, 2023</a></blockquote> And it was celebration all around, with Buddy’s owner and trainer Janice Hayes telling Fox Sports that her canine companion is “the epitome of a show dog” as nothing bothers him, and that she had been dreaming of the win since she was just 9 years old. Rummie the Pekingese took out the runner-up position, earning the honour of Reserve Best in Show. Rummie also came in at the top of the pack for the Toy Group. As for how the show’s judges made their difficult selection, Ann Ingram explained, “like all things, beauty is subjective. A dog’s attitude in the ring can help. “If the dog loves itself, you can tell. He kind of has that attitude of, you know, ‘I’m a winner’.” Other winners included Cider the English Setter in the Sporting Group, Lepshi the Bracco Italiano for his breed’s debut, fan favourite Winston the French Bulldog in the Non-sporting Group, Monty the Giant Schnauzer in the Working Group, Ribbon the Aussie Shepherd in the Herding Group, and Trouble the American Staffordshire Terrier in the Terrier Group. “With breeds like Frenchies and bulldogs, where there are health concerns with the breathing, you want to see them be able to move without any signs of distress," Ingram noted. And when it came to her feelings towards the show and its many determined entrants as a whole, she added that “there’s bigger shows numerically, but the fact that you’re actually getting the absolute cream of the cream ... is quite exciting. “The whole razzmatazz of Westminster is very special.” Images: Getty

Family & Pets

Everything A-OK? New history shows the way to Sesame Street wasn’t always easy outside US

Associate Professor Helle Strandgaard Jensen based at Denmark’s Aarhus University, says while Sesame Street producers presented their content as both diverse and universal, the underpinning US values and assumptions about children often led to cultural clashes in other countries. <div class="copy"> With children’s culture again at the centre of debates about <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/feb/26/censorship-or-context-australian-book-industry-wrestles-with-how-to-refresh-outdated-classics" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">banning or re-writing books</a> and what makes for <a href="https://www.news.com.au/national/politics/abc-accused-of-grooming-kids-after-drag-queen-appeared-on-play-school/news-story/efc1dd82aa4fb6b01a4c575e2f40e589" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">appropriate children’s television</a>, Jensen says a historical approach can provide the opportunity for more informed discussions. Sesame Street debuted on television in the US in 1969 (it came to Australia in 1971) and according to its US website: “…has made a positive impact in children’s lives ever since.” The show says: “Sesame Street brings critical early education to children in 150+ countries”. While Sesame Street’s universality was marketed to international audiences, Jensen says the show is shaped by US assumptions about children’s role in society, cognitive psychology and the role of media in education. In European countries like the UK, Germany and Scandinavia there was a more progressive view about children, she says. As a result, the program was sometimes met with hostility by foreign television producers and broadcasters. In Jensen’s home of Denmark, Danish broadcasters rejected the show outright. Instead adapting their own children’s program Legestue to <a href="https://www.shcy.org/features/commentaries/helle-strandgaard-jensen-on-kermits-chubby-danish-cousin/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">incorporate a frog</a> named Kaj inspired by Kermit, but one that “loves jazz and talks back to adult authority”, she says. In Germany, where <a href="https://muppet.fandom.com/wiki/Sesamstrasse" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">‘Sesamestraße’</a> is celebrating its 50th anniversary, local co-producers made their own content spliced together with US content, and added their own puppets including a piglet Purk, a snail Finchen and Leniemienie the mouse. German produced content portrays the child at the centre, encouraging them to question authority, and often revealing the hypocrisy or flaws of adults, Jensen says. It was an approach that sometimes resulted in pushback from the US based Childrens Television Workshop, she says. For instance, in one local clip, an adult is attending to some flowers in their garden, mowing an area of grass containing different flowers. The children ask, ‘which flowers are the good flowers?’ In another, a woman walks past a child having to do an emergency wee in public. ‘That’s disgusting!’ the woman says. But as she walks further, her dog relieves itself on the pavement, and the woman doesn’t pick it up the waste. German Ministry of Education guides to accompany the show rejected traditional gender roles, taught children about the body and emphasised society based on collaboration, including unions. <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"> <div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> <div class="embed-wrapper"> <div class="inner"> <div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 500px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;" data-spai-bg-prepared="1"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" class="" style="display: block; position: static; visibility: visible; width: 400px; height: 656px; flex-grow: 1;" title="Twitter Tweet" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=cosmosmagazine&dnt=true&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1612139711304273922&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fcosmosmagazine.com%2Fpeople%2Fhistory-sesame-street%2F&sessionId=6d9a2d118b670e8e312cee283ceca4c065b3acf7&siteScreenName=cosmosmagazine&theme=light&widgetsVersion=aaf4084522e3a%3A1674595607486&width=500px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-spai-bg-prepared="1" data-tweet-id="1612139711304273922"></iframe></div> </div> </div> </div> </figure> In Europe, children’s television was seen as offering something separate to school, a way to empower children and support their own understanding of the world. The European view was more based in sociology and journalism – asking children directly about what they wanted – rather than cognitive psychology, Jensen says. For example in the UK, television producers would survey children about what they were interested in, their views, and make content based on that. Another key difference was the highly commercial landscape of television in the US, Jensen says. This was different to Europe and places like Australia where public broadcasters could afford to produce content for children that was more experimental. She says reflecting on the past is important as children’s viewing is increasingly dominated by streaming platforms, many of which are based in the US and dominated by American programming. The ABC began broadcasting Sesame Street twice-daily in 1971. While Jensen’s book doesn’t specifically address the response to the show in Australia, she says a lot of her archival research included information shared between the public broadcasters the ABC and BBC, which had a strong co-production tradition. “One of the ways the BBC learned about what happened in the Children’s Television Workshop and making Sesame Street was via their Australian friends in the ABC,” she says. Jensen says as early as 1970 an Australian journalist at The Bulletin was questioning whether the show imposed American culture on children in other countries. In the article, ‘Entertaining Australians to be Americans’, Sesame Street founder Joan Ganz Cooney says she had few reservations about imposing US culture on Australian audiences. “For good or ill the whole world is being Americanised,” she says. Children’s Television Workshop describes the sale of Sesame Street to 26 foreign countries, including Australia, as an opportunity to study the universality of the program, according to The Bulletin. Sesame Street: A Transnational History is set for <a href="https://academic.oup.com/book/45872/chapter-abstract/400828941?redirectedFrom=fulltext" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">release in Australia in May</a>. <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio"> <div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> <div class="embed-wrapper"> <div class="inner"><iframe title="SESAMSTRASSE Folge 1 (Teil 1)" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6-sJKRPuaiM?feature=oembed" width="500" height="375" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div> </div> </div> </figure> <img id="cosmos-post-tracker" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=245054&title=Everything+A-OK%3F+New+history+shows+the+way+to+Sesame+Street+wasn%26%238217%3Bt+always+easy+outside+US" width="1" height="1" data-spai-target="src" data-spai-orig="" data-spai-exclude="nocdn" /> <div class="in-content-area more-on"> </div> </div> <div id="contributors"> <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/people/history-sesame-street/">This article</a> was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com">Cosmos Magazine</a> and was written by <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/contributor/petra-stock">Petra Stock</a>. Petra Stock has a degree in environmental engineering and a Masters in Journalism from University of Melbourne. She has previously worked as a climate and energy analyst. </div>

A new monarch who is a divorcee would once have scandalised. But Charles’ accession shows how much has changed

King Charles III is the first British monarch who has previously had a civil marriage and a civil divorce. In 1981, Charles, then the Prince of Wales, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/historyofthebbc/anniversaries/july/wedding-of-prince-charles-and-lady-diana-spencer">married Lady Diana Spencer</a> in a fairytale wedding watched by 750 million people worldwide. However, the royal couple <a href="https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/1992-12-09/debates/ecfacae4-f52c-461c-b253-d7c04a299735/PrinceAndPrincessOfWales">separated in 1992</a> and they were <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/WORLD/9608/28/royal.divorce/decree/">divorced in 1996</a>. The marriage had spectacularly broken down. Charles later went on to marry his long-time love interest Camilla Parker-Bowles. They married in a civil ceremony in 2005. This broke with the tradition of royal family members getting married in an Anglican church ceremony. The extramarital relationship of Charles and Camilla prevented them from being remarried in church. But there was a subsequent <a href="https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/g19135643/prince-charles-camilla-wedding-photos/">service of prayer and dedication</a>. Queen Elizabeth II <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4289225.stm">declined to attend the wedding</a>, reportedly because it conflicted with her role to uphold the Christian faith as supreme governor of the Church of England. The accession of Charles to the throne is not only politically significant, but also carries religious importance. Charles is the “<a href="https://theconversation.com/king-charles-defender-of-faith-what-the-monarchys-long-relationship-with-religion-may-look-like-under-the-new-sovereign-190766">defender of the faith</a>” and the supreme governor. Charles’ status as a divorcee puts him at odds with his religious roles. <h2>Royal divorces</h2> <a href="https://www.history.com/news/henry-viii-wives">King Henry VIII</a> was infamous for having six wives in the 16th century. He annulled his first marriage to Catherine of Aragon. This meant the marriage was never legally valid to begin with. <a href="https://archives.blog.parliament.uk/2020/06/02/the-queen-caroline-affair/">King George IV</a> was almost successful in divorcing his wife Queen Caroline in 1820. At the time, divorce could only be granted by Act of Parliament. The trial took place in the House of Lords. The king accused his wife of committing adultery as grounds for divorce. However, Prime Minister Lord Liverpool eventually withdrew the divorce bill due to political pressure. <a href="https://www.royal.uk/edward-viii">King Edward VIII</a> was forced to abdicate in 1936 because he wanted to marry an American divorcee Wallis Simpson. This conflicted with his role as supreme governor. While Charles was in a similar position to his great-uncle in his marriage to Camilla, they lived in different worlds. The Conservative government and the Church of England simply could not tolerate Edward’s marriage to a divorcee. It was viewed as an affront to morality. Similarly, <a href="https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/news/a8139/princess-margaret-peter-townsend-love-affair/">Princess Margaret</a> was pressured to not marry the divorcee Group Captain Peter Townsend. As the sister of the queen, the marriage would have been scandalous in some circles. Queen Elizabeth called 1992 the “<a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-12-22/2021-could-be-queen-elizabeth-ii-second-annus-horibilis/100643696">annus horribilis</a>” (horrible year) for the royal family. Her three children Prince Charles, Princess Anne and Prince Andrew’s marriages had all broken down. Divorce by then had become increasingly acceptable in society. <h2>Royal civil marriage</h2> Charles had to seek his mother’s permission to marry Camilla. The <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/apgb/Geo3/12/11/1991-02-01?view=extent">Royal Marriages Act 1772</a> stipulated that all descendants of King George II were required to seek the consent of the sovereign to marry. This law was repealed in 2013. Only the <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2013/20/enacted">first six persons</a> in the line of succession now have to seek the sovereign’s permission to marry. There was controversy at the time whether a member of the royal family could legally marry in a civil ceremony. The <a href="https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/transformingsociety/private-lives/relationships/overview/lawofmarriage-/">Marriage Act 1836</a> permitted civil marriages. But the law stated this did not apply to members of the royal family. The British government released a <a href="https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200405/ldhansrd/vo050224/text/50224-51.htm#50224-51_head0">statement</a> declaring Charles could legally enter into a civil marriage. The view was the Marriage Act 1949 had repealed the previous legislation. The government also argued there was a right to marry under the Human Rights Act 1998 and the European Convention on Human Rights. The civil marriage of Charles and Camilla symbolised the changing values of society. The view of marriage had shifted from a moral commitment to a celebratory union. This marked the modernisation of the monarchy over tradition. <h2>A modern monarchy</h2> The accession of a divorcee as king a generation earlier would have been unpalatable to many. But Charles embodies the modern character of monarchy and the liberal values of wider society. Charles has recently <a href="https://www.royal.uk/kings-remarks-faith-leaders">affirmed</a> his commitment to Anglican Christianity. This is an acknowledgement of his constitutional role in the <a href="https://www.royal.uk/act-settlement-0#:%7E:text=The%20Act%20of%20Settlement%20of,succession%20for%20Mary%20II's%20heirs.">Act of Settlement 1701</a>. Only Protestant Christians can claim succession to the crown. It also affirms his role as nominal ruler of the Church of England. The monarch still <a href="https://www.churchofengland.org/about/leadership-and-governance">appoints bishops</a> on the advice of the prime minister. Anglicanism is the official state religion of England. Yet Charles is also pushing for a modern monarchy. He has viewed himself as a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/sep/09/king-charles-to-be-defender-of-the-faith-but-also-a-defender-of-faiths">defender of diversity</a>. Upholding a space for multifaith practice and expression of secular ideals form part of the agenda of his reign. The monarchy faces a tension between modernity and tradition. As a divorced and remarried monarch, Charles III represents the reinvention of the crown, an ancient institution that seeks to embrace its role in a multicultural, religiously diverse and more open and tolerant society. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-new-monarch-who-is-a-divorcee-would-once-have-scandalised-but-charles-accession-shows-how-much-has-changed-204544" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.

Relationships

Over 60

News

Shop

Catalogues

Travel

Health

Lifestyle

Finance

Entertainment

Property

Information

Keep up to date

Search

Running or yoga can help beat depression, research shows – even if exercise is the last thing you feel like

Out of the rabbit hole: new research shows people can change their minds about conspiracy theories

"Good luck!": Pink stops show as pregnant fan goes into labour