So get this: a professor at St. Mary's College in California had his students send fictional news releases to several newspapers and the Associated Press, for the sake of a class called "Pranks: Culture jamming as social activism."
Beldner said he wanted to teach students how to bring issues to the public eye using creative methods. His course syllabus defines "culture jamming" as "a resistance movement to the perceived hegemony of popular culture."
"These are serious-minded pranks," he said. "It's not just about people goofing around."
I am appaled. I know I haven't taken Beldner's class, so maybe I'm missing something. I don't understand at all what this teaches the students about real social activism.
St. Mary's sophomore Scott Leslie, one of the writers of the fake news release, said his group decided not to keep up the hoax after a journalist friend of his told him it would be a bad idea.
"Then you get into issues of the truth and stuff," said Leslie, 19.
Gee, the truth? Wouldn't want to get mixed up with that. I don't think I'm being over-sensitive about this. You don't learn how to overcome the problems of pop culture by spreading lies and trying to trick journalists. (It didn't work by the way. You have to work in the White House to get away with that.)
Beldner's students should ask for their money back; they're the ones who've been had.
Josh (not verified) @ December 11, 2005 - 9:15pm
Last February, I presented to a media sociology class the book Radical Media by John DH Downing. Slides and audio from the presentation are here. It was among the best received of the presentations over the semester.
One major part of Downing's book is about culture jamming, which really can be a very effective way of getting noticed. The most simple example Downing gives is calling into, say, Rush Limbaugh's radio show and lying to the screener about what you want to talk to Rush about. When your call goes through, you get as much of your message out as you can before Rush hangs up on you.
Culture jamming can be a very effective way of getting your message out. What I don't get, though, is the particular thing Beldner got his student to work on. A new bar opening doesn't have anything to do with activism -- unless the point is to get a story published, showing that media don't do enough research (a simple call to the city planning office would have showed no permit on file for a new bar -- same with a call to the state liquor commission, which would have no record of a liquor license on file). Even if that was Beldner's point, there are so many more issues he could have had his students work with.
Culture jamming is not just about tricking someone, it's about doing it with an activist purpose. VNRs, I think, would qualify, even though they're used more to fool the public than to fool news organizations.
I agree that this class was a waste of time and money for students, but for different reasons: If Beldner wanted to teach a class on culture jamming, why did he tread so lightly?
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