So, yes, I’m travelling again. And I’m about four hours away from home by the time this pops up for your education and edification -- perhaps you might consider using these in your classes? Or perhaps you’ll just get a laugh from it. I’ll be too busy doing qualitative research to notice, so go for it.
Later this year I’ll be doing some presentations here and there (in fact, one is coming up for Perth Atheists on July 7th! Apparently I’m billed as ‘amazing’ and that has me rather petrified… be gentle with me, people!). I’m going to try to come up with relevant, practical material that will be of interest to the atheists, because one of the issues that I’ve had with presentations at skeptic conferences is that the ‘same material’ comes up again and again. Whilst atheism and skepticism have some overlapping elements, I’ll be more about atheism than being a skeptic.
‘Getting a laugh about those mistaken messages heard in backwards played music’ is a common one that crops up when I do hear skeptics speak though -- my earlier post on the matter was in fact written in December 2006!
Research into what makes things ‘subliminal‘ is naturally ongoing; the notion of manipulating our senses by design is just too alluring to ignore, especially in advertising. I did notice this recent investigation on national flags helping to moderate political attitudes, but backwards messages don’t influence behaviour when featured in rock music, nor are they consciously or unconsciously understood.
If there was a top ten of backmasked songs, then naturally “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin would be the first -- it’s been used in all three presentations I’ve seen, including Michael Shermer’s and Richard Wiseman’s lectures. Yet I don’t like using that one in my classes.
I’ve found that using that particular example poses some problems with my students, who sometimes consider it to be confirming the phenomenon of ‘hidden messages’ or ’satanic lyrics’ rather than paying attention to the garble that’s produced before the ‘alternative’ backwards lyrics are shown. After all, that’s the argument made by people who claim that there are messages within ‘evil rock music’.
Therefore, as I mentioned in that blog entry, whilst I’d tend to use either this video ‘Songs of Praise’ by the great Adam Buxton, or this ‘Buffalaxed’ video of ‘Benny Lava’, to discuss how we allow ourselves to be fooled -- I have recently found myself another favourite by Buffalax, which demonstrates auditory illusions based upon how we respond to the subtitles.
Enjoy ‘Tunak Tunak Tun’, but NOT an English translation. Especially the bit about the Ferengi… and Yoda in the sawdust.
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
What your doing for the education system in WA is amazing… so I think your amazing
Don’t be scared… See you Monday.
…and thanks heaps.
You must log in to post a comment.