Modern Foreign Language
Media Hype and Violence: A Study of 1970's German and 9/11
Document Type
Oral Presentation
Location
Indianapolis, IN
Subject Area
Modern Foreign Language
Start Date
11-4-2014 9:00 AM
End Date
11-4-2014 10:00 AM
Sponsor
Sarah Painitz (Butler University)
Description
The modern German film and novel, Die Verlorne Ehre der Katharina Blum is a reflection about the over-sensational of news and violence committed by the Red Army Faction in 1970's West Germany. Obsessing over a possible terrorist plot a fictional paper (based on the real German newspaper die Bild-Zeitung) drives a young woman to murder based on her possible connection to a communist terrorist. The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum is a fictional example of real-life unsubstantiated media hype, and its potential cause for violence. This story is not singular to Germany though, but has affects outside of this moment in history. Most famously, the same type of media-hype lead to a very similar public fear following the attacks on September 11th. This mediahype did not only lead to public fear, but also contributed heavily to the widespread support for the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan. This paper aims to draw similarities between these two very different events, and to take from the novel's subtitle, explain how violence develops and where it can lead.
Media Hype and Violence: A Study of 1970's German and 9/11
Indianapolis, IN
The modern German film and novel, Die Verlorne Ehre der Katharina Blum is a reflection about the over-sensational of news and violence committed by the Red Army Faction in 1970's West Germany. Obsessing over a possible terrorist plot a fictional paper (based on the real German newspaper die Bild-Zeitung) drives a young woman to murder based on her possible connection to a communist terrorist. The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum is a fictional example of real-life unsubstantiated media hype, and its potential cause for violence. This story is not singular to Germany though, but has affects outside of this moment in history. Most famously, the same type of media-hype lead to a very similar public fear following the attacks on September 11th. This mediahype did not only lead to public fear, but also contributed heavily to the widespread support for the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan. This paper aims to draw similarities between these two very different events, and to take from the novel's subtitle, explain how violence develops and where it can lead.