G. Marc Turner writes on 1 Nov 99,:
> At 11:45 AM 11/1/99 -0600, Rick Froman wrote:
> >In fact, a number of people with supernatural powers are now protagonists
> >(for example, Sabrina the Teenage Witch). I don't know if this switch
> >reflects changes in society or encourages them or both but it is a
> >difference you can see clearly comparing older mysteries to today's
> >fantasy/mystery mix.
>
> Of course, we (or at least some of us) had Bewitched and I Dream of Genie
> (both older shows that had some magically gifted protagonists).
>
> However, I do think Rick makes a good point worth considering...
Marc makes a good point. Sabrina was a bad example since it is not a mystery and
the rules have always been different for sitcoms. Ironically, the best example is
probably Scooby Doo, even though it is a cartoon. But private eye / mystery shows
would never use a Deus ex Machina like a psychic to help solve a mystery but it is
commonplace today. To tie in to the public image of psychologists, even the Profiler
(an FBI agent specializing in psychological profiles of criminals in order to catch
them)
seems to have some deep intuitive mystical powers that go beyond what she learned
in her Forensic Psych training.
Sorry for the bad example. I hope the basic point still makes sense.
Rick
Dr. Rick Froman
Psychology Department
Box 3055
John Brown University
Siloam Springs, AR 72761
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.jbu.edu/sbs/psych
Office: (501)524-7295
Fax: (501)524-9548
"I can't promise to try but I'll try to try." --Bart Simpson
