Six of One Half, A Dozen of the Other : Critically Evaluating the Costs & Benefits of Pop Culture Depictions of Anthropology

When I was in high school, one of my favorite teachers went on a little rant one day during the class discussion.  His rant focused on a popular television series that was about teachers, and he was upset about how teachers were depicted in this show.  The show provided an inaccurate depiction of his beloved profession, and he feared the repercussions that he may deal with when confronted by new acquaintances who learned that he was, in fact, an educator.  He then mused that one of his favorite television shows was about the personal and professional lives of lawyers, and he suspected that real lawyers probably felt the same way about that show as he did in regards to the show he now loathed. 

I bring up this short anecdote because I feel that same dread whenever someone compares my professional and educational endeavors to a popular television series, Bones, which is a popular comparison for one of my friends in particular who swears that my personality (and my namesake) are identical to that of the main character of the show.  But my dread goes beyond that.  I am often times questioned about whether or not I can complete the same tasks in the exact same manner to that seen on the show, and when I explain that I cannot because of the show being unrealistic, I am met with blank stares and the popular questions, "Well, why can't you do that?  What's wrong with you?"

For better or worse, anthropological subject matter is everywhere in popular culture.  Some of the more recognizable anthropological examples include Bones, the Indiana Jones franchise, the Lara Croft: Tombraider franchise, Ross Gellar of Friends (he was a paleoanthropologist), King Kong, and many more, but there are also not so recognizable examples as well, such as in less mainstream board games and video games and subtle references in popular television shows (e.g. C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigation and Law and Order).  To be fair, there are disadvantages and advantages to these depictions, which will be further explored briefly in this blog post.

There are several disadvantages to these shows, aside from the personal grief felt by professional anthropologists who are annoyed (or worse) by questions from the lay public.  There are some very real and academically identified consequences, such as the CSI Effect, which demonstrates that such shows such as CSI and Bones misinform the public about the criminal justice system and the limits and realities of forensic sciences (anthropology included).  Several viable court cases were lost due to this misrepresentation because jurors were misinformed about the realities of evidence, and they expected more or mistakenly thought the evidence was flawed because it was "missing" key pieces of information that, in reality, could not be collected.  In addition, many people mistakenly believe common myths perpetuated by these pop culture depictions, such as dinosaurs and humans coexisted (there is no credible, scientific evidence that supports this assertion at this time), humans evolved from apes (please see second blog post for more information), and much much more.  Bad science and bad interpretations of good science does not serve anyone well.

But what about the advantages?  Do they exist?

Actually, yes, as much as some days I hate to admit it.  Many current anthropologists (in all disciplines) were drawn to the discipline because of something they saw or experienced in their pop culture experiences.  I am one of those individuals.  I used to watch documentaries with my father when I was a child, and it was the one on ancient Egyptian mummies that captured my imagination and interest in the discipline of anthropology.  That and the misinformation about dinosaurs: that digging up dinosaurs meant studying anthropology (see the first blog post), and that there were no dinosaur fossils left to excavate (both false statements.  Paleontology is alive and well!)  And several other anthropologists that I have met tell similar stories, be it about Indiana Jones or other similar pop culture icons. 

But it is not just anthropologists whose interests were captured.  Many students in anthropology classes were put there because someone (be it themselves, a parent, or adviser) was influenced by popular culture depictions of anthropology.  So these depictions help fill seats in classes, and from there, anthropology educators can educate students about the realities of the discipline, making up for the misinformation perpetuated by these depictions.  So in a way, without pop culture, anthropology may not be as popular a topic as it is today. 

So there you have it, the good, the bad, and the ugly, albeit no where near exhaustive review of popular culture depictions of anthropological subject matter.  While I will probably be forever annoyed by the questions and comparisons I deal with, there are still some that I am quite fond of.  Ultimately, I have pop culture to thank for leading me to a discipline and career I absolutely love, and I have pop culture allowing me to continue to do what I love, educating students who may or may not completely understand anthropology.