This dissertation examined tolerance of polygamists as a result of exposure to television
programming. Specifically, it looked at how audiences form attitudes toward the practice of
polygamy and its participants in light of viewing its portrayals in popular television entertainment. Using historical research, semi-structured interviews, surveys of viewers and
students, and an experiment, I explored the issue of tolerance among different types of Americans. The findings in these studies demonstrate that Americans never cared for polygamy and continue to find little appeal for its practice. Yet, we are captivated by television shows that focus on polygamy. Part of our habit of tuning in is related to how we process portrayals of individual polygamists; we compare ourselves with them, sometimes upwardly or downwardly,
and may build parasocial bonds with them through our screens. I found strong support for the
parasocial contact hypothesis, and argue that with positive portrayals over time, viewing
individual characters in such shows could erode the sense of divergence we feel as a result of
our unfamiliarity with the practice. On the other hand, negative and even mixed portrayals of
polygamists can reinforce our existing stereotypes and prejudices.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LSU/oai:etd.lsu.edu:etd-09252013-112041 |
| Date | 17 October 2013 |
| Creators | Madison, Thomas Phillip |
| Contributors | Porter, Lance, Goidel, Kirby, Sanders, Meghan, Honeycutt, James, Sims, Loraine |
| Publisher | LSU |
| Source Sets | Louisiana State University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-09252013-112041/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached herein a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to LSU or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below and in appropriate University policies, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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