Food for Thought

Steve's Girl sent a translation of an excerpt from her hometown newspaper that made some very interesting points.

They say a good friend is the best thing in the world that can happen to you. According to ethnologist David Lieberman from [George Washington University in Washington D.C.], it's no wonder that large parts of the human brain are dedicated to building social relationships. But he means not only between real people but also between people and characters in tv series. We are para-socially connected to them because they can act as a kind of mirror in which we ponder our own emotions/experiences. Therefore, we often feel closer to them than to real persons. And so we consider them friends and try to be near them as often as possible.

If we buy into Mr. Lieberman's theory, it is no wonder that we feel that Steve McGarrett, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, and even Frank Reagan are our friends.

I'll take it a step further and say it is not unusual for a television character to have a great influence on us, perhaps even to the point of becoming a father figure. More than one of our visitors has told me that McGarrett has had that effect on them. Think about it.

Source: Hannover, Germany: Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung, September 7, 2024.