War of the Worlds . . .. . . media, influence, suggestibility, guillability . . .. . . and scaring the bejeepers our of ourselves

Radiolab produced a wonderful episode dealing with Orson Welles' infamous Halloween, Oct. 30, 1938 broadcast of a radio adaption of War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells.

This is a fascinating discussion of just HOW Welles and friends were able to create a broadcast event that literally scared the bejeepers out of thousands (over one million of the listeners believed the "hoax" about Martian invaders was true and that the events being portrayed on their radios were genuine.  Also discussed is the WHY listeners believed it.

The Welles hoax has been copied elsewhere, leading to riots, panic, and death.

Some characterize Welles success (accidental be that it may be) as based upon a time when folks were naive.  Not so, it's been repeated and resulted in panic.

The Radiolab commentators note how the emotions elicited by Welles are reminiscent of the emotions Americans felt during the aftermath of 9-11.  Coincidentally, after the aftermath of Welles' performance, one government offical called Welles and the rest of the Mercury Theatre to be "radio terrorists."

Read the background of the Radiolab production here.  Download the Radiolab audio file here.  Read news stories about the original Welles performance aftermath here, a transcript of the broadcast here, and download an audio file of the original Welles performance here (along with others).

Members of the Hypnosis Technique Exchange might enjoy exploring how this broadcast fits into our recent discussion of hypnotic operators.

All the best,
Brian

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