Was Yosemite Sam based on a real, historical person? And was Elmer Fudd a caricature of an actual hunter?
To my knowledge, no (and bunnies everywhere breathed a sigh of relief). But if you needed to think for a second, you’re probably not alone.
Over the years, various studies have indicated that most students recall more of what the entertainment industry tells them about history than what their textbooks or teachers do. Psychologist Andrew Butler said after his Washington University study on the issue, “What we found is that there’s something really special about watching a film that lets people retain information from that film, even when they had read a contradictory account in the textbook.”
Given how interesting some films can be—as opposed to the dryness of a History 101 text—I suppose these findings aren’t too surprising. But I never expected people to believe characters such as Black Adder (the main character, pictured, from the classic BBC comedy) and Sherlock Holmes were based on actual people.
A new poll taken by Ask.com found that about 20% of Britons believe these two protagonists—one of whom defies the space/time continuum—really lived. What’s even more surprising, perhaps, is the fact a small number believed even Dr. Who—the guy who flits around the universe in a souped-up telephone booth— was an actual person. Miss Marple (Agatha Christie’s detective heroine), Clark Kent and Indiana Jones were also thought by some to be real, while real-life figures Florence Nightingale, Jesse James and Che Guevara were thought to be fictional.
Superman and a hunky archeologist would be nice friends to have, but these finding still scare and baffle me. Why? Because the emotional, intellectual and even spiritual sway that film has over an audience can clearly be more powerful than reality in some people’s lives. And 16% of those surveyed said our obsession with celebrity means even fictional characters seem to take on their own lives.
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