Introduction
What does it take for someone to realize that his or her convictions and beliefs about something are illogical and incorrect before it is too late? It is important to note that the play Magic 8 Ball by Kimberly Pau is about two girls, Melissa and Elizabeth, who use the ball to ask personal questions about their future. The given analysis will focus on falsehood and lies that are structured and pervasive, such as conspiracy theories, outdated religious or political views, and marketing pyramid schemes. The Magic 8 Ball symbolizes falsehood and lies, which deceptively relies on its marketing, avoids critical testing, and harms the most gullible members of society.
The Magic 8 Ball
Firstly, the Magic 8 Ball has a well-established brand reputation and marketing about its predictive capability. For example, Melissa is skeptical about its truthfulness, but Elizabeth has a conviction that it is true (Pau, 2013). Therefore, despite their different views, there is a clear idea about what the ball claims to be able to do, which is to predict the future. This is common among all pervasive falsehoods and lies, such as conspiracy theories, old and rigid political views, or deceptive marketing pyramid schemes. The symbolic nature of the Magic 8 Ball represents a set of constructed belief systems that loudly proclaim their truthfulness without any basis. It convinces large groups through anecdotal claims and plays into individuals’ emotions and insecurities. The problem can be found in substantial amounts in the modern marketing of products and services. For instance, cars are advertised by using female models to sexualize the product or makeup products, abusing the consumers’ insecurities about their appearance.
Secondly, the Magic 8 Ball symbolizes the lack of critical testing and scrutiny of its claims, which is common among all popular falsehoods and lies. For example, Melissa clearly does not believe in the ball’s magical predictive powers by understanding that it can only be correct in a minority of cases (Pau, 2013). In other words, her skepticism is rooted in the lack of credible evidence to support the Magic 8 Ball’s truthfulness. A proper way to analyze it would be to ask it obvious questions with fully known answers. For instance, both characters could have asked if World War II had taken place or if humans usually walked on two legs. Asking a series of questions with known answers for critical testing purposes would reveal the ball’s flawed nature. They do the latter due to the harm it begins to cause for gullible Elizabeth but at the end of the play. The ball symbolizes how falsehood and lies tend to be recognized as such only after they have already harmed those who believed them. People keep believing that MLM schemes can make them wealthy until they lose their money instead of realizing it before investing in them.
Thirdly, the most important aspect of the ball’s symbolism is the fact that it spreads harmful ideas to the gullible. For example, Elizabeth asks the Magic 8 Ball if her boyfriend is in love with her and if he is planning to propose to which the ball responds with ‘yes’ (Pau, 2013). Although the reply might seem harmless, it is evident that the gullible Elizabeth is being put in a position of high and false expectations towards her boyfriend. This notion puts her in a vulnerable position, where she will be unnecessarily harmed emotionally if her boyfriend refuses to do so. The ball also damages their relationship because the boyfriend might be forced to propose by Elizabeth even if their relationship has not reached the point of marriage. Thus, the ball symbolizes the harm caused by falsehoods and lies. For example, MLM schemes ruin one’s financial position, extreme ideologies promote terrorism, dangerous political views can lead to mass shootings or hate crimes, and deceptive marketing can make a person an addict, such as tobacco smokers. It is evident that the symbolism of the Magic 8 Ball can be applied to many problems in modern society.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Magic 8 Ball symbolizes structured and enduring falsehoods and lies. They rely on deceptive marketing, tend to avoid critical testing, and damage the most gullible members of society. The thesis is significant because it provides wisdom and insight into how harmful and dangerous ideas pervade, persevere, and continuously destroy the lives of their gullible victims. People should always analyze and criticize any given set of beliefs or ideologies regardless of what its believers tell them before becoming harmed.
Reference
Pau, K. (2013). Magic 8 ball. In L. Harbison (Eds.), The best ten-minute plays. Smith & Kraus.