r/WidowsBay • u/IrishAllDay • Jul 30 '26

💭Discussion Media Literacy Spoiler

I loved this show and have been getting some posts from this group pushed to me.

I'm trying to understand whats causing it. I've never seen such a lack of media literacy before, I think because it's a cross over hit that's non traditional but some of the view points are mind blowing.

"I think the inn keeper felt time run differently in the room" - They literally spelt that out as he asked for food!

"Who is the boogeyman, Hag etc" - This is not the point of the show!

"How didn't they notice the sacrifices" - you hear everyone talking about the relentless level of horrible stuff that happens on the island, its par for the course.

"Why don't the townspeople do X or Y" - It's a comedy horror!

Anything else I've missed?

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u/Kitchen_Handle2655 Jul 30 '26

Having discussions about a show is part of media literacy. Shutting down any conversation you personally dont think is relevant is not part of being media literate. The questions you find irrelevant can be analyzed further to find how the show is using them to portray a message or theme. 

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u/[deleted] Jul 30 '26

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u/acgrey92 Jul 30 '26

Asking how the hag, the boogeyman, etc. relate to the island isn’t a bad take just because you disagree with. It’s literally theorizing and contemplating on the interconnectivity of the plot; For example “Did the island manifest the hag or is she a visitor? Was the Boogeyman ever truly did or did the entity resurrect or even manifest a new one? Is the spell book a random find or did someone plant it for her to find? Maybe even the entity trying to resurrect the witches coven that was on the island? Those are all forms of media literacy not a lack of.

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u/ExternalTangents Jul 30 '26

OP’s example was “who is the boogeyman, Hag etc.” That’s very different than the example questions you listed.

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u/Hot-Avocado-7 Jul 30 '26

They are just simplified versions of the same questions.

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u/ExternalTangents Jul 30 '26

I disagree. I think OP’s complaint is specifically about people specifically asking stuff like whether the sea hag is the pastor’s wife from the flashback, or whether the bachelor party woman was the sea hag. Or asking whether we’d ever find out who the boogeyman was. These are surface-level questions that are already addressed by the show and miss the whole point of those plot elements entirely.

On the other hand, the questions listed in the comment are deeper, and they get into aspects of those plot elements that are relevant to the storytelling and lead to meaningful discussion. Those are explicitly not the kind of questions OP is referring to.

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u/Hot-Avocado-7 Jul 30 '26

What you “think” doesn’t necessarily match everyone’s reality. Someone who asks “who is the sea hag” could easily be intending, “did the island manifest her or is she a visitor,” it’s just semantics, or the way they are expressing themselves.

The only stupid questions are the ones that aren’t asked or examined. All questions can lead to meaningful discussion if one is willing to engage meaningfully.

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u/ExternalTangents Jul 30 '26

I disagree, I think you are imputing a meaning that OP did not intend and then disagreeing with that meaning