Cultivation Theory

The cultivation theory, an idea introduced by George Gerbnur, explains how something changes our view of our life's aspects. This theory suggests that something can influence a person to the point where their perception of the line between a fictional life and reality becomes blurred. Gerbnur was interested in understanding why people do things they do, especially when those actions were violent. This was perhaps a reflection of his harsh youth. At a young age Gerbnur fled his homeland in Hungary, needing to escape the viscous wave of fascism. After arriving in America Gerbnur became employed with the OSS, which required him to interact with the enemy in foreign territory.

John Oliver provided us with a prime example of this theory at work in the real world. Oliver discussed how television has morphed people's beliefs, especially about torture. He explains that many people would agree that torture is sometimes justifiable, and sometimes useful. People believe this because that is what they see on movies. The bad guy is tortured until he gives the good guys useful information. In real life, torture seemingly never helps.