The Kayfabe of Media: Wrestling with America's Cultural Myths

Professional wrestling has a term—"kayfabe"—for the portrayal of staged events as authentic. This concept provides a powerful lens for understanding how media shapes our cultural narratives and national identity.

The Performance of Truth

Like wrestling promoters, media organizations craft narratives that blend fact and fiction, creating compelling stories that resonate with their audiences' existing beliefs and values.

American Mythology

From rugged individualism to technological utopianism, America's cultural myths provide the framework for our media narratives. These stories reinforce collective identity while often obscuring more complex realities.

Breaking Kayfabe

Media literacy means developing the ability to see behind the curtain—to recognize the constructed nature of media narratives while still engaging with the meaningful truths they might contain.