Tuesday, 26 April 2011



For the purposes of this online journal, How I Met Your Mother is a small reality existing within New York. HIMYM is an existence that focuses heavily on characters and their friendships as well as their romantic relationships. Although in HIMYM, life may superficially seem lighthearted and comedic, under the surface, many controversial facets remain unspoken of. The goal of the following media is to give an unbiased overview of these hidden aspects as well as to analyze their implications.

Our highly esteemed journalists and reporters worked with three week's worth of observations of five New Yorkers. Ted (the analytical intelligent architect), Marshal (the environmental activist and softie at heart), Barney (the self proclaimed ladies man), Robin (the stunning reporter from Canada), and Lilly (the nurturing caretaker of the group.) By observing these New Yorkers live the HIMYM lifestyle, some shocking, headline stories have been discovered.




According to our reporters, New York has a large agency over the rest of the world, having an influence on how others are socialized. The people, places, and events of this city are being transformed from reality into a hyperreality that shape how others view and construe their own lives. We speak to five New York residents, Ted, Barney, Marsha, Lilly, and Robin, to hear what they have to say about New York’s increasing influence.

Ted explains pretentiously, “here in New York, our interests are interesting and relatable.” He continues on to say that the activities he and his gang practice, like drinking at their favorite bar, are relatable and give any audience the impression that what they are watching can be their reality as well. They create a desirable reality amidst a set of relatable social and cultural points of reference. The profile of the typical HIMYM resident (middle class, modest home, thirties, practices casual activities) is not so extravagant that is becomes unbelievable.

The next step in the production of the construction of images and ideas with the ability to socialize is explained by Lilly, an artist, who is well versed on the use of symbols. “My friends and I try to keep things lighthearted and humorous so when we need to talk about... feelings and emotions. Rather than get too sappy and deep we usually just use symbols to communicate.” This seems to be an observable occurrence throughout the inhabitants of NEw York, allowing people to express themselves without needing to stray from comedy. This gives off the impression that being emotionally available will only get you into trouble and that by turning strong emotions into comedy, one can avoid being hurt. Our panel of expert researchers hypothesize that this will lead to a generation fearful of expressing themselves emotionally.

As a highly acclaimed businessman, Barney is used to making some tough decisions. “Some things have got to stay and some things have got to go, it’s just the way it is. Like with women: after they stay once, then they gotta go.” This is the same with stories, he goes on to say. Everybody needs some privacy and some stories need distorting to become more interesting. But on a broader level, New York and other audiences are getting a removed version of the truth that reflects less of a reality and more of a scripted, contrived experience that people strive to model their existences after. Since HIMYM is a hyper reality, unfortunately, nobody will be able to achieve the lifestyle they might be modeling theirs to after.

Marshal continues on to say that these filtered images have been having serious repercussions. The values and ideals expressed in his life are being manufactured and imitated worldwide after being put through a filter of fabrication. "Everybody thought I was a saint when I quit my job to become an unpaid activist. But what they didn't see was that I quit after just two days- they completely left that out!" By broadcasting these nontruths, the public is seriously misinformed and unable to form their own right opinions and arguments.

Robin began her interview by admitting to often being the butt of may jokes from her friends for being Canadian and therefore being viewed as somewhat vapid. Being from a different cultural background, she often misunderstands the information. “There is always a certain level of distortion when I communicate with others. Just the other day, my friends were trying to tell me that my new boyfriend is a dog. I thought they meant he was playful and charming but they really just meant he was a clingy nuisance who would chase his own backside.” This charming commentary may seem innocent enough but when looked at on a large scale, this can have certain negative consequences. The controvercial banter that our five interviewed guests have going between them is clearly meant to be lighthearted. But it is also clear that their stabs at seeing women as sexual objects and their casual use of marijuana might easily be misunderstood as offensive and crude behavior. On the other end of the spectrum, they might be interpreted as a reality, shaping the opinion of the audience to perpetuate things like sexist ideals and drug use.

It is clear why these packaged pieces of information are making headlines. Continue exploring this lead throughout the rest of this online journal to discover which messages are being encoded and how, upon being decoded, they have important social implications.




According to recent polls, large subgroups of New York's population have spontaneously disappeared without warning. This alarming discovery has already begun to have significant implications on Western societies. We urge you to contact authorities with any leads as to the whereabouts of any of the following groups of people as we explore what interests might be at stake if the situation remains unchanged.

It seems as though New York, a once vibrant and multicultural city, has become predominantly if not exclusively caucasian. According to eye witnesses, they had not seen any other racial representation at their favorite bar, in their neighborhoods, or walking through the streets. Encoders are speculating that throughout the levels of production, NY has become more removed from reality. The repercussions are disastrous: people of non-white racial background are finding themselves underrepresented and are experiencing feelings similar to loss of identity. Because of a deliberate absence of certain phenotypical groups, a greater emphasis has been made on the visual distinctions between "whites," "blacks," "asians," and so on, which reinforces the idea that race is the same thing as worth and potential.

The next group that has gone missing is LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning) community. 1/10th of the population has been targeted in this speculated mass kidnapping. Rumor has it that the abolition of this subgroup has occurred because of a phenomenon called political consensus. Since many consider the controversial topic of homosexuality taboo, many believe that they have been hidden in order to please the majority of the population. But this is leaving the LGBTQ community of the world feeling confused and of less worth since they have a lack of role models to connect with. The assumption that homosexuality is unacceptable based on certain (more primitive) cultural norms, values, and on social consensus, have only reinforced the idea that it should not be spoken about.

Finally, all of the lower class citizens of New York have also suddenly disappeared. The working class is nowhere to be found as well. Plumbers, janitors, and all skilled laborers are all missing yet somehow all of the crucial services they provide are still being accomplished. People in jobs like law, medicine, and business are being overrepresented and shaped to be the norm. This delivers the implication that the higher your monetary worth, the higher your personal worth is as well.

There is a definite presence in absentia in New York after the unprecedented vanishing groups were kidnapped. We here at HIMYM News are praying for their safe return home.

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