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Muppet Theory

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Dr. Bunsen Honeydew poised to cause chaos in the Muppet Mobile Lab

Muppet Theory is a concept of cognition and social organization based on analogies to particular characters from the American puppet media franchise The Muppets. It originated with a 2012 article by Dahlia Lithwick in Slate.[1][2]

Theory

The theory categorizes Muppets into two types: Chaos Muppets and Order Muppets. Chaos Muppets are creative and impulsive, as exemplified by Ernie and the Cookie Monster. Order Muppets meanwhile are organized and follow rules, like Bert or Sam Eagle. Lithwick playfully proposed that every living human is either a Chaos Muppet or an Order Muppet, and that both types are essential to the successful functioning of organizations.[3][2]

Muppet Theory was somewhat formalized by Michele J. Gelfand.[1][3] Gelfand designed a survey to measure a construct which she termed "tightness-looseness", corresponding with order and chaos Muppets, respectively. From the results of this survey, Gelfand found that threatening events such as 9/11 and the COVID-19 pandemic promoted attitudes of tightness.[1][4]

John Roberts (right) receiving the oath of office. Renn categorizes Roberts as an "order muppet" in her system.

Kristen Renn, professor of adult education at Michigan State University, wrote that Muppet theory is useful for understanding higher education.[3] Andrea Schneider wrote that Muppet theory could be applicable to the judicial system.[5] Lithwick in her original article categorized U.S. Supreme Court justice John Roberts as an order muppet, while she said Stephen Breyer and Antonin Scalia were chaos Muppets.[2] Slate editor-in-chief Jacob Weisberg said that Lithwick's article "might be the greatest piece Slate has ever published."[6] Episcopal reverend Stephen Spitroth wrote that Jesus exhibited qualities of both chaos and order Muppets.[7]

Lists of order and chaos muppets

Order Muppets

Chaos Muppets

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Harrison, Sara (March 24, 2022). "Threatening Language Can Be Contagious. This New Tool Tracks Its Spread". Stanford Business Magazine.
  2. ^ a b c Lithwik, Dahlia (June 8, 2012). "Chaos Theory: A Unified Theory of Muppet Types". Slate.
  3. ^ a b c Renn, Kristen A. (Summer 2020). "Reimagining the Study of Higher Education: Generous Thinking, Chaos, and Order in a Low Consensus Field". The Review of Higher Education. doi:10.1353/rhe.2020.0025.
  4. ^ Choi, Virginia K.; Shrethsa, Snehesh; Pan, Xinyue; Gelfand, Michele J. (January 25, 2022). "When Danger Strikes: A Linguistic Tool for Tracking America's Collective Response to Threats". PNAS. doi:10.1073/pnas.2113891119. PMC 8795557.
  5. ^ Schneider, Andrea K. (June 19, 2012). "Muppet Theory". Marquette University Law School Faculty Blog.
  6. ^ Hudson, John (June 8, 2012). "The Muppet Theory That Explains Humanity". The Atlantic.
  7. ^ Siptroth, Stephen. "Muppet Theory?". Holy Innocents Episcopal Church.

Further reading

  • Gelfand, Michelle J. (August 20, 2019). Rule Makers, Rule Breakers. Scribner. ISBN 9781501152948.
  • Vásquez, Consuelo; Kuhn, Timothy, eds. (March 13, 2019). Dis/organization as Communication. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9780429960550.
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