Political narratives.

[Writer]

Do you know what a narrative is? I don't mean a story, but a trope or a thread of meaning that we rely upon to make sense of the world. A narrative, or narratives, help formulate ideologies. We either subscribe to a particular narrative or we don't, based on our individual life experiences. Are Republicans political enemies who do not have the people's best interests at heart? That's a narrative. Is (or was) the Iraq War a falsely rendered occupation of a foreign nation under the pretense of "protecting freedom?" That's another narrative.

There's a danger, however, with narratives, and that is that they can become prescriptive in the sense that they pre-ordain what information we do or don't accept as "valuable." Does it fit the narrative? Yes? Then it's true, believable, and we internalize that information. Does it not? Then we reject that information, and even castigate the messenger.

I do notice particular narratives on DU. Some of us believe that the Obama administration is "corrupted" by corporate or lobbyist influence, so they will not back the people's wishes. Others believe that the Obama administration is operating with a practical mindset that means to do the best it can within the constraints of the current political system, so they are more willing to accept compromise. Still others believe that Obama is part of a socialist-fascist-other nonsensical belief system that opposes "American values," whatever those are - okay, that's not on DU, but it's out there in the public sphere.

So all of us, based on these narratives, look for those things that fit the narrative while tossing out those things that don't. That's why I think we see very specific "camps" on DU. There are those who follow certain narratives to an almost zealous degree. They won't acknowledge information that doesn't comport with that narrative, while championing information that most certainly does, at the expense of all else. These are internalized narratives, remember, so this is not just a political exercise, but a very personal one, as well. It's very difficult to challenge the narratives that string together a person's identity.

I wish I had a solution to this. Even this "Writer" is aware that she operates with specific internalized narratives. However, it's something of which we should always be aware and should try to break from once in a while.

~Writer~

[EFerrari]

1. Taking a break from internalized narrative is otherwise known as "decompensation"

and usually involves a hospital stay, aka "psychotic break". Iirc, Neither Lacan nor his coterie were much good as clinicians.

[HughMoran]

2. Good post

I wish there was a solution to this issue as well. Typing a 10 minute response in an argument knowing that it's for the 'audience' reading the thread is not as satisfying as a constructive dialog where some give and take occurs.

[NJmaverick]

3. K&R

[Hutzpa]

4. Nice

very thoughtful, only one problem though, DU don't do thoughtfulness haven't you notice
that lately?

:evilgrin: