Yes, though the people in power (through most of history) tend to employ those narratives that maintain the status quo and enable them to remain in power.
In a world dominated by print and electronic media (aka social media, etc.), our sense of reality is increasingly structured by narratives. Feature films and documentaries tell us stories about ourselves and the world we live in. Television speaks back to us and offers us ‘reality’ in the form of hyperbole and parody. Print journalism turns daily life into a story. Advertisements narrativise our fantasies and desires. And social media creates (and propagates through virality) its own unique blend of narratives.
As long as human beings have had the power of speech, they have been speaking in narratives, goes the theory. Yet there is nothing natural or universal about our "present" narratives, which are a form of representation. As such, it is historically and culturally positioned to turn information and events into structures that are already meaningful to their audiences. Since the media are now the major controllers of narrative production and consumption in the Western world, the stories that seem the most ‘natural’ are the ones to which the media have accustomed us.
Humans have been ruled/managed/controlled by narratives since time immemorial. The real struggle (IMHO) is - "how do those people that lack power (the 99%) take control of the narrative and make their narratives ubiquitous and be able to fight back against the narratives of those in power?"
Narratives and Myths…and the non discerning mind scoops it up hook, line and sinker
Critical thinking skills should be taught in every grade K-12 but why on earth would they want to do that. POWER TO THE PEOPLE not the sheeple. Bahhah 🐑
>>"Critical thinking skills should be taught in every grade K-12"
EXACTLY!
Teaching Critical Thinking skills and Media Literacy are 2 of the most important factors (IMHO) that should be focused on in an effort to escape/break-out-of the brainwashing and gaslighting narratives that seem to have been standardized in our societies and cultures.
But as you say, why would those in power want to do that?
Human beings are self - domesticated herd animals that prefer safety to freedom; hiding in the herd is the safest defense mechanism. When danger lurks, hide in the herd and run where they run; chances are the wolf will take someone else. And sheep follow the lead sheep, they like fences, and they never understand that the Shepard is the one who fleeces the herd, butchers the lamb, culls the herd, and dines on mutton. If we are honest, we need to accept that we are a vast minority among 330 million Americans, and that the vast majority of people prefer to live in safe myths, reassuring narratives, and psychological safety. And also, that we are largely takers’ rather than ‘narratives makers’.
>>"the vast majority of people prefer to live in safe myths, reassuring narratives, and psychological safety."
Very, very TRUE! Based on this understanding, I don't see a solution to the "narrative" (and propaganda) problems. Are we doomed to living in our present systems and unable to change them for the better? Is there any (realistic) way to fight back against the "narrative makers"? I'm desperately searching for hope to alternatives, but am unable to find one. (Is the problem with me for not trying hard enough to find alternatives/hope? or is the problem that we are caught in a vice-like grip under the systems, institutions, and organizations of the "narrative makers" and unable to effectively break free of them?)
Yes, though the people in power (through most of history) tend to employ those narratives that maintain the status quo and enable them to remain in power.
In a world dominated by print and electronic media (aka social media, etc.), our sense of reality is increasingly structured by narratives. Feature films and documentaries tell us stories about ourselves and the world we live in. Television speaks back to us and offers us ‘reality’ in the form of hyperbole and parody. Print journalism turns daily life into a story. Advertisements narrativise our fantasies and desires. And social media creates (and propagates through virality) its own unique blend of narratives.
As long as human beings have had the power of speech, they have been speaking in narratives, goes the theory. Yet there is nothing natural or universal about our "present" narratives, which are a form of representation. As such, it is historically and culturally positioned to turn information and events into structures that are already meaningful to their audiences. Since the media are now the major controllers of narrative production and consumption in the Western world, the stories that seem the most ‘natural’ are the ones to which the media have accustomed us.
Humans have been ruled/managed/controlled by narratives since time immemorial. The real struggle (IMHO) is - "how do those people that lack power (the 99%) take control of the narrative and make their narratives ubiquitous and be able to fight back against the narratives of those in power?"
That's the big question, alright.
Even the term 'the 99%' challenges the mainstream narrative, and it's a good start to more well rounded narratives that support us.
Both the ongoing genocide, other wars and the environmental mess we find ourselves in are creating new and more life supporting narratives, I think.
Narratives and Myths…and the non discerning mind scoops it up hook, line and sinker
Critical thinking skills should be taught in every grade K-12 but why on earth would they want to do that. POWER TO THE PEOPLE not the sheeple. Bahhah 🐑
>>"Critical thinking skills should be taught in every grade K-12"
EXACTLY!
Teaching Critical Thinking skills and Media Literacy are 2 of the most important factors (IMHO) that should be focused on in an effort to escape/break-out-of the brainwashing and gaslighting narratives that seem to have been standardized in our societies and cultures.
But as you say, why would those in power want to do that?
Human beings are self - domesticated herd animals that prefer safety to freedom; hiding in the herd is the safest defense mechanism. When danger lurks, hide in the herd and run where they run; chances are the wolf will take someone else. And sheep follow the lead sheep, they like fences, and they never understand that the Shepard is the one who fleeces the herd, butchers the lamb, culls the herd, and dines on mutton. If we are honest, we need to accept that we are a vast minority among 330 million Americans, and that the vast majority of people prefer to live in safe myths, reassuring narratives, and psychological safety. And also, that we are largely takers’ rather than ‘narratives makers’.
>>"the vast majority of people prefer to live in safe myths, reassuring narratives, and psychological safety."
Very, very TRUE! Based on this understanding, I don't see a solution to the "narrative" (and propaganda) problems. Are we doomed to living in our present systems and unable to change them for the better? Is there any (realistic) way to fight back against the "narrative makers"? I'm desperately searching for hope to alternatives, but am unable to find one. (Is the problem with me for not trying hard enough to find alternatives/hope? or is the problem that we are caught in a vice-like grip under the systems, institutions, and organizations of the "narrative makers" and unable to effectively break free of them?)