Americans are addicted to drama and the election is a dramatic situation
Last edited Tue Oct 9, 2012, 10:06 PM - Edit history (1)
At least that's what the media is angling for. They need a narrative full of protagonists and antagonists, plotlines, locations and background characters, all to come to a climactic ending on election day.
The first rule of storytelling is that a hero is as only as powerful as his nemesis. This explains why Mitt Romney is repeatedly resurrected by the press after every time he stumbles. Why they are quick to gloss over his shortcomings, gaffes, lies and extremely poor performance as a campaigner.
As far as bad guys go, Romney is horrible in the role. Everyone knows that the man is a poorly written caricature, yet the media can't actually say it. That would be a tacit admission that our political system is broken and they, the media, are culprits in this whole mess. Romney has to be more formidable than he actually is, otherwise how can they tell an exciting story?
They need Mitt to metaphorically knock down the President and gloat over his obstensibly apparent triumph as gives away the game before delivering the coup de gras... All with the stenographers earning their paychecks with an exciting twist in the story to keep the readers on the edge of their seats.
The chapter ends, as our hero is about to meet an early and unfortunate end. The next chapter starts, and of course the tenor of the story is expected to change, as the hero's trusty partner comes to a last second rescue, beats back the antagonist's minions and allows the hero to regain his footing.
The bad guy will retreat to his lair, the hero will tend to his wounds and the set up will begin for the final chapters.
Are we, the hapless townspeople who will come to help out in the hero's climatic triumph? Or will we simply cease in allowing the media to dictate this narrative to us in order they continue to cast themselves as dramatic authors?
Right before every heroic triumph to end the story, there must be a nadir. A moment where our hero is hurt and demoralized. It creates tension and suspense and the possibility of defeat, the things that all great tales of heroism need. "How will he get out of this?", you're expected to ask.
That's when the writer's skills come to play, where he or she shows you the thing that's been before your eyes all of this time; the hero's key to victory. The thing that was always going to defeat the antagonist the entire time, only if our hero had the wherewithal to use it. It could be a previously disregarded weapon, or even the main and obvious character flaw of the antagonist, or even a change of heart in favor of our hero by the bad guy's ally in a moment of betrayal and redemption.
What ever it is, it was always staring you in the face.
The main reason why this election that features a terminally flawed opponent for the President has been allowed to be turned into a cheap imitation of a dime store novel is obvious. The media needs you to keep coming back for a daily dose of twists and turns, the stenographers need to cast themselves as both knowledgeable and invaluable, even when they don't know any more about what's going on than any other person on the street.
They need create the tension, for without it, everyone will become bored.
It's required in spite of the real consequences of the outcome. Those things are inconvenient to bring up and unfortunately distracting from their efforts to keep you intensely interested in whatever minutiae that they extrapolate upon.
So step back, look at the long term trend, see what's right there in front of you, listen to ordinary folks who aren't swayed by the massive spin and dramatic meanderings of the media.
There really is no need to put yourself into the role of a hapless reader. You ARE the protagonist, you are your own victor.
You are the ones who are actually narrating this "story". Don't let any paid Shakespeare wannabe try to tell you otherwise.
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