ISIS propaganda-videos use powerful trope "Hero's Journey", but professor suggests counter-measure

[DetlefK]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/is-isis-taking-notes-from-star-wars_us_574efccde4b0c3752dcc12e9?ir=Science§ion=us_science&utm_hp_ref=science

One of the studies conjectures that the reason ISIS videos are so effective is they use the tropes of Hollywood blockbusters — particularly movies with “heroic quests” — to appeal to would-be extremists.

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Pape says ISIS videos closely mirror the 12-step narrative outlined in the popular 2007 screenwriting manual The Writer’s Journey The manual is itself based on the work of mythologist Joseph Campbell, who proposed an archetypal “hero’s journey“ that is common to myths, stories and folktales from around the world.

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He says this differentiates ISIS from groups like al Qaeda, which used more “traditional,” less relatable stock figures like martyrs and tyrants instead of adventurous heroes. For instance, al Qaeda often invoked the story of “Moses confronting the idolatrous tyrant Pharaoh for disobeying God,” says Halverson, like in a 2002 statement that dubbed George W. Bush “the pharaoh of this age.”

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Pape thinks the insights from his study will help the U.S. make better anti-ISIS videos.

“Their effort isn’t working because they fail to engage viewers’ emotions the way ISIS videos do,” says Pape. He suggests the government adopt its own “heroic logic” to counter the vision of ISIS.

“Countering the ISIS hero metric would involve emphasizing that the individuals in ISIS are not working for the community and are not patriots, but they are, instead, individually motivated, and should be seen as foreign occupiers whose desires are at odds with the local community,” he suggested.

Hatemi, on the other hand, thinks it doesn’t need to be that hard.

“We could also just pick up what ISIS leaves out,” he said. “They don’t show the beatings, torture, rations, and terrible living conditions in an ISIS propaganda film. If we showed that, it could be half the battle.”




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As most victims of ISIS are Muslims, the counter-propaganda could just mirror what ISIS is saying.

ISIS-propaganda says that you can be a warrior on the road to glory by fighting the evil guys.

As ISIS is essentially an invading force in Iraq and Syria, counter-propaganda could simply depict them as the evil guys that the hero must defeat.
"These are your brothers they are killing."
"This could be your sister and your mother they are raping."
"They come from all over the world to Iraq and Syria to torture Muslims."
"They come from all over the world to Iraq and Syria to kill Muslims."
"They think that torturing you and raping your sister and your mother will make them heroes in the eyes of Allah."