The Faux Fracas in Nevada: How a Reporter Manufactured a Riot

[drokhole]

52. 1. Steamroll people’s rights and opinions. 2. Anticipate and leverage resistance. 3. Profit!

Briefly, this is a conversation worth a listen (with a guy who authored a book more than worth a read):

http://davidswanson.org/node/4671

Note particularly the point where the guest speaks to the fact that those in power often orchestrate or perform some egregious action, only to turn around and denounce reactions and feign innocence of any initial infraction or systemic injustice (a common tactic of the powerful and those in charge).

Longly (from another author/researcher), there are stories that unite and stories that divide (posted this in another thread, but bears repeating to highlight the inner workings of the establishment's attempt to continue to actively misrepresent what happened, and concoct, control, and perpetuate a narrative that has been discredited):

Stories that unite
Have elements of play
Focus on changeable behavior
Identify qualities group members share
Poke fun at the powerful

Stories that divide
Lack elements of play
Focus on essences of people
Identify qualities few people have
Belittle, reject less powerful

"To tell great stories is to inspire, unite, animate, and find opportunities for power.

My study of fraternity teasing, however, also offered a cautionary tale about the potential abuses of power in storytelling. Our high-power, active fraternity members told stories that were often lacking playful markers. They went after lower-status targets in blunt, humiliating, and isolating attacks. This result has been replicated in other studies as well. Studies of bullies (PDF) find that their jokes generate little laughter but instead humiliate. Sexual harassment, always perpetrated by the more powerful, often begins in stories and jokes that isolate, demean, and coerce.

More generally, power can lead to a demeaning form of storytelling I call narratives of exceptionalism. These are stories that people who hold entrenched power tell about how extraordinary those at the top are.

Narratives of exceptionalism have the attributes of stories that divide. They focus on rare “essence” of people rather than changeable behavior, and suggest that the unusual traits of a select few separate them from the hoi polloi.

(...)

Narratives of exceptionalism matter. They are used to justify people’s positions of power, thus impeding social progress. They blind people to their own abuses of power. And they can deter deserving people from pursuing positions of power that would allow them to make valuable contributions to society." - Dacher Keltner (from The Power Paradox)

Now, let's look how each "side" officially responded following this past weekend's events:

The explosive situation arose in large part because a portion of the community of Sanders delegates arrived at the Nevada Democratic State Convention believing itself to be a vanguard intent upon sparking a street-fight rather than attending an orderly political party process. Surprised and outraged at the idea of being out-organized and thus outnumbered in the convention hall by Clinton delegates, a portion of the Sanders delegation rushed the dais immediately upon the opening of the convention and halted the progress of any convention business for much of the day. Indeed, every point during which Sanders delegates did not agree with any aspect of the proceedings saw them press up against the dais and scream obscenities and threats at the Chair, First Vice Chair, and any other speaker. In fact, event security provided by the Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino took it upon themselves to increase the security perimeter around the dais so the convention could simply move forward with its routine business in relative safety. In other words, the hour-to-hour business of Nevada Democrats was necessarily conducted in an atmosphere of impending eruption of physical threats and intimidation for more than 12 hours. Scuffles, screams from bullhorns, and profane insults marked nearly the entirety of the event. Numerous medical emergencies among delegates pressed up against the dais had to be attended to throughout the day.

The Sanders Campaign spent its time either ignoring or profiting from the chaos it did much to create and nothing to diminish or mitigate.

(...)

The people who fostered, encouraged, and gained from the unsettling scenes at the Nevada State Democratic Convention bring dishonor and discredit to our state and national parties. Having seen up close the lack of conscience or concern for the ramifications of their actions—indeed, the glee with which they engaged in such destructive behavior—we expect similar tactics at the National Convention in July.

And, from Sanders:

“It is imperative that the Democratic leadership, both nationally and in the states, understand that the political world is changing and that millions of Americans are outraged at establishment politics and establishment economics. The people of this country want a government which represents all of us, not just the 1 percent, super PACs and wealthy campaign contributors.

The Democratic Party has a choice. It can open its doors and welcome into the party people who are prepared to fight for real economic and social change – people who are willing to take on Wall Street, corporate greed and a fossil fuel industry which is destroying this planet. Or the party can choose to maintain its status quo structure, remain dependent on big-money campaign contributions and be a party with limited participation and limited energy."

The contrast couldn't be more stark. Right out the gate, the Nevada Democratic Party officials - with violently charged language - seek to smear and demean in "blunt, humiliating, and isolating attacks." Whereas Sanders, given the same opportunity in opening remarks, doesn't attack the disenfranchised and powerless, but calls for more inclusion and fights on their behalf.

"But once people feel powerful, their attention shifts. They often stop prioritizing others’ interests and the greater good. They become concerned with gratifying their own desires, and they become vulnerable to a lack of empathy, impulsive behavior, and stories that divide and humiliate others.

This is the power paradox: The very skills that help us attain power vanish once we feel powerful or live a life of privilege. And the paradox is evident in the ways in which power is intertwined with storytelling." - Dacher Keltner