Just how deep is Kerry's game?

[Jackpine Radical]

I just realized that he has cast himself into a mythic hero, something out of Joseph Campbell or C.J. Jung.

The classic American hero is the guy who didn't ask for trouble, but once people pushed him too far, he fought back like a wildcat.
In addition to every Western novel you ever read, there was a Kenny Rogers song that illustrated this perfectly, about a kid who wouldn't fight because his father had made him swear not to, but after the kid's wife was raped by three bullies he went after the thugs and tore them apart. I think it was called "The Coward of the County" or something like that.

What I mean to say, for any Jungians out there, is that Kerry has arranged to get himself set up as an archetypal hero-figure. The swift boats, the RNC lies, Zell foaming at the mouth--all these things do nothing but reinforce the archetypal image. When Kerry goes for blood now, he will have the sympathies of the American people with him.

[alittlelark]

1. It's possible.

I actually like the idea. If that's where they're going - more power to them. A LOT of power to them.

[jjmalonejr]

2. That's how I hope this story is played out

Kerry got GAME!

[Tamyrlin79]

3. Indeed, we have competing hero stories here

Bush Co. has an American hero narrative of his own... Too bad its fake.

However, the fact that JK actually IS a hero doesn't hurt and gives his narrative more credibility.

[splat]

4. can he grow into philosopher king?

I've been thinking along these lines, too -- the wounded warrior as tribal healer.

Most americans think the vietnam war was a mistake, and Kerry helped end it.

He has to own that, proudly, for all of us.

Mostly he needs to be as real and principled and courageous now as he was then, when he had nothing to lose.

[JPJones]

5. Clark was the philosopher king archetype n/t

[JPJones]

6. Very interesting thoughts

Academics love the theme of the American hero. Someone who trained a lot of people must have first obsessed about this topic.

[splat]

7. pattern recognition

Ya get seized by an archetype, then obsess later. <>

[necso]

8. Deep.

Think Lincoln.

But this is lost on most people, I believe. And I am sure that Kerry recognizes this.

[Jackpine Radical]

9. Oh, but it's NOT lost on most people.

This archetypal stuff talks directly to our unconscious hardwiring. The intellectual abstraction is absolutely unnecessary for archetypes to function. Kinda like saying that the processes of digestion are lost on most people because they don't know the chemistry of enzymes.