Narratives

In 1971, Cher’s song, “Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves,” rose to number one on the charts. In addition to having a great hook, the recording called out the hypocrisy of “the people of the town,” who called others cruel names, as though they had a right to judge. But let’s not congratulate ourselves. In many ways, we are the people of the town.

Thousands of black men were abducted by mobs for a variety of “offenses,” including “looking at a white woman the wrong way.” Then they were tortured and lynched for crimes they did not commit. During WWII, thousands of Japanese Americans were suspected of spying, so they were held in internment camps. Currently, thousands of persons of Hispanic descent have been called, “drug dealers, rapists, and murderers,” so they’ve been locked in detention centers or summarily deported. The left calls the right “racists and fascists,” while the right calls the left “radicals and pedophiles.” And often the guilt or innocence of the group in question is tied to the dominant narrative.

Attorney Gerry Spence, who has never lost a case before a jury, proposed that the outcome of a trial depends on which story the jury believes. Spence found it essential to persuade jury members to feel like they are part of the narrative.

While facts matter, the way facts are woven into an appealing pattern matters more. Even in the absence of facts or the presence of half-truths, a good narrative can win the day. And sometimes the narrative will be more powerful if key information is simply left out. Certain “news” channels come to mind. A clear, straightforward story sells while a complicated, nuanced story might not. And people sometimes believe conspiracy theories because they are good narratives, combining a few facts with a lot of speculation to “connect the dots” in a believable way.

The term, “gypsies,” is now pretty much off-limits. For good reason. It has too often been used in a derogatory sense. 50 years ago, our sensibilities were not the same as today, but blanket accusations are still wrong. While it’s true that some (but not all) migrants are criminals, it’s also true that some citizens are criminals. And statistically, it’s more likely that a US citizen will commit a violent crime than an “illegal” immigrant. Nevertheless, it’s easy to sell a narrative that gins up fear of “the other.” Scary anecdotes of one or a few incidents are easy to pass off as characterizing the whole. This is why so many black men were lynched. This is why non-white people continue to be harassed and falsely accused.

As a writer, I know it’s easier to invent fiction than to research and organize a true story. However, the best fiction contains elements of truth. Good historical novels are based on facts. Good science fiction incorporates scientific facts. Nevertheless, our spider sense should tingle whenever someone deliberately omits certain inconvenient bits of information. Perhaps they find this easier than explaining the various perspectives to consider. Or maybe they just want to score political points.

I used to tell my students to ask simple questions, such as: Why is this story being told? What’s the point? What are they not telling me? How much effort was made to get the facts? Who stands to gain if the story is believed? And so on. Some stories have more merit than others. We should beware of narratives that offer simple one-step solutions to complex problems and attack pieces that claim to be fair. At the same time, we should keep in mind that big words don’t necessarily express big thoughts.

It seems to me all of life is a narrative. We tell stories all the time. However, before we believe a story, we need to stop and think, to withhold judgement until the whole truth becomes clear. We need to keep our eyes open. What we hear most often might turn out to be a horrible lie, as in Cher’s song. And what we think can’t possibly be true sometimes is. More to the point, what sounds true can hurt people, not just in stories, but in real life.