Saturday, October 01, 2011

The Problem

I really liked Peggy Noonan's column today. She detects a jump in patriotism among American's professional classes. Which sounds like a good thing to me. And she lashes out at the political class's obsession with crafting narratives and telling stories:
Here's the problem: There is no story. At the end of the day, there is only reality. Things work or they don't. When they work, people notice, and say it.
Yes, that's the problem.

At the end of the day,
that which is real
washes away
the spin and spiel.
at

2 comments:

  1. Charlie McDanger12:46 PM

    I think the narratives are more powerful than that. "Land of the Free" or highest incarceration rate around?

    "Liberator" or installer of puppet governments?

    We laugh and shake our heads at DPRK propaganda. We'd never fall for that!

    ReplyDelete
  2. John Enright12:59 PM

    If you live in the DPRK you always fall for it, no matter how smart you are. You can see through some of it, but not all of it.

    Your point is well made.

    ReplyDelete