STORY and POLITICS with Dominick and Virginia

Join Dominick and Virginia as we unravel the intricate dance between narrative and politics, as well as the age-old role of STORY in political campaigning. In this episode, we spotlight the media's role in shaping perceptions and its troubling relationship with misinformation. Our discussion warns against inflammatory rhetoric and champions the return of nuance to policy discussions (in lieu of polarizing issues into binary categories.) This kind of self-regulation is essential as we grapple with complex geopolitical issues during this campaign season and election cycle. We are being called upon to audit our own cherry picking and confirmation bias as we develop an awareness of identity politics. Bipartisan solutions lie solely in retiring echo chambers and the all-too common lifestyle of living in respective bubbles. In the spirit of Language of the Soul Podcast, we are indeed 'turning a page,' culturally. Our call to action is to join in the paradigm shift. To join in the telling of a NEW story--one about who we choose to become moving forward--one about interconnectivity and the march toward human potential.

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Transcript

The Art of Story and Politics

Speaker 1 0:45

Hello and welcome to Language of the Soul podcast, where life is a story. I'm your host, dominic Domingo, and I'd like to welcome you to an exclusive episode of Language of the Soul or, as I put it in speaking with Virginia, my producer, a few minutes ago, a very special episode of Language of the Soul. Language of the soul For any of us who remember 70s sitcoms like Little House on the Prairie or even All in the Family, whenever there was a poignant episode or a social issue addressed, they'd say a very special issue. It was like a trigger warning, an early trigger warning back in the 70s. Anyway, as a little bit of a preface, we have successfully avoided talking about politics on this podcast. It's not an effort to be diplomatic or middle of the road and it's not because we lack opinions or conviction. It's simply that and I think Virginia would agree with this for sure we like to take a meta view of cultural issues and even social issues, and there is a human level that transcends politics. So in that spirit, we did have one guest, andrea Slemensky, whom I adore. She's a very dear friend. She spoke about the three archetypes that were being illustrated very clearly in this election cycle, meaning the wise old sage, the tyrant and the warrior goddess, and that was a really great episode. But for the most part we don't get too specific about policy debates. However, with the election right around the corner, we really were motivated to address the upcoming election and sort of fit this in before election day. The role of story or narrative in political campaigning could not be more on display than at this moment. So it was unavoidable and, frankly, a no-brainer. So you'll see why we are not discussing the nitty-gritty of the campaign or the mudslinging or anything like that, but we are offering a meta view and maybe hopefully doing our part in the change that we wish to see. So basically, we both wrote an editorial slash opinion piece on again this campaign season and election cycle and the upcoming elections and they kind of speak for themselves. So I'm going to just let you sit back, pour a cup of coffee or turmeric tea or whatever is your drug of choice and enjoy Story and Politics, the Art of Self-Regulation.

Speaker 1 3:23

I have no feelings about Patricia Heaton. I know nothing about her political views, or I didn't, that is, until a few days ago when she came out publicly. Up to then I liked Everybody Loves Raymond as much as the next guy. Despite a vague sense, the show had a right-wing undercurrent disguised as family values. The slant was not as blatant as that of Home Improvement, but imminent nonetheless, like the discordant hum of a distant car alarm blending into white noise. On the scale of political ambiguity, or, conversely, the keeping the crazy under wraps scale, I'd place Raymond right up there with Roseanne.

Speaker 1 4:03

So I was admittedly surprised when Miss Heaton publicly mouthed off a few days ago, if not blatant conspiracy theory, what she spouted qualified at best as inflammatory rhetoric, unfounded rhetoric. At first my cogs began to churn with cognitive dissonance. Next my jaw dropped in disbelief, the same way it had when Janet Jackson let the crazy fly a week before. I must admit the latter hit harder due to my childhood crush on Little Penny from Good Times. Resembling a mini-stroke, janet's lapsed insanity took the form of publicly parroting tired tropes that Kamala Harris' father was not in fact black. Had her eyes taken a vacation in the Bahamas, I guess I could have seen the disillusionment coming In both cases.

Speaker 1 4:54

Regardless of the original source, the news organization propagating the clips ad infinitum in social media was predictably Fox News. The assertions of these women in social media conjured a familiar feeling the sense that something wasn't quite right, that there was some missing bit of information or a major misapprehension, most likely dredged from some dank internet rabbit hole that I was now obligated to investigate. In both cases, my incredulity ultimately turned to bafflement that otherwise seemingly intelligent celebrities could fall hook line and sinker for the misinformation proffered by fake news outlets. Had they been living under a rock, along with every last undecided voter basking in oblivion? More to the point, did these celebrities not have publicists to muzzle them?

Speaker 1 5:46

Miss Heaton's statement, well-intended, I'm sure them. Ms Heaton's statement, well-intended, I'm sure, was an indictment of the countless Hollywood celebrities who wore red hand pins to a recent awards ceremony. According to her, the pin's iconic image not only called for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, now the Israel versus Iran and its proxies war, but it referenced the slaughter of IDF agents by terrorists in the year 2000. She made the case that the display of virtue signaling was based in ignorance, stupidity in her words or, worse, in hatred. She was calling out the irony that, despite the prevalence of Jews in Hollywood, anti-semitism was alive and well on the red carpet. It was fashionable.

Speaker 1 6:32

I myself have said, no matter how unpopular the opinion, that the situation is nuanced at best. How could it not be, considering the decades, centuries of history fueling the conflict? I've suggested that engaging in inflammatory rhetoric to politically polarize is just another form of catastrophizing, one that's a dead-end road, along with virtue signaling, confirmation bias, cherry-picking and identity politics. Calling pacifism anti-Semitism, or willfully conflating anti-terrorism with anti-Muslim sentiment is the very definition of inflammatory rhetoric. We need to be smarter. I've heard myself say Returning cultural value to nuance is the only path toward a two-state solution. I bring up the above examples not in order to parse them or to persuade, but as examples of the many layers of onion skin we must peel away these days to get at the true story behind a headline, if objective truth even exists. But let's not get hung up on philosophy.

Speaker 1 7:39

In the political arena, the spin machine is so well honed that arriving at objective fact is nothing short of a hall of mirrors. The current campaign season has made it clear that whataboutism reigns supreme, as does one campaign projecting its weak points and liabilities on the opposing campaign with every utterance or sideways glance. When rallies, interviews and debates are reduced to out-of-context soundbites, debate season becomes one big Rorschach test, and the onus is on each one of us to consider the source, the talking head, as it were, and its agenda. Gone are the days of unbiased reporting. It's well known that every news organization has a daddy. Few of us will forget the fiasco surrounding the opening ceremonies of the Paris Olympics. The true intentions of the producers, artists and performers caught in the political crossfire became secondary to the strands of politically charged spaghetti being flung by armchair pundits to see what would stick On.

Navigating Truth Amid Political Narratives

Speaker 1 8:41

Our podcast, language of the Soul, virginia and I have magically avoided political controversy, not because we're diplomatic or middle of the road, not because we lack opinions or conviction. The way we frame it is this when it comes to social issues, there is a human agenda that transcends politics. We are all invested in our noosphere, the invisible realm of our morals, ethics, norms, codes and policy, the evolution of which is just as crucial as that of our biology. Our podcast, language of the Soul, is about all things story. Short of repeating our entire mission statement, suffice it to say our show encompasses not just the arts, entertainment and the literary realm, but political campaigning, advertising and propaganda Pretty much every aspect of life. As we say at the close of every episode, life is story, from the stories we tell ourselves on the micro level to those we tell about cultural identity and the human condition. On the macro scale, we have our hands in the clay all day, every day, creating our future.

Speaker 1 9:52

When it comes to social issues, anything can be politicized For effect. Consider that political pundits and news organizations in the media managed to politicize a potentially catastrophic pandemic. The truth is, most social issues are really human issues at the core. When one takes a broader view, what's at stake becomes clear, and it's usually something we're all invested in. On our podcast, we tend to take a meta-view of timely cultural topics, our only bias being the universal human agenda.

Speaker 1 10:27

Which perspective best contributes to our march toward human potential? In that spirit, I want to talk about what we've successfully avoided to date unexamined this campaign season and election cycle, specifically the role story plays in the goings-on. I want to look at things from a human perspective sans political polarization. I want to look at things from a human perspective sans political polarization. Surely there's an argument to be made that it's an impossible task, given the respective worldviews. We all wear like goggles. Every talking head with a platform has a filter made up of emotional imprint, social conditioning, cultural relativity and so on. But each one of us also has the ability, on a good day, to self-regulate by putting ego aside and taking a broader perspective.

Speaker 1 11:17

Let's be clear the role of story in politics is as old as time. Even so, the stakes seem to be higher these days. The role of narrative, more pronounced. Narratives are invented, fabricated from origin stories, with mass appeal to those used to drag the opposing candidate through the mud. They're then broadcast, propagated and perpetuated through news organizations, social media, even casual water cooler conversation. Campaign advisors then go on to spin narratives on the daily, given that they're slow to die and continue to evolve.

Speaker 1 11:56

This election cycle perhaps more than ever, and due in large part to social media indulges wacky stories found in bottomless internet rabbit holes. Oh, tabloid culture has been alive and well for decades, but the fanciful gossip has hit an all-time high due to sheer accessibility. For example, I'm old enough to remember when Hillary Clinton had an alien baby thanks to the National Enquirer. God forbid a First Lady do more than pick out curtains for the White House, let alone host opinions and a policy agenda of her own. Clearly, such a First Lady must be a lesbian or, better yet, a surrogate for alien spawn. As outrageous as this story rings, it has now evolved into the no less absurd Pizzagate conspiracy, so persistent is the gossip. As political slander machine. Narratives can be pared down to handy slogans like Mocker Up and Crooked Hillary. If name-calling rings benign, consider that the moniker Hanoi Jane has continued to dog Jane Fonda for over half a century.

Speaker 1 13:03

As long as I've been on the planet, nerves like Benghazi election denial, birtherism and the current questioning of Kamala Harris' ethnicity and cultural identity are designed to undermine credibility using racist and misogynistic dog whistles. Election Interference, misogynistic dog whistles, election interference, gerrymandering, miscounts and voter intimidation have long been the tools of election interference. During this election season and the last other forms of election interference have become very real threats to our democracy, namely, foreign election interference from our adversaries, each of whom has something to gain by muddying the waters in favor of one candidate or the other. A large percentage of the false narratives and conspiracy theories in social media are being promulgated by our foreign adversaries, both Iran and, on TikTok, certainly China. Putin had his narrative-spinning heyday in 2016, but we were a bit more prepared for Russia's wily tactics this time around Fake news. It was Trump who cemented the term fake news in popular culture. Ironic, considering the promulgation of conspiracy theory and fake news is the backbone of both his 2016 and 2024 campaigns.

Speaker 1 14:24

For the majority of my time on planet Earth, broadcast journalism is self-regulated according to a code of ethics. Nothing as concrete as the Hippocratic Oath doctors must abide. 1914's journalist's creed hangs in most newsrooms. Outdated as it reads today. Creed hangs in most newsrooms. Outdated as it reads today. In its own poetic way, it speaks about public trust, corruption, objectivity and other abstractions. In practice, the tenets of journalistic integrity have traditionally centered on protection of sources, unbiased, objective reporting and diligent fact-checking. Somehow, all of the above have eroded so as to become lax.

Speaker 1 15:06

In 2024,. Every news organization wants to be the first to break a story. No one wants to be left in the dust. The mantra seems to be release story now, check facts later. In short, news has become entertainment. Entertainment and credibility is in the eye of the beholder. Anything goes. A recent viral meme I could not resist reposting reads hold on a second. They have legit fact checkers that know all the facts. Why not set up a channel on TV and just give us the facts? We can call it the news. It's a sad state of affairs, with fascism on the rise To further erode the public's faith in journalism. Trump has repeatedly identified the press as public enemy number one. This week he's warned of the enemy from within. The catchphrase is very much on brand when divide and conquer is the name of the game.

Speaker 1 16:05

During my lifetime, I pinpoint the Whitewater investigation as a significant milestone in that, for the first time, you had Rush Limbaugh and his radio program devoted night and day for eight full years to tearing down an administration and a presidency. But, truth be told, when it comes to muddying the waters between legitimate journalism and opinion pieces, the trend may have begun with CNN. With the advent of politically aligned news organizations, the line between just-the-facts-ma news and editorial or opinion pieces began to effectively blur. Then along came the answer CNN, fox News and, soon after, the far-left counterpart, msnbc. Networks like Al Jazeera became fringe resources for those who wished to be judicious and attempt to synthesize all perspectives. Granted, we're still far ahead of the game when compared to propaganda, as news regimes like Russia and China, where the media is controlled 100% by the government.

Speaker 1 17:11

But here in the States, the onus is on the individual to root out the truth by weeding through an awful lot of noise. The above examples still keep up the guise of news. For decades, there has been a bevy of entertainment platforms offering political satire, from Wally George's Hot Seat in the 80s through Rush Limbaugh and Laura Schlesinger in the 90s. More recently, bill Mayer, trevor Noah, john Oliver and Stephen Colbert have taken up the reins. Pseudo-news and documentary Juicy.

Speaker 1 17:45

Celebrity indictments are as tempting to legitimate news organizations as they are to the tabloid press. Traditionally, the media has shown restraint. Protocol has been to resist swaying public opinion while a verdict is still out, thereby allowing the justice system to play its part. However, a trend has emerged, with Netflix at the forefront of cementing narratives in the public arena long before a verdict is read. From crucifying Martha Stewart and Leona Helmsley back in the day to the R Kelly and P Diddy scandals, this kind of fare takes on a great deal of responsibility. In the name of entertainment. Netflix has become a go-to brand for privately funded docs about everything from lion trainers as murderers to serial daters, to incorrigible exes, horny sperm donors and corrupt restaurateurs.

Speaker 1 18:37

Whether directly influencing the outcome of a trial or simply slandering the innocent, the responsibility is immense. It becomes next to impossible finding unbiased jurors. No one wants a juror who's been living under a rock uninformed, and the networks continue slandering posthumously ad infinitum the likes of the socialites portrayed in Ryan Murphy's the Swans, to the Menendez brothers, joan Crawford and Marilyn Monroe. Indeed, the line between news and entertainment is nearly imperceptible. Journalistic integrity seems like a thing of the past With lines being so blurred. One can only hope that the fiascos represented by the last two election cycles and the very real threat to democracy will return some value to ethical journalism, that news organizations will begin to self-regulate in order to, if nothing else, preserve the very tenets of democracy. I'm not sure what it'll take to jog our collective sense of ethical responsibility, but a jarring pop culture moment that should give us all pause occurred when Trump pulled out of a debate because the promise of no fact-checking was reversed.

Speaker 1 19:51

My earlier words we need to be smarter were a bit reductive. The truth is, we need to look beyond the end of our noses and begin to recognize the role of story and what manifests, to identify those narratives we've internalized unexamined through social conditioning, like fish breathing in visible water. Individually and culturally, we have the agency to question the stories we tell ourselves and thereby perpetuate, to consider the source of each sensational headline or skewed message. But none of this is enough. It's too easy a solution. The deeper truth is we need to self-regulate. We must each develop awareness and nurture the metaself that transcends ego to reveal our own unexamined biases as well as the contradictions with which we've grown comfortable. We're arguably a culture of hypocrites who excel at rationalizing cognitive dissonance. The emperor's new clothes are alive and well and the sky is green Under the magical thinking that reigns supreme. If you say it enough, it's true.

Speaker 1 21:09

The perfect illustration of the above phenomenon of rationalization and cherry-picking occurred on CNN a few nights ago. The conversation grew heated between political strategist turned commentator Ana Navarro and California Lieutenant Governor Abel Maldonado, who identifies as MAGA. The conversation centered on the apparent contradiction of the latter's political alliance in light of the disservice the Trump administration has done to the Latino community. Maldonado claimed there was no contradiction Even when Navarro proceeded to cite the El Paso Walmart incident, in which 45 Latino immigrants were gunned down. Due to the anti-immigrant rhetoric proffered by the far right, maldonado attempted to distinguish the hate crimes motives from MAGA's more admirable policing of undocumented immigrants. Navarro employed her own rhetoric by asking if Maldonado thought the gunman asked for papers before gunning down 45 victims, who quote look like you and I, to justify his position and that of the 40% of Latino voters who endorsed Trump. Maldonado seemed to imply that the very fact they did so exonerated Trump. They know he's not a racist, he concluded. That doesn't mean he's not a racist. Navarro came back. It means you're okay with racism, bam Nail on head.

Speaker 1 22:33

I take that logic further when I hear the popular sentiment parroted that folks are willing to quote-unquote. Look the other way at unsavory attributes in their chosen candidate, like a complete lack of leadership qualities or integrity. For starters, because the economy was better under Trump, my first stands on end. The base drive to provide, to put food on tables and roofs over heads can justify a myriad of crimes. Breadwinners have justified making nuclear warheads to provide for their families.

Speaker 1 23:06

For those who value a secure economy immediately reflected by their pocketbooks, I say this you are not thinking of your children. If you were, you'd invest in their future, in the much more important moral sphere that will govern the planet. You leave them Things like community interconnectivity, the ushering out of colonial paradigms that have ravaged our habitat, resulting in irreversible climate change. These concerns are much more important than your immediate materialistic desire for comfort and stability. In the end, it's little more than entitlement. More importantly, in the spirit of this episode, I would offer this. If you truly examined the meta-narrative underlying your short-sighted impulse to preserve financial security, you'd see it's founded in capitalist greed, that knee-jerk resistance to anything that remotely smacks of socialism. All else is rationalization of that foundational belief. Further, it should be noted that valuing a strong economy over social justice, the crux of our humanity is a fear-based impulse.

Embracing Interconnectivity in Evolving Societies

Speaker 1 24:22

Let's tell a new story, one about faith in democracy and our very humanity, one about hope for the future, faith in our capacity and potential. It's this simple. One party has become the fear party and the other the hope party. One suggests that we govern or lead by appealing to base instincts like fear, and one believes that love has a place in not just social policy but business and legislation and every aspect of life. Don't get me wrong. I think having high ideals is a luxury, a hard-fought luxury. I claim to know nothing about national security or how to protect it. We are afforded our lofty ideals precisely because of our strong military presence.

Speaker 1 25:11

However, we are evolving, albeit not as quickly as some of us would like, and the question becomes do we as individuals wish to be part of the backswings and regressions or the forward march toward human potential? The current divisiveness is a form of resistance, a last-ditch effort by those whose values are obsolete. As our dialectic evolves, regressive forces have always resisted the change. In addition to synthesizing binaries like masculine and feminine, left and right brain sensibilities, nationalism and globalism, we are being called upon to usher out those thought forms and paradigms that have failed us. Patriarchy and all that stems from it, colonialism, exploitation, capitalist greed is simply not sustainable.

Speaker 1 26:06

Collective Manifestation we all know that we create our respective futures through words and actions, thoughts and feelings. This intuitive understanding of the mechanics of manifestation on a macrocosmic level is behind the admirable trend of aspirational paradigms seen in revisionist history, the cleansing and whitewashing seen on both sides of the aisle. In theory, in the same way, a child will become what you tell her she is. We will collectively fulfill society's narratives through the tropes we perpetuate. The more we learn about epigenetics, especially in light of intergenerational trauma, the more mainstream society cleans up its language. However, no one is going to tell black parents not to have the difficult conversation with their teenage boys about how to avoid becoming a statistic if pulled over by a white cop.

Speaker 1 27:01

Equally poignant, few of us have the right to tell Holocaust survivors not to tell the horrors of history lest they repeat themselves. Most of us are familiar with some version of George Santayana's 1905 quote from the Life of Reason those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. A more recent viral meme hits that same nail on the head by asking ever wonder what you would have done during the rise of fascism pre-World War II? You're doing it now. We must find the balance between aspirational thinking as a tool of creation and telling the truth about our collective transgressions in order to atone for them. The balance may look like this those stories that have been suppressed, those of the colonized and oppressed, the silenced and erased, must be given voice, a seat at the table. Healing intergenerational trauma depends on it. Only those indigenous groups, subcultures and minorities who have been written out of history it's written by the winners, after all get to decide when and where reparations have been made and what that looks like. Decide when and where reparations have been made and what that looks like.

Speaker 1 28:21

I've suggested we can all learn more about the role of story in shaping our respective worldviews and the role of propaganda as story in shaping policy. I was taught propaganda techniques in 6th grade from the bandwagon and plain folks techniques to fear and prejudice appeals, and it stuck. We could all brush up on our modes of persuasion, ethos, logos and pathos, but it's not enough to grow an awareness of narrative in the world around us. As I hinted at earlier, we must also learn to self-regulate, in lieu of asking our leaders to think for us, then pledging blind allegiance to a prefab platform. Let's police our own hypocrisy, those dark, cobwebby corners of our psyches where rationalization steps in for logic and, more importantly, for integrity. Let's be impeccable with our words, those we say to ourselves and others. Let's value and respect the codes, the contracts that bind us. In the end, what do we have but our contracts? Let's catch ourselves engaging in confirmation bias and treating every headline like a Rorschach test or, worse, an opportunity to slam those with a worldview different than our own. Let's recognize our inclination to cherry-pick facts and engage in identity politics, kowtowing to the tribal instinct to bond via a common enemy to demonize the other. Let's stop living in bubbles and echo chambers. Another way of putting it is this let's retire the dead-end road of divisiveness and acknowledge our interconnectivity. Let's evolve.

Speaker 1 30:08

Why are we so quick to spin stories to our liking? Why are folks so inclined to adopt absurd conspiracy theories and magical thinking? Novel thinking is nothing new. Most of us experience enlightenment after leaving home for college or simply getting out of Dodge. We question everything. We get high on seeing through the matrix by shouting our epiphanies from rooftops to anyone who will listen. We bash everything from the values of our own nuclear families to the Catholic Church and its many unfortunate bloodbaths. This is how we establish our authentic identities and differentiate. It's the nature of youth and essential to social evolution.

Speaker 1 30:51

However, this subversive phase can be latent. The way I put it is this Society is in an adolescent phase. Under the guise of seeing outside the box, the mainstream is high on questioning social conditioning, the status quo and, well, any and all institutions with authority. The thing is, the mainstream is unpracticed at it. There is a distinct difference between vigilant skepticism and outright paranoia. As pro-hemp as I am, I'm beginning to think the legalization of recreational marijuana was an unfortunate turn of events.

Shaping Political Narratives and American Dream

Speaker 1 31:30

Clearly, we are on the brink of ushering out obsolete thought forms and paradigms. Are on the brink of ushering out obsolete thought forms and paradigms. In the new order, we're being called upon to embrace our interconnectivity, not our differences. Every narrative employs conflict in order to impart catharsis, and that outcome hinges on hope or fear. Every screenwriter knows this. Audiences and readerships are being invited to choose love over fear every time for that transformation. We can do the same culturally. Let's honor love over fear. That's my call to action. Let's actively co-create in the shifting of paradigms by seeking to be our best selves every day as we navigate the world. Let's seek to integrate our best selves with the collective, each of us a valuable thread in the immense tapestry that is humanity. Individually and collectively, we have the power to grow those movements that have an eye on our human potential, our boundless capacity. With the faith, they will become policy. In short, let's tell a new story.

Speaker 2 32:46

So what's my perception of the power of story in politics? Well, here's what I was thinking. As we head into the final stretch of 2024, it's strikingly clear to me politics is nothing if not a battle of stories. Just like any compelling narrative, policy is filled with its own cast of heroes and villains, politics has moments of conflict and even potential resolutions. Beneath the policy debates and the campaign promises, it's really a contest of stories, stories about who we are, who we should be and what kind of future we want to create.

Speaker 2 33:26

But here's the thing Political narratives aren't just descriptive, they're prescriptive. They don't simply tell us what's happening, they actually help shape our feelings and actions, telling us what to do next. And in this highly charged election cycle, this becomes even more potent. When a candidate tells a story, it's not just about policies or platforms they view. It's about who we as a nation are and who we're meant to become. But here's where things get tricky. Often stories candidates tell about their opponents say more about them than their rivals. It's less about presenting facts and more about controlling the narrative, about shaping the lens through which we see the political landscape. And that's normal. We all do that, even in our own personal lives. But let's take a closer look at this election.

Speaker 2 34:14

The narratives around Donald Trump are particularly fascinating. So on one side, he's betrayed as a narcissist. He's even been called Hitler, a tyrannical, dangerous figure posing an existential threat to democracy. Some of you may say that's true, some of you may say it's not. I'm not here to convince you otherwise. But then we hear candidates in the Democratic Party labeling him as weak all of a sudden At least I have recently. So which is it? Can he be both? This contradiction exposes the true nature of political storytelling. It's not about accuracy, sometimes, guys. It's really about shaping public perception in the moment. And that brings me to the flip side. About shaping public perception in the moment, and that brings me to the flip side.

Speaker 2 34:59

We've got Kamala Harris herself and the story being told about her. The Democratic Party positions her as the voice of change and even brands her as an activist posed to lead a new progressive era, which is great. We all want that. But her narrative has started to fall apart. Kamala Harris recently was on a show and she was talking and she was asked about the policies of Joe Biden and what she plans to change, and she proudly stated that she wouldn't change any of Biden's policies, emphasizing that she was an active voice in shaping and implementing them. Okay, makes sense. You're the vp under biden. But what went through my mind is so how can she be the champion of change and the defender of the status quo all at once? I don't know, but I can see how she's an advocate for a progressive, inclusive society. So it's another contradiction, but it's also very much part of a larger issue at play Inconsistent political storytelling.

Speaker 2 36:06

Both sides craft stories to invoke strong emotional responses. That's normal, whether it's fear, hope, anger or optimism. These stories galvanize their base, discredit their opponents and frame the election as a battle between good and evil, which is what we've been seeing. But what's left is a convoluted web of half-truths and contradictions that leave us the public very confused. What's especially concerning is the division these narratives fuel. What's especially concerning is the division these narratives fuel.

Speaker 2 36:42

The political climate of 2024 is the most decisive I've seen in my lifetime. Anyways, we've been conditioned to see politics through an us-versus-them lens, at least for me. You're either on the side of right or the side of wrong, the side of history or the side of destruction. We're either a patriot or a traitor, maybe even a supporter of democracy or concerned enemy of the state, depending on where your political views fall. This oversimplification strips away the complexity of the human experience, reducing nuanced issues into binary choices, and to me that's the real critical issue here. In this climate, decisiveness the ability to make thoughtful, informed decisions becomes even more critical. And yet in an election year like this, where both sides are shouting over each other, it's hard to find room for true discernment. And that's where we, as individuals, really need to come in. We need to critically engage with the narratives, to look beyond that surface level rhetoric, which Donald Trump spills a lot of it, and to understand the deeper implications of the stories we're being told. This brings me to the American dream, what the election is really about.

Speaker 2 37:56

The American Dream is a narrative that's been misrepresented and distorted over the years. Pretty much we all know the traditional story the nuclear family with the white picket fence, the kids dog in the yard and the promise that anyone who works hard can achieve prosperity. That's been the central pillar of our national identity for generations. But this version of the American dream is a relic. It no longer serves or represents what the dream truly is. So what is that dream?

Speaker 2 38:27

The real American dream is about opportunity. It's about the freedom to define success on our own terms and the chance to build a better future through hard work and determination. It's a simple formula what we put in is what we get out. If we feed a narrative of division, fear, resentment, that's exactly what we'll reflect in our society. But if we choose a narrative of growth, resilience and community, we have the power to shape a different outcome. Yes, issues of race, gender and class are so important and there are things that we do need to fix, but they're not inherent to the American dream.

Speaker 2 39:08

The dream is really about opportunity, the chance to build something better, contribute meanfully to society and to see the fruits of our labor, both individually and collectively. To see the fruits of our labor both individually and collectively. Unfortunately, political narratives have twisted this dream, turning it into something exclusionary, something only a few can achieve, while the rest of us are left out. But the truth is, the American dream is still alive. It's just not handed to everybody, and it's not something the government can hand to us either. Not handed to everybody, and it's not something the government can hand to us either. It's something we have to work for, both individually and collectively, and here's the key. If we spend all our time comparing ourselves to each other or resenting those who are more successful, we miss the point entirely.

Speaker 2 39:58

There's another critical layer to all of this and that's the role of media and information. We've seen how stories, whether true or false, are weaponized to sway public opinion. I think back about our last election cycle with the Hunter Biden laptop. Throughout the election cycle, the VA dismissed the story as disinformation. Throughout the election cycle, the VA dismissed the story as disinformation. But we fast forward into Joe Biden's presidency and suddenly the story shift. The shift was, it turned out, the laptop was actually real long. Okay, fine, but let us, as the citizens, decide how we want to perceive that when voting.

Speaker 2 40:41

This is where personal responsibility comes into play, something sometimes I feel the government on both sides forgets about. And yeah, it's easy to point fingers at the media for misleading us, but at the end of the day, it's really our job to educate ourselves. We can't afford to live in bubbles of confirmation bias, where we only consume stories that affirm what we already believe in. That's a dangerous path and it blinds us to the complexities of reality and, ultimately, the survival of our nation. The truth is, the political landscape is messy. It's filled with competing narratives. That's the nuance of life Conflicting interests Again, the nuance of the human experience and, of course, a consistent stream of information that's difficult to parse. Welcome to life. As voters, we have the power to sift through that noise, to actually critically ask those questions and to demand better from our political leaders and the media.

Speaker 2 41:43

The story of America is still being written. It's a story of struggle and triumph, division and unity, fear and hope. And as we stand at the crossroads of 2024, it's up to us to decide what the next chapter is going to look like, what season we want to go into, what the next chapter is going to look like, what season we want to go into. Will we continue to tell the old story of separation or will we embrace a new story of interconnectivity and shared responsibility? I believe that if we're willing to listen I mean really listen to each other's stories, we can begin to weave a new narrative, one that honors the complexity of our differences but also celebrates the common threads that bind us together, because, at the end of the day, we're all part of the same story, and the sooner we recognize that, the sooner we start to write a future that works for all of us.

Writing a New Collective Story

Speaker 2 42:32

It may not be perfect, but it's one that we can all agree upon, and so, as we approach this pivotal election, let's remember the narrative isn't fixed. It's evolving and always will be, and we as individuals have a role in shaping it. The stories we choose to believe, the stories we spread and the stories we support with that vote these are all powerful tools in shaping the story of our country. As we cast our ballots this November, let's remember that we're not just choosing a candidate. We're choosing a narrative. We're choosing the story that will define the next chapter of our nation's history and who we are as a people, and I don't know about you, but I want that story to be one of unity, resilience and hope. So let's make sure we're telling the right story for everyone.

Speaker 1 43:22

All right. Well, thank you guys, so much for listening in. I hope you were inspired, as I was, and be sure to tune in next time for more inspiration. Now get out there and vote and, just as importantly, remember life is story and we can get our hands in the clay Individually and collectively. We can write a new story. See you next time. You