The Universe is made of stories, not atoms.
- Murial Rukeyser
For reasons that lie deep in childhood learning, cultural immersion, or perhaps even in the structure of human brains, people usually recount, analyze, judge, remember, and reorganize social experiences as standard stories in which a small number of self-motivated entities interact within constricted, contiguous time and space. (Unfortunately) stories fail dramatically to provide viable explanations, indeed demand explanation in their turn.
- Charles Tilly, Stories, Identity and Political Change
Stories are more than dramas people tell or read. Story, as a pattern, is a powerful way of organizing and sharing individual experience and exploring and co-creating shared realities.
- The Co-Intelligence Institute
- Murial Rukeyser
For reasons that lie deep in childhood learning, cultural immersion, or perhaps even in the structure of human brains, people usually recount, analyze, judge, remember, and reorganize social experiences as standard stories in which a small number of self-motivated entities interact within constricted, contiguous time and space. (Unfortunately) stories fail dramatically to provide viable explanations, indeed demand explanation in their turn.
- Charles Tilly, Stories, Identity and Political Change
Stories are more than dramas people tell or read. Story, as a pattern, is a powerful way of organizing and sharing individual experience and exploring and co-creating shared realities.
- The Co-Intelligence Institute
What is POP Struggle?
There is a new(ish) genre in town called "POP struggle". What is it? Well, this is where some government or agent on behalf of a government faces off against some challenger that is trying to change some aspect of the status quo (e.g., be allowed to dance and not sing [Happy Feet], get a stop sign put on a street [the movie Panther starring my childhood friend Kadeem Hardison], survive genocide [Maus] or have the right to spread one's wings and fly around a little bit [X-Men the comic]). We commonly refer to the former (the government's action) as repression, human rights violation or civil liberties restriction and it includes acts such as mass killing, torture, beating, arrest, domestic spying and the like. Equally as common, we refer to the latter as dissent, insurgency, rebellion or revolution including acts such as protest, car bombing, sit/teach ins, boycotts and petitions.
The genre is defined not only by who is involved (i.e., the actors), but also who starts the conflict, who wins the conflict and what interesting spins exist. As argued in the book that I am finishing POP Struggle: Repression and Dissent in Film, Comics and Graphic Novels, there are some common themes found throughout American popular culture involving these elements. These are provided below. My general point: watch/read something made in the United States and in all likelihood you will see the one labeled "The Rebel's Backlash". This storyline is incredibly robust across time, space and venue/produce. In fact, I argue that such a perception (i.e., the fact that the repressed rise up [eventually] and win has in part defined us as a culture but simultaneously warped our sense of injustice, struggle and inequality).
The genre is defined not only by who is involved (i.e., the actors), but also who starts the conflict, who wins the conflict and what interesting spins exist. As argued in the book that I am finishing POP Struggle: Repression and Dissent in Film, Comics and Graphic Novels, there are some common themes found throughout American popular culture involving these elements. These are provided below. My general point: watch/read something made in the United States and in all likelihood you will see the one labeled "The Rebel's Backlash". This storyline is incredibly robust across time, space and venue/produce. In fact, I argue that such a perception (i.e., the fact that the repressed rise up [eventually] and win has in part defined us as a culture but simultaneously warped our sense of injustice, struggle and inequality).
Label
"So You Want a Revolution" "Big Brother Rules" "Internal War or Hobbes Hell" "Government Strikes Back" "Rebel’s Backlash" |
Who Starts it?
The challenger The government Not clear The challenger The government |
Who Wins?
The challenger The government The government or the challenger The government The challenger |
Interesting Spins
The challengers are divided amongst themselves The challengers are divided amongst themselves The conflict goes back and forth with seemingly no clear winner for a while The government almost looks like they are going to lose but they pull it off in the end The challengers almost looks like they are going to lose but they pull it off in the end |
Good Example
The Battle of Algiers Palestine ? The Legend of Rita The Matrix; Happy Feet; Fight Club |
Why do I give a damn?
For above 20 years I have been studying the topics of repression and dissent. To examine the topic I have used newspapers, NGO records and government reports. Newer work looks at social media like tweets as well as crowd sourcing through online submissions. Over the course of this work I have come to realize that what source you use is extremely important for what you can know about what took place and why. It occurred to me however that something was missing. While many people get their information about the world from newspapers, NGO records, government reports, tweets and online chatrooms. Many construct their opinions and filter through other sources: film, comics, graphic novels, music, literature and so forth. It thus occurred to me that it would be extremely useful to understand what was taking place in popular culture so as to develop a better understanding of what we imagine as well as what we do not imagine and what myths/stories/narratives we (could) draw upon in our planning (contentious and otherwise). This is in line with arguments from people such as Herbert Kohl.
We will first try to ascertain what is "out there". We will later try to ascertain what (if anything) this influences regarding objectives, tactics and perceptions.
What is the book about?
Well, I first lay out the argument that there is a genre of popular culture that is about state-dissident contentious interactions. I also argue that within American popular culture there is a particular affinity for the "Rebel's Backlash". This is due to historical experience but also something seemingly built into the fabric of the American psyche. After discussing the concept, how it functions and the US version of it, I illustrate this genre by examining numerous films, comics and graphic novels.
For above 20 years I have been studying the topics of repression and dissent. To examine the topic I have used newspapers, NGO records and government reports. Newer work looks at social media like tweets as well as crowd sourcing through online submissions. Over the course of this work I have come to realize that what source you use is extremely important for what you can know about what took place and why. It occurred to me however that something was missing. While many people get their information about the world from newspapers, NGO records, government reports, tweets and online chatrooms. Many construct their opinions and filter through other sources: film, comics, graphic novels, music, literature and so forth. It thus occurred to me that it would be extremely useful to understand what was taking place in popular culture so as to develop a better understanding of what we imagine as well as what we do not imagine and what myths/stories/narratives we (could) draw upon in our planning (contentious and otherwise). This is in line with arguments from people such as Herbert Kohl.
We will first try to ascertain what is "out there". We will later try to ascertain what (if anything) this influences regarding objectives, tactics and perceptions.
What is the book about?
Well, I first lay out the argument that there is a genre of popular culture that is about state-dissident contentious interactions. I also argue that within American popular culture there is a particular affinity for the "Rebel's Backlash". This is due to historical experience but also something seemingly built into the fabric of the American psyche. After discussing the concept, how it functions and the US version of it, I illustrate this genre by examining numerous films, comics and graphic novels.