“The core goal of all storytelling is to GET PEOPLE to incorporate the narrative into their own memory.” – Dr. Freckles
“A secondary goal of storytelling is to get people to RE-TELL the story, thus spreading its effect.” – Dr. Freckles
Think about the APOLLO MOON story …
No matter what you believe about it, it gets embellished on, facts change, people even make up stories around the event that are not true …
“I was HERE when it happened …”, kind of like the “JFK” I was here stories …
The retelling of the story naturally mutates it … but more so, the MEDIA PUMP around the story gives it heat and permanence outside the scope of human memory, and becomes a MEME in the context of culture. I guess.
It does become a retained memory.
My dad told me a story once, when I was a kid, about some dude that was running his car on water – it was the 1970’s, and we were sandwiched between two OIL SHOCKS …
Then, when I was 11 or 12, I heard a similar story on KOMO 1000 AM Paul Harvey …
And it’s hard to say for certain how the story spreads or who spreads it, but it can spread on its own if its the RIGHT story.
Now think about COVID …
Paragliders …
The HERO STORY of ASSANGE …
George Floyd …
You ever wonder WHY they are doing all these derivative remakes in the movies and pop culture? – Because if you see it from the right angle, it looks like concertina wire around the collective unconscious.
Do I believe it’s “all lies”? – no …
Do I think you need to be a talented Sovietologist to see through most of it? – yes.
Am I good at it? – sometimes.
The hardest thing to overcome is wishful thinking …
What makes a good story a GREAT STORY? – it’s a story you WANT to believe, and probably NEED to believe.