Sometimes I think US Liberals and Conservatives are separated by a common language. And while you might think I'd have learned by now… But I started re-evaluating the term "swift-boating" because it keeps coming up in the MSM. I thought I understood... but I was wrong, there is a lot more to this. The simple definition, lies told to hurt a candidate, is far too simple. Lies are part & parcel of national campaigns.
To really "get" Swift-boating one must first get up to speed on a concept that is useful in marketing, campaigning, and even education: The Narrative. When a person comes across new things, the context and back story surrounding the details can be as important as the details themselves. For instance, a Chess Master can easily memorize the positions of more than 20 pieces from any typical game being played. But if those same pieces are rearranged at random, then the Master is no better at remembering the details than anyone else. When things "make sense" according to a personal frame of reference, new facts can easily be assimilated. Things that do NOT fit the Narrative will be set aside, and any significance will be lost. But how does this relate to John Kerry & his Swift-boating buddies?
The MSM headlines the lies in the Swift-boat story, but the few outright lies were quickly rejected. There was, however, a plethora of disputed testimony and contradictions. Its become even more clear recently how dearly the MSM cherishes their common Narrative, and the disputed details were properly considered & resolved by the senior, professional news editors. Thanks guys. The official version was approved and disseminated… but then those horrid blogs and radio creatures had the temerity to advocate an alternate, nay, a fraudulent version that had already been rejected by our benevolent caretakers of the sacred news.
The Alternate Narrative escaped from quarantine and went viral, changing the course of the election. When the masses failed to adopt the approved framework, as new details emerged… many new facts were not properly organized. Things that should have been ignored were instead used to corroborate rogue conclusions. The masters had spoken, but the masses were off the leash & were thinking for themselves. But I digress.
The term "Swift-boat" means to successfully supplant the orthodox, MSM Approved Narrative with a Rogue Narrative.
And remember, without the proper framework, meaningless, oddball facts which might emerge in connection with names such as Rezco, Ayers, or Wright could easily be arranged to suggest a frightening pattern of corruption along with odd, fringe beliefs that really have no business being discussed.
Get it?
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