The Narrative Wars: Recent Episodes
thenarrativewars
Hosted by J.C.L. Faltot, also of The Writer’s Lens, The Narrative Wars discusses and dissects the narratives we find in media, film, and anywhere else a story is told. Voices are always competing for our attention. Which is true? Who should we believe? The Narrative Wars looks at these voices and the stories they are telling.
You may have been told that you have a bias about something. Maybe it's ice cream. Maybe it's movies. Or, if you've been following along, maybe it's about your political affiliation. Or religious institution. No matter which it is, "bias" is a word that gets used a lot in the social sphere these days. And not always in a context that makes for easy conversation.
Today's episode is an attempt to talk about "bias" and whether or not we are unwilling robots to our own biases. Prepare yourself for a biased talk about bias...or something.
When our heroes fail, two narratives tend to emerge:
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The hero is fallible, just like any of us.
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The hero did not fail. He never fails. This was a setup. Someone is trying to frame him for this failure.
The late apologist, Ravi Zacharias, is one of the latest heroes to fall mightily in the wake of some very serious sexual allegations. To be honest, Ravi was one of my heroes. I read his books, binged on his many sermons and teachings, and followed his activities across the globe for years. Now, in light of an independent investigation that was conducted after his death, it would appear that Ravi had some hidden sin in his life. The kind that appears to be years and years of manipulation and control.
To say this information was a shock would be a severe understatement and has taken a long while for me to process. But to talk about these things is what can ultimately bring healing and a path forward.
For those of my listeners who aren't of the Christian worldview, I would encourage you to consider how we all have heroes and idols in our life. And what we must do when faced with the reality that some of our heroes are not always who we thought they were. The same applies for ourselves as we are all privy to make mistakes.
To the victims and families, I pray there is healing to be found in the days ahead.
Media consumption is a massive part of our lives. Whether it be through televisions, tablets or phones, millions upon millions of people around the world are absorbing information daily.
My interview with professor and writer John Kerezy talks about the ideological battlefield of media. What it means when we say things like 'Big Tech' or 'Fake News' and what might be around the corner as we navigate these unique times.
This one is packed full of interesting tidbits and information you may not be getting regularly. Or have had the time to look back and reflect upon. Much thanks to Professor Kerezy for taking the time to talk through this one!
Every great story has a victor. And that victor is often aligned with what is 'good'; what is 'righteous'; what is 'just'.
America's culture would define these types as the good guys. You know, the heroes. The ones who look out for those who don't have the strength necessarily to look out for themselves. It's a characteristic that we often associate with athletes, war heroes, and as of late, our political leaders.
Yet America doesn't always agree on who the good guys really are. As evidenced from these past few elections, can America adequately define who its good guys are and who are her bad guys? There are many opinions on that. And it's a topic I'll be delving deeper into with this episode.
I was fortunate to cross paths with fellow creative Dustin Johnson from Christ & Capital and was just as fortunate to record a conversation with him. There's a lot of static out in the public space regarding economics, political policies, and how to do these things best. We hear the arguments and we are quite familiar with them. But all too often, we don't dig deep enough to see what worldview is behind these talking points.
My conversation with Dustin covers lockdowns, socialism vs. capitalism, stimulus checks, and all things in between.
You can find more about Dustin, his blog and podcast, Christ & Capital, at www.christandcapital.com
We live in what appears to be a polarizing time. But what does that even mean? There's a large number of influencers and pundits throwing around words like, "polarized" and "compromise" but not a lot seems to be getting done about it. This episode explores some of the issues with having an outlook that puts labels (and people) into silos and what might be a means to remedy all of the under-the-surface disagreement that we have.
This episode is unique in that I'm not the only one speaking in it. My guest, Desh Amila, comes to the Narrative Wars to talk about his life experience, his reasons for going into filmmaking, and shares what his next movie will be on.
Desh, originally from war-torn Sri Lanka but who now resides in Australia, is a strong voice in the arena of free speech and open dialogue. He creates content related to worldview issues and his latest work, "Better Left Unsaid" is set to be a continuation of those efforts. And as I say in my intro, Desh is someone whose worldview is slightly different than mine. Yet through our shared curiosity and desire to be part of the "larger conversations", we came together for this lively interview.
I think you'll enjoy Desh's story and hopefully check out some of his work as well.
You can find him at https://deshamila.com/ and be sure to listen for his exclusive offer during my podcast.
Is questioning 'everything' a sign of intelligence? Is it a sign of virtue? This episode explores our culture's obsession with our 'question everything, trust nothing' attitudes. And if we really do hold this attitude in a way we claim to.
"Fake News" has been a popular phrase, meme and descriptor used by those who see America's mainstream journalists as not only fraudulent, but corrupted. Whether you believe that to be the case or not tends to divide people along political lines, but it does open up a can of worms on whether these claims are, indeed, true.
So in keeping with the spirit of the Narrative Wars' original reason for existence, we'll take a look at these two claims. And full disclaimer - this one gets a little ranty. Perhaps that's keeping in the spirit of political discourse and our freedom of speech as well.
The term "Big Tech" is something you may or may not be familiar with. It's a reference to the major media distributors; the umbrella of companies that have produced and distributed mass amounts of information. They are a wonderful tool for the dissemination of info. But what happens when they begin to 'clamp down' on voices? More specifically, when they put a stop to those they disagree with - the ones who just so happen to be content creators and consumers themselves.
Is 'Big Tech' something to be reviled? Or something we just don't understand as of yet? I happen to believe that worldview has a lot do say about this, which will be the crux of this episode.
Some thoughts and observations on this crazy election day / week / month, God-forbid, year. All that being said, it seems we're in it for the long haul. Did you expect anything less from 2020?!
COVID-19 has run amok on the world. And in its wake, it's made already-dicey situations even more contentious. International relations. Discussions on leadership capability. And the topic of who to hold accountable for the outbreak. There are a few fringe theories outside of the commonly accepted narrative. Yet, now that we have to deal with the virus, what is the most appropriate response at this time? That's the topic of today's episode of the #NarrativeWars.
America's Presidency is a hot topic every four years. Who sits in the Oval Office may be a dream of a few, but it is sought after and revered by many. As such, just whom occupies the presidency ends up coming with a lot of expectations. But are the expectations of the highest level of American government really supposed to hold sway with our personal happiness? Are we actually meant to rely on the President for moral imperative?
Today's episode is a fun one because it's all about the president of the United States and whether or not it's good for us to pin our personal hopes and dreams on a public servant.
To have and to hold. In sickness and in health. Till death do us part.
Marriage is supposed to be God's holiest of institutions for human beings. And it's something the Church ought to be in agreement on. Yet that has scarcely been the case. Especially in the wake of America's court case, Obergefell vs. Hodges.
Today's episode looks at the narratives surrounding marriage and why the American Church can't seem to be in agreement on what this ancient institution is meant to look like.
There is much talk today about inequality. Yet there is also much talk about the offensiveness of sports teams. Not because they are good, bad or indifferent, but because of their mascots. The string of protests across America has reinvigorated an ongoing conversation about whether or not sports team - professionally, collegiate and even high school - should alter their logos and mascots.
Today's episode explores this nationwide conversation and some of the arguments for and against the removal of mascots from sports teams.
You're sitting in a group. You're having a relatively casual conversation about something. Then someone says, "You know what? I think so-and-so is the greatest ever. The GOAT!" An argument ensues, or as I prefer to say, some heated fellowship.
The topic of the GOAT remains a popular one across America. What does it take to the "greatest of all time"? Who can hold such a distinction within his or her respective sport, industry, or profession? Today's episode dives into the narratives surrounding this ancient argument. And perhaps some ways we can be better at defending our position when the topic comes up.
The tragic death of George Floyd has reignited conversations about race relations in America. More specifically, it has charged us with evaluating just what is the proper response when we see something wrong. America has several collective consciousnesses. And each acts out according to its worldview. But is there a way we ought to processing these things in the Age of Information? Since we are bombarded with so much everyday, it can be easy to get emotionally riled up.
This episode will discuss some recent examples of injustices we've witnessed and how people have responded to them in this post-COVID lockdown environment.
This episode admittedly bounced around a bit, but landed in the place I was most interested in getting to: which is what we ought to be looking for the most when we see injustice strike and we are only receiving a portion of the story.
Shortly after America was birthed, a question came out of a Connecticut church concerning their religious liberty. Troubled that the state might tell them to stop meeting, Thomas Jefferson famously penned a response to the young church, informing them that the freedom to speak and assemble also included the right to assemble as a religious group. From there, the idea of "separation of church and state" was born.
And with it, a host of narratives have emerged around the topic. What does it mean? What was the reasoning behind it? Is it even in the Constitution? This week's Narrative Wars deals with the old saying, "Separation of Church and State" and how it affects us here in America.
Resources mentioned: https://www.breakpoint.org/does-the-separation-of-church-and-state-protect-us-from-religious-ideas/
It's been said that every conspiracy has a little bit of truth in it. If that's true, then that would warrant some investigation, wouldn't it? It would require someone to look deeply into these narratives and see if they hold water.
As such, we now have an entire generation that seems heavily invested in fringe thinking and challenging mainstream, acceptable thought. But is this a good thing? Is it wrong to follow all of the bread crumbs? And who tends to get more invested in "conspiracy theories" as it is?
That and more in this week's episode of #TheNarrativeWars.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a lot of reactions to surface across the globe. Namely, who to blame and what the chief cause was. Some are saying that this is merely the Earth taking revenge upon us. That we, humans, are the actual virus and must be dealt with accordingly.
But is that a true statement? Or should we look at this recent reckoning from a different angle?
These thoughts were catalyzed by a recent interview with Idris Elba, a British actor who had contracted COVID-19, and was giving a statement to the world about his condition and thoughts on why this was happening.
Some time ago, I started a podcast on the power of storytelling. After my feet were good and wet in podcasting, I started doing some episodes called 'The Narrative Wars'. As more time went on, I saw the Narrative Wars coming into its own. I saw topics emerging pertinent to our time. And I saw those episodes as having the potential to stand on their own. And thus, here we are.
This being the inaugural episode, I invite you to take a listen and see if you'd be interested in sticking around. There are narratives all around us. Which are true? Which ones are we supposed to believe? And how do we decide upon what narratives we believe - be it true or not?
This is an invitation into the Narrative Wars!