While this article doesn’t use the terms narrative or story,
narrative lies at the heart of its subject.
One could argue that the purpose of nearly all of ISIS’s action is the
establishment of a particular narrative, and this is especially true with
regards to their treatment of hostages.
As the article points out, we should suspect the narratives ISIS
provides us with regards to these hostages.
We can be nearly certain that Kasaesbeh had been dead for a month before
ISIS released their video of his execution.
And we should feel the same way about their claims regarding
Mueller. The “poetic justice” these two
victims suffered is the clearest sign that ISIS is trying to forge a narrative
with their executions.
If Fisher is right, this is one of the stories we should
reject, both in the sense that we not give it credence—we should not “buy” ISIS's story about these hostages—and in the sense that we should reject this very
form of story-making, no matter who performs it. ISIS is an easy “author” to reject because we
find so much of their actions and goals heinous. But we should also reject such stories from
sources we are generally inclined to agree with. I respect anyone’s right to make a martyr of
themselves, but in Shakespearean terms, that should be a solo act.
Hi, Ted,
ReplyDeleteLike you, I had some trouble finding the word narrative in an article, but I did run across a few that were somewhat similar to the one that you mention above. Nevertheless, the insights that you offer above are important especially in terms of establishing identity and power. I especially appreciate your use of the word "author" above.
Best,
Aida
Hello,
ReplyDeleteOne video I saw online discussed ISIS and their 'narrative of success'. It asserted that ISIS is releasing videos of hostages in a strategically timed way in order to create a narrative of success. Scary...
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ReplyDeleteYeah, it's incredibly frightening to consider the use of executions in crafting a narrative. It's like the ultimate corruption of the victim's life, framing the entirety of their existence as the run up to a "plot point" in a narrative that they have no ownership of.
ReplyDeleteI'm really struck by the idea of rejecting not only certain stories, but modes of "story-making." How do we reject these? Ignoring them doesn't stop the "authors," neither does constructing alternate stories.
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