"Narrative" again

[Dave Wilton]

I don't think "liberal propaganda" or even "popular supposition" is implied.

The usage falls under OED definition 2.a. "Narrative" is frequently used not
simply as a recounting of facts and events, but an expression that is done
in a way to create a coherent story that explains those facts.

I've probably most often heard this sense in context of litigation, where
lawyers will seek to create a "narrative" to convince the jury or judges.
(David Boies is often recognized as being especially skilled at creating
convincing narratives out of the facts of a case.)

The analyst is simply expressing the opinion that the explanation that the
bombers did not have foreign connections may not fit all the facts; that a
good analyst questions assumptions. From an intelligence perspective, this
skeptical attitude is probably healthy. (Although the comment could be
xenophobic. I don't know who said it or the broader context in which it was
said.)


-----Original Message-----
From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of
Jonathan Lighter
Sent: Wednesday, May 01, 2013 9:14 AM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Re: "Narrative" again

Former CIA analyst on the bombing plot (CNN):

"I think it is wrong for us to take the narrative that it was just
homegrown."

It would never even occur to me to use "narrative" in this context.
 Possibly "obtuse liberal propaganda" is implied, but I did not get that
impression. It seems to me that here it means "popular supposition."

In real time, of course.

JL


On Sat, Nov 12, 2011 at 6:49 AM, Jonathan Lighter
<wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: "Narrative" again
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> ---------
>
> CNN anchor: Does Rick Perry's performance in the last debate follow
> the narrative of his campaign?
>
> Political Scientist:  Unfortunately, the narrative about Rick Perry in
> this campaign is that he's not ready for prime time.
>
> JL
>
> On Sun, Aug 7, 2011 at 11:59 AM, Jonathan Lighter
> <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com> wrote:
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
> > Subject:      Re: "Narrative" again
> >
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> ---------
> >
> > A former Republican Congressman on CNN today:
> >
> > "Blaming 'right-wing Republicans' [for debt/deficit/budget
> > difficulties]
> is
> > a narrative that won't fly."
> >
> > I.e., a propaganda move.
> >
> > JL
> >
> > On Sat, Aug 6, 2011 at 4:40 PM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:
> >
> >> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> >> -----------------------
> >> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> >> Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> >> Subject:      "Narrative" again
> >>
> >>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> ---------
> >>
> >> In an article in today's NYTimes on the conviction of five New
> >> Orleans police offers of unjustified shooting of six citizens just
> >> after Hurricane Katrina, Campbell Robertson writes:
> >>
> >>      "The trial was not only about these five officers but also
> >> about what exactly happened in the weeks after the hurricane, a
> >> sort of judgment on the initial widely held belief that the
> >> authorities were trying to control elements of a citizenry run rampant.
> >>
> >>      ":In the years since, that narrative has been qualified. While
> >> some people did turn to crime and violence, it has become apparent
> >> that some of the bloodshed and chaos was brought about by members
> >> of the long-troubled Police Department."
> >>
> >> Joel
> >>
> >> ------------------------------------------------------------
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> >>
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> > "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
> truth."
> >
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>
>
>
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truth."
>
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> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>



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