The power of the narrative

In his Washington suite, Pewler lounged in a fine chair as Lindsey brought him a bottle of wine.

"Sir, with all due respect, was it wise to send Mimoko Inoue to London instead of just dragging her straight here?" Lindsey asked.

Pewler smiled as he began pouring the wine. "You were with me at WWCF HQ, so I'm sure you saw the look in the oni-tiger's eye. We couldn't risk him heading straight to America, which is why we elected for long-route shipping. Now Lindsey, let me ask you a question; which is more powerful, logic or emotions?"

A confused scowl appeared on Lindsey's face. as she replied that emotions were more powerful.

Pewler chuckled as he sipped his wine. "Folks like Wiley tend to believe that truth and logic will always trump feelings and emotion in the end. Naturally, they fail to see just how powerful emotions truly are and discard both their threat and the fact that they themselves are fueled by emotion. When cornered, they turn to fear mongering, yet forget that fear itself is an emotion. However, it's then when their core view of logic over emotion comes back to bite them, for while fear mongering can sway some to their cause, it can also bring forth anger and resentment and increase their opposition ten-fold. I've studied psychology for years, and know the ins and outs of human emotion. To summarize, the key to wielding emotions lies in the very minds of those you wish to control. Think of the boy who cried wolf as a good example. At first, the townsfolk's perception of him was that he was just a young boy. Then after the first lie, it wavered a bit, but not enough to shake the townsfolk's faith. The second time, more and more townsfolk viewed him as an immature prankster, and when a wolf truly did come, no one bothered to save him due to the perception they had of him. Today, however, you can get away with crying wolf, or rather slandering your opponent, without mental perception towards you wavering. Do you know why?"

"Tribalism, right?"

"Correct. Today, we have sides that favor one or the other. As such, we can make use of that to strengthen our followers' admiration towards us, and their hatred towards the opposition. But what of those who prefer not to take a side and only go one way or the other when they either step into the ballot box or have no other choice but to take a side?"

Lindsey thought, but was unable to come up with an answer she felt confident about. "We tell them how bad our opponents are, right?"

"That's part of it. Though many in that demographic tend to tune out campaign ads as those are intended to sway folks one way or the other. That's not to discredit the fact that all it might take is an informative campaign ad to sway an undecided voter. However, there's a better way; the press."

"But don't people view the press as partisan, nowadays?"

"Yes, but that doesn't change the fact that the press has built up a perception of truthful and impartial reporting. For example, if the most trustworthy person who has never told a lie, told you that there was a pile of cash sitting in an abandoned mine shaft, would most people believe them and go to claim the cash?"

Lindsey went silent before conceding that yes, many would indeed believe that person's word.

"And that proves my point. Because of mental perception, no one would be none the wiser that the most trustworthy person they know just lied to them."

"But what if they find out?"

A sinister smile appeared on Pewlers face as he took another sip of wine. "You make your lie truth. While I did just state that emotions can be more powerful than logic, that doesn't mean you should just discard logic entirely. For example, let's say people arrive at the mineshaft to find no cash. Then Honest X, as we'll call the most trustworthy person we know, could simply claim that they told many others about this, and one of those people has likely snatched up the cash. Another option is simply to eliminate those that learn the truth."

"But that would be too difficult."

Pewler chuckled and waved his finger. "Not necessarily. For example, if I not only want to hide my lie, but capitalize on it, I'd tell everyone about the money, then when a group heads over, attack them while disguised as a sniper. Then not only will my lie become more believable, but I can also control the narrative on who the sniper is and use it to my advantage. That's why the press is so vital, because despite some wavering faith in it, it controls the narrative. And the narrative is the key to manipulating minds."

"Some would argue that your theory isn't right though."

"If any were to counter this theory of mine, I'd simply say that the narrative I set forth inclined them to do the mental gymnastics needed to try and refute me. And thus, I take hold of the narrative. Emotions are indeed more powerful than logic, but only if you truly abuse logic to your advantage. Going back to the boy who cried wolf, had he simply killed a sheep and made it look as though a wolf had attacked, the townsfolk likely wouldn't have lost faith in him. In fact, strategically placing a sheep's corpse could also attract the wolf. Now the boy would be planting the perception that he was a hero and thus creating faith in him. And faith is exactly what leads to an increase in gullibility and a wealth of minds to manipulate," Pewler concluded as he finished the last of his wine.

"Sir, with all due respect, I fail to see how this relates to Mimoko Inoue."

"In time, you will. For just like wine, the savory taste will come in due time. Now, send word to Imelda that I will be giving a speech."

...

Pewler smiled as he stood before a large crowd in a press room.

"I would first like to thank all of you for choosing to spend your time hearing my speech. Special thanks also goes out to all the reporters for diligently fulfilling their duty to report on everything with an unbiased lens full of integrity and diligence. Now, allow me to talk a bit about chess. Chess, as some of you might know, can most commonly be defined as a strategy board game, typically between two players, though multiplayer variations do exist. Though one thing about the game has always made me question it; the king. Throughout human history, we have constantly rejected the tyrannical rules of authoritarian kings in favor of democracy, so why do we seek to protect such a concept in the game of chess? The king is nothing but deadweight to not only their people and country, but the player as well. The queen on the other hand is strong and powerful, yet is often sacrificed just to save the weak king. I say instead of defending the cruel and heartless king, we make the game all about protecting the queen. In otherwards, swap their roles or better, make the game more democratic and eliminate the king entirely. The queen can then assume the role of president and perhaps in the true spirit of democracy, more pieces would be allowed to participate. For example, the senator, which moves like a knight and bishop. Some might know it as the princess or archbishop, but senator is a more democratic name for it, yes? There's also the chancellor which moves like a rook and knight would also be a part of the game along with my personal favorite piece, the amazon. The amazon is a piece which has the combined movement of a bishop, knight, and rook. It would be the most powerful piece on the board, which is fitting considering the Amazon is what truly allows us to sustain life on earth. Though things shouldn't stop there. Instead of simply making the game about trying to protect a single piece such as a washed up relic of the past, we make the game more about preserving our pieces. If all the pawns are captured including promoted pawns, the game ends in mate. If all the non-pawns are lost, that also means mate. In fact, why not reform the game to remove capturing entirely?"

The crowd began murmuring as a heckler arose. "Abolish capturing!? That's bullshit! Chess is all about sacrifice!"

"And that's why it's so heartless. You see, I play chess, yet not once do I capture a piece."

"You can't win without capturing!"

"Not true. In fact, the fastest possible checkmate can be down without capturing a single piece. Yet they call it the "Fool's mate". No, I say it is the compassionate way. We the players should be more compassionate to our pieces just as we are compassionate towards each other. Chess needs to be more compassionate, instead of glorifying heartless people like Mimoko Inoue, who without hesitation sacrificed her own brother that was trapped inside a pawn all to checkmate a washed up king. The king truly is an accursed piece not just in chess, but human history as well. Yet, Mimoko Inoue herself even states that chess is 'all about the king'. We should reject such outdated thinking and embrace an era of compassion! And I promise you, I alongside my fellow members of the Misericordia party will show this country and world at large, the compassion and humility it so rightly deserves."

The crowd erupted in applause as the heckler gritted his teeth in fury. "You're a damn insane hippie! It's bullshit that anyone votes for you! I bet you're using mind control to-"

Before the heckler could continue, a girl suddenly ran up to him and kicked him in the jaw, downing him to the floor.

"DON'T YOU FUCKING INSULT MANNY! He's compassion! YOU'RE HEARTLESS TRASH! GO TO HELL!" the girl shouted as she popped three cigarettes into her mouth before violently kicking the heckler's face in.

The girl was Imelda Berrinche, one of Pewler's staff members and one of his biggest fangirls, infamous for her short fuse. She was addicted to tobacco and would constantly smoke through multiple packs of cigarettes each day should her stress levels rise.

While her attire was rather bland aside from the Misericordia party logoed beanie, her hair certainly wasn't. Words could not describe the amalgamation atop her head. It was a horribly cut purple bowl cut, but also an undershave and permed in random places. And that was only what was visible. If Imelda were to remove her beanie, the random shaved and spiked patches of her head would be revealed to all. To further add to the insanity of her look, Pewler's face had even been tattooed on various parts of her body, notably her forehead.

As the heckler was beaten to death, Pewler grabbed the audience's attention with another speech, praising Imelda's "Compassionate" action and leading the crowd in a "compassionate" cheer. Some members of the audience began to get uncomfortable, however, a majority in the audience were already die-hard Pewler loyalists, and quickly got the dissenters cheering with threatening glares.

Once the heckler was beaten an inch away from death, Pewler approached the man and offered to forgive him should he renounce his heartless ways. The heckler refused, leading Pewler to nod at Imelda who giddily dragged the heckler away.

"Fear not, for he shall soon join our herd of compassion!"

...

"Excellent speech as always, sir," Lindsey nodded as she and Pewler returned to Pewler's office.

"I imagine Senator Frisch will be furious and naturally blunder in an attempt to counter me," Pewler sneered as he pulled out his phone.

"You also mentioned Mimoko Inoue in your speech, but I'm still unsure if bashing her like that will truly eliminate her as a threat."

"Like I said before, narrative is key to swaying minds. Just look at the late Ruchi Ookuma of Japan. Her whole image was built upon the word "courageous". Do you know how she became so "courageous"?"

"By overcoming hardships and resonating- No... You mentioned "narrative" so-"

"Correct. She controlled the narrative. Sure she faced headwinds from the infamous Kabuki Dakota, but even though Kabuki told the truth, the majority believed Ookuma. Why? Because the narrative was that Ookuma was a courageous woman that had overcome true hardship while Kabuki was a deranged conspiracy theorist trying to take down a courageous woman that wanted to better the country and the world.

"But how does this-"

"Lindsey, what fuels an angry mob?"

"Outrage of course."

"Yes, the outrage to a publicly perceived heinous act is most certainly what fuels a mob. But what harnesses and enhances the outrage; narrative. Without the narrative, the outrage can't be harnessed nor enhanced. That is why it is so key. Remember my speech about Honest X and the mine shaft? Well imagine Honest X went with their sniper plan and someone was killed. Then, Honest X, trembling in fear, will reveal that they suspect Mimoko Inoue to be the killer."

"But she-"

"Wasn't there? Had an alibi? Wouldn't be proven guilty in a court of law? None of that matters so long as you control the narrative and direct the anger and resentment towards Mimoko Inoue. And even in a court of law, the jury is human and while cumbersome to pull off, can be manipulated. All that's needed is to forever taint perception towards Mimoko Inoue, and that's exactly what I'm going to do. After all, I AM "compassion". And if I say it's compassionate to kill someone, it's "compassionate". If I say Mimoko Inoue is a heartless criminal that needs to be brought to justice in the name of compassion, then the deed will be done in compassion's name. But naturally, there are many who are not enamored with me. Therefore, I simply have to make them hate Mimoko Inoue more," Pewler sneered as he made a phone call.

...

Scharlachrot glared as two men were brought before her.

"Ma'am! These two suddenly appeared within city boundaries! We promptly arrested them, yet this man claims he's here to retrieve his daughter!" a grunt stated.

"And that would be?"

"Sorcha Glas. That runaway disgrace," the orange-haired man snarled.

Scharlachrot glared as she recognized the man as Muirchertach Glas, the Taoiseach of Ireland. She also recognized the other man next to him, garbed in full knight's armor as Sir Grobhand of Grob, an eccentric Englishman that she sadly knew all too well. But what made her mood so sour was the fact that both Sir Grobhand and Muirchertach were Desperados. Desperados that were not supposed to be here.

"Sorry, but if you're trying to disrupt our game, that's a no-go. Though we'll happily confine you to a hotel room."

"Then listen to me lord n' master, Manny," Muirchertach glared as he pulled out his phone.

Once Pewler picked up, he ordered Muirchertach to hand the phone to Scharlachrot. Once that was done, he told Schalarchrot something that caused her to go pale and nearly drop the phone.

"You understand, yes? If you don't want me to reveal that information publicly, you'll allow Muirchertach to do his business. Why, I can even have him leave you a monetary sum for your troubles," Pewler sneered.

"H- How did you learn all that!?"

"Oh, a little fairy told me. That's what."

As Scharlachrot hung up, Heather arrived. "Scharlachrot? Who are-"

"Let them pass."

"Ma'am?"

"I said Let them pass... but first bleed them for every euro they've got!"

Heather stared in confusion as she watched the transaction unfold. "Scharlachrot, why do you look so terrified?" she nervously thought.