Thursday, October 01, 2015

Lord of the Flies

I want to talk of logic and lynch mobs. Lynch mobs are not logical and if you find yourself in the center of the storm move quickly. Lynch mobs react to rumor and speculation. One does not argue with a mob. They do not burn themselves out. They are usually the actions of drunken loser types without jobs.

Even having a rational conversation is impossible when you are dealing with this element. Case in point all of us die
At some certain point. While the circumstances of each death are open to conjecture the results of autopsies are not typically mysterious. Great conspiracies only exist in fiction.

A local dies before her time. Are we certain about her family medical history. All types of accidents of varying types are possible. This is not the case of a car crash victim or the death by obvious cause. Until the coroner speaks everything is speculation. If the body is released and buried and there are no arrests one needs to let it rest.

If I were dealing with more literate types explaing the tabloid cycle and the absence of a story is not apt to work with people who don't read much. Tabloid Journalism 1001.

1) Beautiful victims sell papers. The public likes its victims pretty.

2) Obnoxious bad guys from wealth sell papers. All of you remember Robert Chambers. What was the name of the slob that shot the cops who were executed in NYC

3)Readers like a lost love angle. A love triangle angle sells papers. Jilted at the altar sells papers. Shot for stinking up the bathroom doesn't.


The only thing the story lacked was a body part joke or a sex tape. If you can work in a cute dog or cat it is a plus. There was no story because there was no arrest and no proof of foul play.

1 comment:

beakerkin said...

Yes I have read this book. Like many other books it can be interpreted many ways.