Journal freejung's Journal: The Archetypes of the Election 11
I think it's about time I lived up to my name and delivered an analysis in terms of archetypes.
Archetypes are extremely important in politics. Unfortunately, the Republicans seem to understand this far better than the Democrats. The Democrats seem to think that politics is about issues, and on a conscious level it is. The activation of archetypes takes place on the level of the collective unconscious, and can be extremely powerful since it allows you to mobilize support from people who don't even understand the issues. There are a lot of people in this category.
In order to be successful in politics, you need to activate a positive archetype, and associate your opponent with a negative one. The Republicans understand this very well.
The Republicans have had amazing success with invoking the archetype of the Patriarchal Warrior. The Patriarch is a stern father who teaches his children discipline and strength. He is a conquering hero, who crushes evil with an iron fist. We rely on him for protection in times of danger, and the use of this archetype plays very well with the invocation of fear.
This is why Aaaahnold has been able to achieve instant success in politics. He is a walking archetype, and he has played the ultimate representation of the Patriarchal Warrior in many films. He doesn't even have to speak, he just walks onstage and there he is, the stern father, the conquering hero, in the flesh and ready to accept votes.
In the case of Dubya, he represents that all-american version of this archetype, the Cowboy. The Cowboy is the strong silent type, not good with words but effective in action, simple but good-hearted, humble but heroic. Bush plays this so well that it doesn't matter what his military or business record is like, people see him as a strong leader. It doesn't matter what he actually does. It doesn't matter how many times he lies, he will always be seen as a straight-shooter because that's what the Cowboy archetype is. It doesn't matter how much time he spends on vacation, he will be seen as hard-working because the Cowboy is hard-working. It doesn't matter how much arrogance he displays, he will be seen as humble and so on. People are not seeing him, they're seeing the archetype he represents.
But there is a weakness to the Warrior archetype as well, and the Democrats can make a lot of headway to the extent that they succeed in attacking it. There is a negative version of the Warrior, represented by Aaanold in Terminator I. It is the Warrior run amok, the destructive force that crushes everything in its path, killing indiscriminately. It is the abusive father who punishes without reason. It is chaotic, dangerous, out of control. If the Democrats can activate this archetype and associate it with the Republicans, they can neutralize the positive effect of the Patriarch.
Sadly, the Democrats are dealing with their own archetypal problems. Not so much by design, I think, but by default, the Dems have been associated with the traditional opposite of the Patriarch, the Nurturing Mother. The Dems are trying to compete with the Reps for the Patriarch archetype, but it won't work. They have been so deeply associated with female archetypes in the collective unconscious of America, it doesn't matter if their candidate actually is a warrior, he cannot invoke the proper archetype. The Deomcrats are, as our illustrious Governator would say, girlie men.
But this is not necessarily bad. We need the Nurturing Mother right now, in many ways. Whatever you may think of how we got into this position (I think you know what I think of it), we now find ourselves giving birth to a new nation. The Patriarch doesn't know how to do this, and he sucks at it. To the Patriarch, the Iraqi people are disobedient children who need to be punished. He cannot see that the punishment just increases the rebellion. We need the gentle nurturing love of the Mother to care for this nascent nation and nurse it back to health. We need the Mother here at home too; four years of the harsh rule of the Patriarch have left us bruised and battered, and we need some nurturing ourselves.
Unfortunately, the Republicans have succeeded in launching a classic archetypal attack against the Democrats. They have associated the Dems with a negative female archetype, the Menstruating Woman. In many ancient cultures, the Menstruating Woman is taboo, not allowed to work or prepare meals or leave the house or engage in sexual intercourse. She is considered hysterical, unreliable, inconsistent, overly emotional, and prone to bad judgments. She is considered unclean. According to the Republicans, the Democrats have PMS.
This is why the flip-flop campaign has been so successful. They have associated Kerry with the inconsistency of the Menstruating Woman, and it has had its desired effect, calling into doubt his ability to lead in times of crisis and war.
The Democrats can counter this attack if they remember that the Mother can be protective as well as nurturing. The mother bear fights to protect her cubs even more fiercely than the male. The Mother can be strong, consistent, and protective. If the Democrats can find a way to activate this aspect of the Mother archetype, they can neutralize the Republicans' attack and come out ahead in the race for the unconscious mind of America.
The Democrats need to get out their copies of Jung. Quickly.
Which archetype am I? (Score:2)
Also, I think I should be allowed to hunt performance artists for sport.
BUT, I favor progressive taxation and socialized medicine.
Re:Which archetype am I? (Score:2)
Nobody is an archetype. However, people can invoke archetypes in the mind of their audience. Some people do this deliberately, others by accident. Some are aware of it and others are not. But it still happens.
Aha! (Score:2)
Vote for George W. Stalin!
This all would be hilarious if it wasn't true...
Re:Aha! (Score:2)
Yes, Stalin also appealed to the Patriarchal Warrior archetype. That is presumably part of the reason why so many people accepted his authority, even though he was clearly a murderous madman.
Not everyone who appeals to this archetype is a murderous madman, of course (though there does seem to be a pattern...). Paul Newman, for example, appeals to this archetype, I think, and he seems to be a pretty cool guy.
This all would be hilarious if it wasn't true...
The thing is, not
Re:Aha! (Score:2)
"C'mon George, you don't HAVE to be this way. You can be a pretty cool guy and still be the Patriarch." :-D
So, what archetypes are the third party bunch? Nader, Cobb, Badnarik? Cheney is probably Wormtongue, Elder Statesman wanna-be. Edwards? The Lawyer. A powerful archetype right there.
(Side note before I forget it again: Remember how the local Crawford, TX newspaper endorsed Kerry? They simply miss their village idiot and wa
Cheney is the Shadow (Score:2)
As for Cheney, I like the current attempts to associate him with the Shadow via Darth Vader.
Re:Cheney is the Shadow (Score:2)
(Sidenote, totally unrelated: Whoever at Logitech that's responible for moving around the arrow keys and Delete/PgUp/PgDn key cluster on some of the new Cordless keyboards should be taken out and slightly shot until dead, dead, dead.)
Nice one (Score:1)
Good point (Score:2)
Appearance vs reality (Score:2)
Sola Fide (Faith Alone) vs The Book of James (Not by Faith Alone, but by every good work, are we justified) is what really struck me coming out of the first Presidential debate. Bush is the archetype of the Protestant Faith Filled person- he has faith we will succeed, and faith alone is enough, in early archetypal Proteatantism, to mov
Re:Appearance vs reality (Score:2)
So what? Maybe he is a genuine Christian of true faith. Maybe Kerry is too. I don't know, and I don't really care. Christians make mistakes too. You have to look at their record, a