‘SECRET’: ‘Nothing sells without conflict’

There’s a secret that mainstream media knows very well. And you should know it also. It was established in literature going back as far as the Greek story-teller Homer. Twenty-five hundred years later, this “secret” is perpetuated/employed by all successful authors and publishers of plays, movies, newspapers, assorted internet bloggers, and television “news” productions. The “secret” can be summed up in one word: “conflict.” Without it, many wouldn’t give a story more than a couple of pages or 30 seconds of their time. 

Typically, the conflict requires a protagonist and an antagonist. In sports, it might be “my team” against “your team.” Which has the best quarterback? Did a star baseball pitcher do terrible things to a female groupie or was it a hoax that may have ended a promising career? In politics, was a candidate “guilty” of an alleged department store dressing room attack on a woman 25 years ago? Or did a former president leave his DNA on the blue dress of a young intern? Who’s the most patriotic? The most “dangerous?”

Nothing “sells” without conflict, real or manufactured. And that is why we are constantly bombarded with headlines screaming conflict and TV commentators/panelists and political candidates engaging in “trash talk.” (Yes, politics is a blood sport.)

I’ll leave it to the shrinks to comment on why some folks are wired to thrive on conflict/drama and why others avoid conflict. Undoubtedly there is conflict among those who study human behavior.

So, why is it important to understand this “secret?” It goes to understanding that we are often “played” by the media. In fact, “scammed” might be a more accurate word. Caveat emptor.

TOM NEILL

Coeur d’Alene