If you are who you say you are…

What is the role of oral tradition in constructing identity and maintaining power? Or, to put it another way, how does Hank keep his “stock” from going “flat”? We have discussed the issue of credibility before, and certainly it is in the back of all our minds whenever a new ‘magician’ arrives, but I feel like that is more a symptom rather than the disease itself. What I think we really are looking at is how a social structure is being maintained through the use of a social behavior (specifically the creation of a group narrative).

Whenever a civilization expands it doesn’t magically become a cohesive and happy kingdom (unless of course you are within the realm of Disney); there has to be a restructuring of sorts, a solidification of power (and it’s always helpful when the ‘natives’ buy into the new claim of authority). To this end, it becomes vital to create a sort of narrative which binds all these different groups together and creates a collective identity (for it is surely better to be known as the peasantry of a victorious society than the freeman of a conquered one).

In our own Camelot, we see how ingrained this narrative is into the social consciousness; everyone knows the adventures of Arthur and his various knights. Magicians, knights and monks all share the tales of their grandiose adventures; such tales then are transmitted (and internalized) by the peasants of Camelot…despite the absence of such people from virtually all the stories.

It’s really a great way to maintain power—even Hank quickly realizes this. No one questions it because that would be like questioning what it means to be an Englishman; it would threaten to irrevocably damage the foundation upon which the individual’s identity is built; it could destroy one’s very notions of right and wrong, or strip the very meaning from their life. Okay, so if you’re a peasant your life pretty much sucks and isn’t worth very much, but at least you know exactly what your place/value is. The narrative provides a structure, which then is mirrored in the realities of life; knights tell stories about how great they are, monks how holy and wouldn’t you know it—they’re treated as holy or superior. Conversely, the peasants view themselves from the perspective of the ‘story tellers’ and begin to internalize the same mentality towards their positions that the gentry have. Such lessons become so integral to the person that Hank then can do little to combat them, despite all the schooling or reason he can throw at them.

This is “training” at its best.