Narratives can undermine any discussion, especially if they’re short on specifics. And this is the case even when the narratives themselves are largely true. To demonstrate, let’s talk about Wilt Chamberlain.
The narrative about Chamberlain is that he was the greatest athlete that ever lived. He was 7’1” and had incredible speed, strength and skill. He scored 100 points in an NBA game and he was so strong that once when he dunked the ball it broke a teammate’s toe. He played for the Harlem Globetrotters one season, and his comic routine for them was this: a teammate (Meadowlark Lemon) fell to the floor, and Chamberlain knelt down and picked Lemon up, standing up and tossing him like a rag doll into the air, and then catching him as he fell. Lemon weighed 210’. His endurance was legendary; he never tired. He still holds the record for most minutes played per game for a season. He was often triple-teamed by defenders. His basketball skills were extraordinary—shooting, rebounding, passing and blocking shots. In some games he got more rebounds than the other team got in total. He slept with 20,000 women and kept a record of his conquests in a Rolodex, but he never had time to read it. Despite his great size he ran marathons in his fifties. (Think of his knees….)
This is a true narrative, with the possible exception of the number of his sexual partners. Whether he’s “the greatest athlete that ever lived” is a matter of opinion, but he was definitely a phenomenon.
Let’s do a little social experiment. We tell people that Chamberlain once averaged 75 points a game over an NBA season, and he also averaged 40 rebounds a game. People will react to this in one of three ways, depending on their relationship to the narrative:
Those who are basketball fans, but know little about Chamberlain—if they haven’t internalized the narrative—will probably say: “I doubt that,” or “Impossible.” Because a fan knows how difficult it would be to ever score 75 points in a game, much less average 75 points over a season.
Those who are fans, and who have internalized the narrative—that is, if they believe the Chamberlain legend—will probably say, “Yes, he could do anything!”
And those who are basketball experts, people who know statistics and records, how would they respond? They’ll say, “No, that’s incorrect.” Because although Chamberlain does hold the record for average points per game, it was 50.4, not 75. And although he also holds the record for rebounds per game, that number was 27.2, not 40.
The people who believe that Wilt Chamberlain averaged 75 points and 40 rebounds over an entire season are people who have an impression of the truth, but not the truth itself.
When we miss the scale, we can also miss it on the high side. Chamberlain’s achievements were great, but not infinite; he seemed like a Greek god, but he was mortal.
Now, if even a true narrative can mislead, imagine how much damage a false narrative can do.
Or better yet, a narrative with truth and falsehood subtly intermingled, like an illustration in the Book of Kells.
The Socialist Investor 