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Quote of the day by Jordan Peele: ‘I think when you just tell people to think, people tend to get resistant, defensive’
Jordan Peele's quote reminds us of the power of storytelling in inspiring humans to be thinking beings.
An actor, comedian, screenwriter, producer, and filmmaker, Jordan Peele wears many feathers on his cap. After earning widespread recognition with Keegan-Michael Key for their Emmy-winning sketch series Key & Peele, Jordan decided to focus on filmmaking and reshaped the psychological horror with three releases: Get Out, Us, and Nope.
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Jordan’s works are known for their social commentary wrapped up in masterful storytelling. He frequently incorporates themes of race and class in his works and has been a champion of representation in Hollywood.
Commemorating his birthday on February 21, 1979, today’s quote of the day is a statement he made during an interview with The Verge back in 2017. The complete quote reads:
“I’m a true believer in story. I think when you just tell people to think, people tend to get resistant and defensive and feel like you’re accusing them of not thinking. But when you tell a story, and you draw them in through allowing them to see through the eyes of a different person, and when you can affect their feelings and emotions — whether it's making them laugh, or making them scared, or making them scream, or making them cheer — then you have them on a starting point, already, to think about why they had those visceral reactions.”
The power of storytelling
A master of the craft himself, Jordan's love for storytelling as an art and a tool of immense power is captured by this quote. Not every person is a thinker, and Jordan is well aware of this reality. However, not many are willing to admit it.
Thus, if a man is bluntly asked “to think” about a subject, he may be affronted by being under the impression that he is being told that he is not a thinker. Instead, a better way to sow the seed of a certain thought in a person’s mind is through a story.
A story draws a person in with its narrative and allows them to share the experience of the characters, and see the world through a different set of eyes: that of the storyteller. It leads to a more sincere exchange of ideas, feelings and emotions, which, when a person looks back upon, turns into a thinker on their own accord.
Relevance of the quote today
Since the birth of consciousness, there has always been a lot to think about. And over the ages, human beings have done it remarkably well. However, while thinking may appear natural, it takes practice to be a good thinker.
We live in a rapidly changing society, one that at present may be considered post-literate. It is time when technological advancements are gradually doing away with traditional reading and writing, with information being made available in small, easily digestible bundles.
While this allows greater consumption of information, it does not leave much room to think it over. Thus, stories become ever more important to remind us to take a breather and process information and ideas at a greater scope and in a broader perspective, to work our thinking muscles and engage in something that is uniquely human.
