A list of examples of law-abiding myth:
- Hanna and Koppel (CNN), July 19 2001, Message Unit 1
- Fairchild (LCPJ), February 2004, Message Unit 1
- Demick (LA Times), October 26 2003, Message Unit 1
- Wardell (AP), May 29 2003, Message Unit 2
- Lasswell (TV Guide), April 12 2003, Message Unit 1
- Newsday, February 7 2002, Message Unit 1
- Belt (LJW), April 11 2004, Message Unit 25
- Miller, April 12 2004, Message Unit 2
- Chicago Tribune, April 10 2003, Message Unit 1
- Chicago Tribune, April 10 2003, Message Unit 4
- Chicago Tribune, April 10 2003, Message Unit 5
- Steele (Guardian), June 14 2004, Message Unit 2
- Coleman (AP), April 9 2004, Message Unit 3
- Associated Press, November 8 2003, Message Unit 5
- Associated Press, November 8 2003, Message Unit 6
- Douglas and Stearns (Knight Ridder) April 6 2004, Message Unit 12
- Newsday, February 7 2002, Message Unit 2
|
|
Definition of
law-abiding myth
The
law-abiding myth
is the least important of the core myths, the set of five unchanging descriptions of US actions in the world. The law-abiding myth deals with the US government's adherence to and support for international laws and US laws. It says
- The US supports and obeys international law.
- The US does not break or support the breaking of international law.
- The US and NATO do not arrogate to themselves rights that are legally reserved to UN bodies.
- The US does not break its international agreements without withdrawing from those agreements.
- The US does not behave in a manner inconsistent with its written laws.
- The US does not use or support rule of might, protection racket, gangster law, or rule by intimidation and force.
Scope of the law-abiding myth and relationship of the law-abiding myth to other core myths
The top four core myths are self-sacrifice, humanitarianism, defense, and democracy. These four say that the US government is a humanitarian
organization that helps the people of other countries at great cost to itself, that never acquires, never takes, never gets, never acts aggressively. The
law-abiding myth is not related to these top four, and is thus not very important. It is also violable in patriotic messages, although violations are rare.
The law-abiding myth is violable in patriotic messages, as long as the reason that the US government broke the law is presented as conforming to the
self-sacrifice, humanitarianism, or self-defense/nonaggression myths. Legality is thus a "puller" myth: the US government's behaviors are presented as being as
legal as they were or more so. Despite its violability, there are many texts whose patriotic messages conform to the law-abiding myth.
The law-abiding myth and the changes to history
The US government's behaviors violate the law-abiding myth.
To conform to the law-abiding myth, the US government's acts contrary to the myth are
removed from history or converted into their opposites. This is often done either by removing the US acts or by showing the acts but not showing the
fact that they were illegal. It has become particularly common in the twenty-first century for texts to give the US legal authority that it does not have;
in many cases texts treat a US crime as the law, and resistance to the US crime as a crime.
|
patriotized history
