How to determine the theme of social problems

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For example, unemployment is a social Situation (Universe), but it is not an external problems occur in the environment, nor is it an internal problems occur in the mind, but a social one. What CLASS does it belong to? Of course, my example may not be appropriate, but it is bound to happen.

I have always been skeptical about the reasonableness of the sub categories of Situation (Past, Progress, Present, and Future), especially in arranging the plot of the Signpost and Journeys, very blunt.

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That depends on additional questions.

Through what lens are you looking at unemployment - personally or distantly? E.g. Is it happening to you, or your spouse, or to both of you, or everybody?

Also, is unemployment the real problem underneath these perspectives? Or is it a symptom of something else? Or possibly something that must be endured on the way to the real resolution? E.g.

  • Problems start for your MC because he loses his job, thus Unemployment = Situation.
  • Or the MC keeps losing jobs because he’s always self-sabotaging himself, thus Unemployment = Psychology.
  • Or everyone in the story is trying to become self-employed / business owners, thus they all endure a period of joblessness, thus Unemployment = OS Cost.

My point is that a Grand Argument Story contains an armada of themes, none of which tidily sum up the point of the narrative. Any story about ‘unemployment’ will naturally touch on other hot-button social themes, like technological advancement, business ethics, glass ceilings, family dynamics, gentrification, urban and rural development, legislation, etc etc etc. None of these have a one-to-one match with a specific item on the Dramatica Table, in the same way you don’t find ‘greed’ or ‘love’ or other socially subjective topics on there.

The real question for yourself is: What do you want to say about unemployment? How do you want your audience to experience it?

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@LunarDynasty Thanks.

“Grand Argument Story”, This term has no corresponding translation in Chinese. In particular, I don’t fully understand the word “Argument”. Is it similar to "thesis argument ", “maths terms”, “argue”, “viewpoint” or “theme”? I sometimes take this word out and it’s straight into “Grand Story”.

I’m sorry for my vague expression.

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“Grand Argument Story” is a unique term for Dramatica. Essentially the purpose of the theory is to help you create one. Here’s the official dictionary listing:

http://dramatica.com/dictionary/grand-argument-story-gas

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This probably is not the best definition, but to make an argument is basically to make a case that something is right, wrong, good, or bad. For instance, a lawyer in a courtroom makes an argument that his client is innocent. Or a child might make the argument that she has earned an extra dessert because she has done all of her chores. Or one might argue that it is more noble “to choose everyday to lose your own life, dreams, even personality, for the benefit of those you love” than to “have an instant of bravery in which one is not thinking about ceasing to exist and jumps almost instinctively in front of the bullet”.

A Grand Argument Story, then, is an argument that tries to make the case from all directions so that any counter arguments one might make are already addressed within the story. Hope that helps.

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@LunarDynasty @Gregolas Thanks a lot :relaxed:

I can basically understand the meaning of “Grand Argument Story”. I was bothered because I couldn’t find the proper Chinese words.

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