The Manchurian Candidate Narrative: The Need for Balance and a Counter Narrative

Abstract

Contemporary American media commonly misrepresents violence committed by veterans suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as common place. The reasons for PTSD-related violence are complex, and representations of it in popular media contribute to the stigmatization and fear of veterans with PTSD in both the civilian and military populations. This project rationale is the presentation of a counter narrative to these dominant cultural narratives in the form of a web comic, titled Binary. Binary is the story of Derek Anderson which shows how deeply PTSD changes the lives of sufferers. Despite his disabled status and less-than-ideal living circumstances, Derek is able to overcome immense challenges due to his profound life experiences, and subverts the traditional 'dangerous veteran' trope. Binary changes the dominant culture narrative into something that actively combats it.