Barnett Lee
New Member
Gryffindor Student
Found the Thunder
Posts: 126
|
Post by Barnett Lee on Aug 25, 2005 2:16:31 GMT
Barnett shrugged. "I merely meant you could repeat yourself. You said - Ninety-nine percent of teenagers don't listen to media. One percent do, and they manipulate the others. Am I slicing your words unnecessarily, or would you agree that is really what you want to say?" He asked her in a tone that was soaking with mock sincerity.
He flicked his wand and muttered something, summoning a dictionary to the table. He began flipping to a page, still waiting for Persephone's answer.
|
|
|
Post by ~Persephone~ on Aug 26, 2005 20:35:45 GMT
Persephone could feel her anger bubbling up inside her and had to work to keep it down at a safe level.
"No, I said 99% aren't influenced by the media. The one percent that are influence the others. They do not manipulate, but slowly change the opinions of the others. That one percent are usually the "cool" kids people want to be like."
She spoke as if speaking to a little child, trying to explain that when you mixed dirt and water you made mud, which was messy.
|
|
Barnett Lee
New Member
Gryffindor Student
Found the Thunder
Posts: 126
|
Post by Barnett Lee on Aug 28, 2005 3:04:49 GMT
"Lord, keep your shirt on. I was close." He rolled his eyes, flipping through the pages in the dictionary before him. Then, heaving the book up into his arms, he recited to Persephone: "Media is the term used to denote, as a class, that section of the media specifically conceived and designed to reach a very large audience." He tilted his head to the side, then nodded.
"So you realize you're saying that one percent of the teenage population is influenced by the media. And then they go and recruit the others." He told her, completely unfazed by her tone - it was a tone he himself used quite often to keep people from getting too conceited. It worked as a perfect deflater.
Smiling patronizingly at her, his fingers danced on the corner of the page. He was waiting for the cue to make his next point.
|
|
|
Post by ~Persephone~ on Aug 28, 2005 16:05:13 GMT
"I suppose you're now going to say that media, being that it is used to reach a large portion of the population, means that it must be reaching and influencing more than just one percent. The only problem is, that as you see, there will always be more people outside the box then in. It's a basic rule of psychology and sociology."
She didn't change her tone, even after Barnett attempted to deflate her. She was used to the way people were, and she used that to her advantage...a lot.
|
|
Barnett Lee
New Member
Gryffindor Student
Found the Thunder
Posts: 126
|
Post by Barnett Lee on Aug 28, 2005 16:12:20 GMT
Barnett laughed. "Nearly. My point is that it hardly matters how many people the media directly reaches, because that one percent does their job for them.Those people are still influenced, so they don't need to hear it directly from the media, it has the same end result. And that's just based off the information you just gave me."
He was smiling calmly, he liked this rapidfire competition. It was obvious that both were looking for loopholes and different ways to bring their opponent to their knees. It was slightly refreshing. "Don't try to put words in my mouth, love. I know what I'm saying, being patient works better then assuming." He informed her lightly, drawing circles with his fingers on the page of the dictionary.
|
|
|
Post by ~Persephone~ on Aug 28, 2005 16:50:07 GMT
Well, isn't that the pot calling the kettle black...
Some part of her wanted to scream, and another part of her highly enjoyed their argument. IT wasn't a stupid one with no facts, but an honest battering of wits and facts. It was nice to "fight" with someone with out having to slow down for them.
"I'm not putting words in your mouth. I don't need to do that. It's just that, have you ever met someone who opposes something because everyone else is doing it? The idea that everyone else does it revolts a lot teen agers. Sometime this is because they do not fit the "mold" that the media sets, and sometimes it's because the influence is set on only a few sects of kids. So that one percent, only reaches say, fourty percent. The rest are highly opposing of it."
She left it there wondering where Barnett was going with this one.
|
|
Barnett Lee
New Member
Gryffindor Student
Found the Thunder
Posts: 126
|
Post by Barnett Lee on Aug 28, 2005 18:21:57 GMT
"Your percentages are screwed all to hell, dearheart. If the people who don't like what everyone is doing, why would they be the larger percent of the population?" He asked rationally.
"And - you're practically changing your stance after I made you repeat it. That's no good. You said that the one percent influence the others, but now you're completely backing off of that idea." He smirked. "Why is that?"
|
|
|
Post by ~Persephone~ on Aug 29, 2005 20:17:44 GMT
Dearheat. That one word was a blow to her that no sword could ever manage. It was something that only her mother called her, it was something she hadn't heard since she was small...and hearing it from his mouth dirtied the innocent word to her. For a moment she couldn't speak, and then all the anger seemed to find it's way into her throat and on the edge of every word.
I shouldn't let him push me this far. I shouldn't, but...He doesn't know what that word means to me, it's just like saying darling to him...it's just...it means so much to me.
"I'm not backing off, I'm just rerouting my idea. You should understand that. If one way of attack doesn't work, or is blocked, you must find an alternate route. So perhaps your mind just hasn't made the leap."
I know he doesn't know what that word means...I know that...
|
|
Barnett Lee
New Member
Gryffindor Student
Found the Thunder
Posts: 126
|
Post by Barnett Lee on Aug 29, 2005 20:33:01 GMT
"That's bull. You just said backing off in a much more flowery phrase. Before you said that one percent of the teenage population influence the others. Now you're saying one percent is affected, but a large percent now is rebuking it. Those are two completely different statements."
He raised an eyebrow, detecting something unusual in her face. Tucking his tongue between his molars, he thought back - he hadn't recently said something that was personally offensive. What had made her cringe so? This thought obviously not too important to him, his words still held a taunting, dangerous edge.
|
|
|
Post by ~Persephone~ on Aug 29, 2005 20:47:07 GMT
Some part of her wanted to rip him apart, wanted to tear him limb from limb. Her wound from the that simple word still bled inside her mind. The pain screamed inside her brain, it hurt her so much, and...he attacked her when she was down.
"Look. I'm going to bed, and you figure out this battle by yourself. Go take a survey of people, or something. Get your answers that way."
She turned from him, hoping to seek solace in her bed. It was safe up there, no one used dangerous words, and no one hurt you without saying they were sorry. She had friends up there, that held her tight, and knew what not to say. She needed to be up there, with them.
She picked up the book, her hands trembling. She had shown emotion. Yes, showing emotion was sometimes a good thing, but in a fight...it was dangerous, and a common mistake. It gave your enemy a path inside your mind, and it let them tear you apart from the inside.
|
|
Barnett Lee
New Member
Gryffindor Student
Found the Thunder
Posts: 126
|
Post by Barnett Lee on Aug 29, 2005 20:52:40 GMT
"Woah." Barnett stopped, immediately dropping his superior air when he saw her face beginning to crack. He slid in front of her, blocking her path. He pulled the book gently from her trembling fingers before she could drop it.
"What is this?" He demanded, eyes on hers.
And - though he pained to admit it - he felt a very small pang of guilt in the back of his heart. His usual aim was not to make girls upset to the point of tears - simply to the point of screeching. Screeching girls were easier to deal with then crying women. Crying women, now they were terrifying.
"What is this? Why are you backing down?" He asked, making sure not to have such a clipping tone.
|
|
|
Post by ~Persephone~ on Aug 29, 2005 20:57:54 GMT
"I don't want to fight anymore. I...have you ever lost anyone important in your life. Someone who...could never ever be replaced?"
She looked up into his eyes, her own ones large and naive as a small child. It was the child she never was, part of the childhood she never knew. She didn't know why he was so upset at her backing down. Most people would have pointed out happily that they won, and she had lost. But his demeanor had changed.
|
|
Barnett Lee
New Member
Gryffindor Student
Found the Thunder
Posts: 126
|
Post by Barnett Lee on Aug 29, 2005 21:12:04 GMT
Barnett was about to protest to hearing any melodramatic sob story, but saw the look she gave him and bit his tongue. Damn it, he thought. Cornered. Bring on the waterworks.
"I - ah, I really haven't. My grams a few years back, but I didn't know her well anyhow." He said slowly, putting the book back down on the table and shoving his hands in his pockets. "I thought we were having a good debate is all. You didn't seem upset five minutes ago."
|
|
|
Post by ~Persephone~ on Aug 29, 2005 21:22:44 GMT
"Yes, well, sometimes, people say things and then all the hurt comes out. They're not prepared for it, and neither is the other person. And, look, I know you don't want to hear the Tragedy of Persephone, so...if you'll give me my book, I'll spare you my tears and go back to my common room. I know you don't want to hear this, and it will probably annoy the heck out of you if I started to cry."
A lost defeated look swirled up into the depths of her eyes. Sincere hurt danced there, in and out of the flashes of innocent pain. No one could recreat that look, not in their wildest dreams. It was the look of someone that has lost something so precious to them, and know now that it will never ever come back. She didn't want to tell him anything he didn't want to hear. She figured that he didn't want to hear her problems, and she didn't blame him. Everyone had their own problems, and everyone wanted everyone to hear theirs.
A part of her wanted to tell him, to let him understand that it wasn't just the fragile heart and mind of a sixteen year old girl. That there was so much more to it, but she could see in her eyes he didn't want to hear it.
|
|
Barnett Lee
New Member
Gryffindor Student
Found the Thunder
Posts: 126
|
Post by Barnett Lee on Aug 30, 2005 19:31:00 GMT
Barnett shrugged one shoulder vaguely.
"I think it's more of a question that you'd trust me with your most personal story, then whether I'd care to hear it." He told her, deciding not to elaborate on how much he often listened to other people's tragic pasts. He had only a small dose of it himself, and even that disgusted him.
But he knew duty - probably anticipated it the moment they had strummed up their strained conversation.
"Sit. Sit back down. Talk if you want to. If it doesn't work out, I'll leave. I've no use in driving you out of here - there's nothing else interesting going on anyhow." He put the book on the table and pushed it across to where Persephone had been sitting. There was a slight tingle of energy there at the tips of his fingers. He was still ringing from the debate, but switching gears was a particular specialty of his.
|
|