Stories Let Leaders Escape Blame

Narratives and framing devices can systematically reassign moral responsibility away from principals by turning complex choices into stories of coercion, inevitability, or heroism. Reading those rhetorical moves (even in fairy tales) helps reveal when public actors are being excused rather than held to account. — If narratives routinely absolve leaders or institutions, democratic accountability and public trust erode because citizens judge actors by story‑shaped impressions, not causal responsibility.