ABSTRACT
One recently observed display of irony, bravado, and humor served as an important impetus for this project: the popularity of shirts, hats, and other items boldly emblazoned with an American flag and the words “back to back world war champions.” Like many messages of pop comedy the meaning is often more complex and difficult to come to terms with in a serious fashion; this is often why simple messages, communicating and playing upon key emotional triggers can be so effective in “telling a story.” Elements of “familiarity” are most connected to sociological concepts of collective memory while affect is conceptually derived from the social production of emotions and emotional states explored theoretically in International Relations scholarship. It is important to carefully consider an important conceptual difference between emotion and affect. It is important to first unpack the unique theoretical elements that inform two of Weber’s “ideal” forms of action: affectual and traditional.
