President Ronald Reagan put his index cards down and looked around the room.
“Has anybody else seen this movie?” he asked.
His National Security advisors shuffled uncomfortably in their seats. Nobody else had seen WarGames, the Matthew Broderick movie that was weighing on Reagan’s mind. So the president described the plot:
A teenage hacker randomly dials numbers using his 1980s computer modem.
He gains access to a military supercomputer.
He starts playing a game with it, not realizing that the computer is connected to the entire nuclear arsenal of the United States.
And he comes within a thumbtack of initiating World War III.
“Could something like this really happen?” Reagan was asking.
Nobody knew.
So General John W. Vessey Jr., the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he would look into it.
One week later, the general returned with the report. “Mr. president,” he said, “the problem is much worse than you think.”
Long story short, Reagan set a process in motion that culminated with the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act 3 years later. This is still the main piece of legislation on the sensitive topic of hacking.
But here’s the thing.
How did General Vessey come up with that report within just one week?
Well, it’s because a group of scientists working within the government were already concerned about the very same issue. Analyses had been done. Papers had been written. And the outcome of all this well-researched and deliberate data was:
Nothing.
Crickets.
Instead, it took a Hollywood movie, which Reagan watched for entertainment, to get anybody to act.
That’s the power of a story.
It’s become a cliche to say that our brains are wired for stories.
But that’s because it really appears to be true.
Nothing seems to convince, entertain, and move us quite like a story.
Nothing even comes close.
Anyways, if you want more on the topic of stories (and weight loss supplements), take a look at for my upcoming book.
It will talk about stories, and how to use them in your emails to sell health products.
The book is free if you sign up to get a copy now.
Here’s the link with more info: