Eleven Things Progressives Can Do, from Don’t Think of an Elephant!
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George Lakoff, cognitive linguist and author of Don’t Think of an Elephant; Know Your Values and Frame the Debate
This excerpt from his book offers some concise advice to progressives about how to win debates in the public realm. He focuses on the notion of “framing”, and points out that even when you negate a frame you reinforce it because you implicitly accept the worldview behind it. Think of debates about abortion. The conservative frame is “pro-life”, not “anti-abortion”. Arguably, the latter is more descriptive, but the former is far more evocative, and the liberal reply of “pro-choice” is not nearly as attractive.
Eleven Things Progressives Can Do, An Excerpt from Don’t Think of an Elephant!
Don’t Think of an Elephant is available in our bookstore.
