Don't Think of an Elephant

Don’t Think of an Elephant by George Lakoff (2004)
www.rockridgeinstitute.org

Frames are mental structures that shape the way we see the world – our goals, plans, acts, and what counts as good or bad outcome of actions

Cognitive unconscious – structures in the brain we cannot consciously access but know of their consequences: our reasoning and what counts as common sense

Language also tells us, all words are defined relative to conceptual frames, hearing a word activates its frame in our brain

Reframing is changing how someone sees the world and common sense, we need new language for new frames

Exercise – Don’t think of an elephant! Whatever you do, do not think of an elephant. (no one can do this, elephant evokes a frame, when we negate a frame we evoke it) (Nixon - I am not a crook)

A basic principle of framing – if you are arguing against the other side don’t use their language (this language picks the frame, one you don’t want)

Framing is about getting language to fit your worldview, but ideas are primary – the language carries the ideas (this is about metaphors)

Metaphor for nation as a family – the Founding Fathers, the Daughters of the American Revolution, sending our “sons” to war, a natural metaphor to compare large social groups such as a nation in terms of a small one, like family

Our nation can be compared to strict father nation (Republicans) or nurturing parent family (Democrats), we have both models imprinted on our synapses as passively and actively, we can use them both but in different parts of our lives

Strict father approach = protect family in dangerous world, support family in difficult world, teach children right from wrong – pursue self interest and grow up to be self-reliant is moral, good people will be (deservedly) rewarded, the world is dangerous and difficult, children are born bad and must be made good, need to be disciplined

Other metaphor for foreign policy = rational actor and nation as a person (“friendly” nation, “rogue” nation, “enemy” nation, “adult” nation, “child” –developing- nation), maximize self interest is the rational thing to do

Nurturant parent metaphor – empathy (caring and feeling how others feel) and responsibility (taking care of others whom we feel responsible), the world is basically good and can be made better – seek fulfillment in life, fairness, freedom, open two-way communication

Each of these frames forces a certain logic, for facts to be accepted they must fit the frame, if the facts do not fit the frame, the frame stays and the facts bounce off (myth= the truth will set us free, tell the facts and since people are basically rational they will reach the right conclusions)

Neuroscience says that our long-term concepts that structure how we think are “instantiated” in the synapse of our brains. Concepts are not things that can be changed by telling us a fact. It not, it is not heard or mystifies us – seen as irrational, crazy or stupid.

Economics – people are rational actors following their self-interest, this does not bear out to true in how people really think, people vote their identity (who they identify with) and their values not their self-interest, and it’s not as if they don’t care about self-interest but it isn’t as simply that

We tend to have both family metaphors – the john wayne movie and the cosby show, both worldviews are widely present in our culture, people do not necessarily live by one worldview all the time

Orwellian language – language that means the opposite of what you say, used by conservatives when they are weak, when they cannot come right out and say what they mean, Orwellian language points to weakness, note where this is for this is were they are vulnerable

Language can be used honestly or harmfully, the right language starts with ideas, ideas come first and are used to frame

When you think you lack words you really lack ideas, ideas come in the form of frames, when frames are there the words come readily

Hypocognition – lack of ideas that you need, the lack of a relatively fixed frame that can be evoked with a word or two
Study by bob levy in Tahiti – many suicides, Tahitians feel grief but have no concept of it or name for it, no rituals or seen as a normal emotion and end up committing suicide too often

Hierarchy of values (what’s the top value) and strategic initiatives (has multiple, long-range effects) instead of issue by issue approach, also slippery slope strategic initiatives (taking small steps toward a larger issue, understand the consequences of steps)

In reframing be proactive, not reactive, practice every day on every issue, use your frames not theirs, use then because they fit the values you believe in

Even if frame doesn’t fit the facts, there is grain of truth to it and that holds

Campaigning as marketing metaphor – look to a list that most people support, move to the “right” on some issues to get the centrist vote, a list is not a moral vision, does not present voters with an identity (someone to identify with)

Marriage – a word, and a metaphor – symbolizes an institution, life goal, dreams, dates, gossip, anxiety, shower, wedding, rituals, invitations, vows, honeymoon, family, children, grandchildren, in-laws, games, graduations, a journey, partnership, complementary parts, sacrament, home, social status, sex

Mirror neurons – these fire either when we perform an action or we see someone perform the same action. And these are connected to the emotional parts of our brain. The basis of empathy

Gandhi – Be the change you want

Metaphors can kill (http://philosophy.uoregon.edu/metaphor/lakoff-1.htm) war is fought against a person (Saddam Hussein) not the Iraqi people, protesters are against the country (not patriotic) not Bush
Nation as a person – a “just” war, self-defense story or rescue story, in both a hero, a crime, a victim, a villain (in self-defense story victim and hero are the same), villain can’t be reasoned with and needs to be defeated or killed, victim is innocent and beyond reproach

Lies – what is difference between lies and exaggerations, misleading statements, mistakes, rhetorical excesses
For a linguist when considering whether statement is a lie the least important consideration for most people is whether it is true
More important is – did he believe it, did he intend to deceive, was he trying to gain an advantage or to harm someone, is this a serious matter or trivial one?
Most people see that if the statement is false but if he believed it, wasn’t trying to deceive, was not trying to gain advantage then no lie
If in the service of a good cause then it is a white lie, based on faulty information then an honest mistake, used for emphasis then exaggeration
Difference between a lie and betrayal of trust

What divides progressives (understanding change)
Local interests
Idealism vs. pragmatism
Radical change vs. moderate change
Militant vs. moderate advocacy
Types of thought processes (socioeconomic, identity politics, environmentalism, civil libertarianism, spiritual and antiauthoritarian)

What can unify (understanding change)
Values coming out of a basic vision
Principles to realize vision
Policy directions that fit values and principles
Brief ten-word philosophy that encapsulates all of the above

How is framing different from spin, manipulation, and propaganda? Framing is normal, every sentence is framed in some way, when we say something we believe then we are using frames that we think are relatively accurate, spin is a manipulative use of framing, it is used when something embarrassing has happened or said and is an attempt to put a clean frame around it and make it look normal or good, propaganda is an attempt to get the public to adopt a frame that is not true and is known not to be true for the purpose of gaining control or power
Avoid deceptive framing, speak from what you believe

Once your frame is accepted in the discourse, everything you say is just common sense
Guidelines
Show respect
Respond by reframing
Think and talk at the level of values
Say what you believe