#ProtectTheTruth

George Lakoff published one of the key books on the ‘values and frames’ approach to winning social change: ‘Don’t Think of an Elephant’. This blog introduces some of the key concepts in relation to Donald Trump’s attacks on the free press.

“Now, what do you see? The bulkiness, the grayness, the trunkiness of an elephant. You can’t block the picture – the frame – from being accessed by your unconscious mind. As a professor in the cognitive and brain sciences, this is the first lesson in framing I have given my students for decades. It’s also the title of my book on the science of framing political debates.

The key lesson: when we negate a frame, we evoke the frame.

When President Richard Nixon addressed the country during Watergate and used the phrase “I am not a crook,” he coupled his image with that of a crook.

He established what he was denying by repeating his opponents’ message.

This illustrates a key principle of framing: avoid the language of the attacker because it evokes their frame and helps make their case.”

For tons more on values and frames – go to Common Cause

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