George Lakoff
Ten points for Democracy ActivistsBy George Lakoff1. To understand the basic issues, read “A Minority President” 2. Know the difference between framing and propaganda: Frames are mental structures used in thought; every thought uses frames. Every word in every language is defined relative to a mental structure — a frame. Frames, in themselves, are unavoidable and neutral. Honest framing is the use of frames you believe and that are used to express truths. Propaganda expresses lies that propagandists know are lies for the sake of political or social advantage3.??? Hold Republicans accountable. Trump is dominating the media, partly to establish his authority, but mainly to divert attention and provide cover to Republican leaders. Keep focused on Republican actions. Minimize publicizing Trump — his image, his name, his tweets.4.????Focus attention on substance, not sideshows. Trump's attacks on freedom, democracy, and the innocent matter more than his tweets. Positively and strongly reframe his pre-emptive framing (see tweet diagram).5.???Focus on democracy and freedom. In a government by, for, and of the people, there is, or should be, no distinction between the public and the government. The consequences are: empathy: government should care about, and for, the public; transparency: government should inform the public truthfully; freedom and opportunity: the private depends on public resources, both for private enterprise and private life. For example, if you’re educated, you’re not free. If you have no health care, you're not free. If you're impoverished, you lack opportunity.Republicans are destroying all of these: removing “regulations” removes public protections; gag rules and budget cuts on government agencies removes transparency; privatization of education, protection, communication, infrastructure, nature; etc. are attacks on freedom)6. Be positive: frame all issues from a progressive moral viewpoint. Take the viewpoint of the public good, not corporate profiteering. Take the viewpoint of the impoverished and weak, not the rich and powerful. Take the viewpoint of preservation, not the destruction of nature. 7. Remember: We’re the POWERFUL American Majority.?No more helpless/hopeless talk. Anger, fear and cynicism benefit Trump's GOP. Remember: Don't think of an elephant! Don't use Republican language, or repeat their positions, even to negate them. Frame using ideas you believe and real facts that are contextualized and morally framed. Avoid isolated facts and numbers. The best resistance is positive persistence. 8. Understand the brain’s politics: All ideas are physical, embodied in neural circuitry. The more the circuitry is activated, the stronger the circuitry gets and the more deeply the ideas are held. Worldviews are complex neural circuits fixed in the brain. People can only understand what fits the neural circuitry in their brains. Real facts can be filtered out by worldviews. “Alternative facts” are lies — falsehoods that follow from ideologies that are fixed, that define one’s identity and so are taken as ‘higher truths.”9. Be careful not to spread fake news. Check it out, on the "big four" non-partisan political fact-checkers— HYPERLINK "" \t "_blank" Politifact,? HYPERLINK "" \t "_blank" , the?Washington Post's? HYPERLINK "" \t "_blank" Fact Checker, and . Subscribe to real news! To those in the media: Avoid stating Trump’s falsehoods first and then trying to argue against. When you negate an idea, you activate that ide in the brain, which just strengthens that idea. Instead, frame with the truth first, then quickly mention that Trump has tried to divert attention from it with a tweet. Give the tweet, point out that it deviates from the prior truth, that it is a falsehood, that go back to truths on important issues.10. Join the Citizens’ Communication Network: Until it is officially functioning, you can unofficially join by following me on Facebook ( HYPERLINK "" \t "_blank" )?and Twitter (@GeorgeLakoff) for regular thoughts and updates.Highly recommended background reading: The ALL NEW Don’t Think of an Elephant! and Moral Politics, 3rd edition. ................
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