STOP AND READ THIS IMPORTANT MESSAGE: DO NOT THINK OF AN ELEPHANT. NOT NOW, NOT LATER.
By Sarah Bleicher and Kathie Malley-Morrison
In Don’t Think of An Elephant!,* George Lakoff, a cognitive linguist and professor at U.C. Berkeley, provides an accessible guide to how conservatives think and how progressives can counter those seemingly ubiquitous conservative arguments.
This book is ideal for anybody who wants to promote his or her values effectively. Lakoff is clear, persuasive, and logical, with good suggestions to help progressives communicate in terms anyone can understand—something conservatives are very good at.
One key idea from the field of cognitive linguistics that Lakoff emphasizes is “frames” and their role in politics. Frames are the whole array of knowledge in which any one word is embedded. When you think of an elephant, you are likely to think of large floppy ears, trunks, circuses, etc.
Whenever you use a word, you evoke a frame. One problem for progressives is that even when they try to reject a conservative viewpoint—i.e., negate a frame—they in fact evoke that frame.
How many of you, despite our warnings, thought of an elephant as you began reading this post? One of Lakoff’s basic rules is don’t use the language of the other side. If you want to argue with a war hawk, don’t say, “War protestors are NOT wimps and cowards!” Think of the frames you set in motion. What other words might you use to evoke frames that weaken the opposition’s arguments?
Lakoff argues that “America must become a moral leader using fundamental human values: caring and responsibility carried out with strength to respond to the world’s problems.” In this book, George Lakoff provides guidance for showing respect, responding to arguments by reframing, talking about progressive values, and saying what you believe.
*Review of: Don’t Think Of An Elephant!/ How Democrats And Progressives Can Win: Know Your Values And Frame The Debate: The Essential Guide For Progressives
Sarah Bleicher, an alumna of Boston College, took Psychology of War and Peace with Kathie Malley-Morrison at Boston University