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February 3, 2005A Frame for FramingRecently, progressives have discovered ‘framing’, or how to talk about their beliefs in a way that other people will listen and respond. Granted, there are all kinds of bells and whistles about how to do this effectively, however, a friend recently wrote down these thoughts (with a little minor editing of my own) about what we really need to be doing. Get in touch with your own values; know them well. Engage in respectful discussions with people with different viewpoints. Do not argue. Do not be vitriolic. Express your values and find common ground with the person you’ve been talking with. Shake hands over your newfound friend; go buy him or her a beer. Participate in the local culture. Watch a Sitcom, go to a little league game, attend a PTA meeting, and chat at a beauty salon. Embrace and smile, knowing we are all Americans after all. It seems as if some people, especially progressives, need a complicated program to understand the Jungian aspects of language to get back to a core principle, to get out and talk with people, and do it politely. While this might not exactly be Framing in a Lakoffian context, it is the basis of communications. Many Christians, out there seeking to spread their beliefs have understood the importance of this for years. So, we need people to understand their values, and by this we mean more than just the value of a toothbrush at Walmart. We need people to understand to core principles of what they believe and talk in a friendly way with others about these principles. This isn’t just good advice for progressives. The nation would be much better off if we all learned to act this way. Comments
Excellent, Aldon. And down-to-earth true. I've been reading Lakoff and thinking a lot about frames, but maybe frames are too limited and we need to be about values. I've posted here a lot about values, and I agree that the first step in creating the kind of society we want is to know what our core values are and to act accordingly. It is so true. Getting out more from behind monitors and TVs for real facetime, coupled with the tactile sense of touch (a hand, an arm, a shoulder) builds kinship and influence in enormous ways. Posted by: Kevin Hayden at February 5, 2005 8:20 PMWhat is a progressive, other than a liberal? Is John Kerry a progressive? Not a chance, he is everything to everybody. And thats why he lost. Howard Dean would have done better than old John boy. Unfortunately, I have run into great resistence from people to learning about framing (and as Elissa said above, learning about framing involves learning about our own values and I would add, the connections and associations in our own hearts and minds). Apparently, ranting about the right is in vogue in some circles right now. I do hope that changes soon. ;-) Framing and reframing really isn't hard to do. For anyone willing to spend ten minutes trying their hand at an easy exercise, I recommend looking into Gabriele's Rico's book (and site) "Writing The Natural Way" http://www.gabrielerico.com/Main/AboutGabrieleRico.htm specifically: namaste. this is my first post here. :-) Posted by: kj in missouri at February 22, 2005 2:50 PMAlso, these links from the Rockridge Institute might prove useful: http://www.rockridgeinstitute.org/research/wallack/levels specifically: Conceptual Levels: Bringing It Home to Values by Jason Patent, George Lakoff Post a comment
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