Hmm. Anthony, the points you mention are true and the truth matters. At least to some of us.
Here's the "but." But when we repeat the words of Trump and Musk, even when trying to refute them, we reinforce them as a result. For example, they say "voter fraud," and we say "there is no voter fraud" and repeat it over and over until most people believe there must be something like "voter fraud." We feed what we fight. Or we reinforce the neural connections in our audiences brains between USAID and waste, or Medicaid and fraud when we try to reason with people by refuting their arguments. Pointing out hypocrisy doesn't work to change minds very well.
Cognitive scientists have found that we don't use facts and reasons to persuade, we use them to justify the decisions and thoughts we have already possess. The words fraud, waste and abuse are frames, much like the term "illegal" immigrant. They associate one idea in the brain with another (i.e. illegal or bad with immigrant). They slip past our conscious BS detectors and form a strong connection every time we hear them repeated.
Instead, speaking directly about what we believe, or setting the public debate around questions we want the debate to be about might work better. For example something like, "Our parks are a national treasure that we all own. They should be preserved for our children. Why are republicans destroying our children's future?" "I believe our seniors should live with dignity, health and security for contributing their hard earned wages to social security over their lifetimes." "Why is Medicare 4 times more efficient than private insurance. Let's have Medicare for all."
MAGA and DOGE are nuts. I think you are on the right track when you ask why the charade. This allows us to name our villains and their motivation... greed, control, sadism and so on. Ahh. Words, words, words. Thanks for your post and listening to my screed.
Hello Hobie! Thanks for this comment. I agree with you in general, and in fact, am undertaking a project now to help the opposition find the new ideas and words needed to paint a picture of a better future that people can gravitate to. That is, to create an alternative frame.
At the same time, I believe it is critical to disembowel the bullshit. Yes, there is a risk of reinforcing their frame, but to me, there is far more risk in seeing and accepting the many people I run across who thoughtlessly nod their heads in agreement that we need to do something about waste, fraud and abuse because the frame has been so successful in dominating the cultural discussion. These are folks who would agree that the current regime is dangerous and bad, yet fall into line on the framing. I believe they need some tools to help disconnect themselves and their own minds from those frames that they are accepting. We need to attack the frames by unmasking the thoughtless, "magic" words that define them.
Hmm. Anthony, the points you mention are true and the truth matters. At least to some of us.
Here's the "but." But when we repeat the words of Trump and Musk, even when trying to refute them, we reinforce them as a result. For example, they say "voter fraud," and we say "there is no voter fraud" and repeat it over and over until most people believe there must be something like "voter fraud." We feed what we fight. Or we reinforce the neural connections in our audiences brains between USAID and waste, or Medicaid and fraud when we try to reason with people by refuting their arguments. Pointing out hypocrisy doesn't work to change minds very well.
Cognitive scientists have found that we don't use facts and reasons to persuade, we use them to justify the decisions and thoughts we have already possess. The words fraud, waste and abuse are frames, much like the term "illegal" immigrant. They associate one idea in the brain with another (i.e. illegal or bad with immigrant). They slip past our conscious BS detectors and form a strong connection every time we hear them repeated.
Instead, speaking directly about what we believe, or setting the public debate around questions we want the debate to be about might work better. For example something like, "Our parks are a national treasure that we all own. They should be preserved for our children. Why are republicans destroying our children's future?" "I believe our seniors should live with dignity, health and security for contributing their hard earned wages to social security over their lifetimes." "Why is Medicare 4 times more efficient than private insurance. Let's have Medicare for all."
MAGA and DOGE are nuts. I think you are on the right track when you ask why the charade. This allows us to name our villains and their motivation... greed, control, sadism and so on. Ahh. Words, words, words. Thanks for your post and listening to my screed.
- Hobie
Hello Hobie! Thanks for this comment. I agree with you in general, and in fact, am undertaking a project now to help the opposition find the new ideas and words needed to paint a picture of a better future that people can gravitate to. That is, to create an alternative frame.
At the same time, I believe it is critical to disembowel the bullshit. Yes, there is a risk of reinforcing their frame, but to me, there is far more risk in seeing and accepting the many people I run across who thoughtlessly nod their heads in agreement that we need to do something about waste, fraud and abuse because the frame has been so successful in dominating the cultural discussion. These are folks who would agree that the current regime is dangerous and bad, yet fall into line on the framing. I believe they need some tools to help disconnect themselves and their own minds from those frames that they are accepting. We need to attack the frames by unmasking the thoughtless, "magic" words that define them.