23. Don't Think of an Elephant!

By: George Lakoff

I started this book last year, and only stopped reading it because I moved and forgot to put it in my bag. So, I dug it out of storage yesterday, and jumped right back in. Its a short book with a simple message and it hits you like a ton of bricks. In just about 100 pages, Lakoff easily describes the problem of progressives and the inability of Democrats to articulate their message. The title is the clue.

Don't Think of an Elephant!

What did you just think of? An elephant, right? Because when you name something, you can't help but think of it. So when republicans say "Partial Birth Abortion", they put the mental image in your mind of the worst case, and least performed sort of proceedure. When they say "Tax Cuts" they don't talk about 'service reduction'. Basically, by letting them use those terms we are fighting them on their territory and we cannot win.

This is what Lakoff refers to as "framing". All issues have a 'frame' - that is, a perspective from which they are to be viewed. When you argue about "tax and spend liberalism" you cannot win because the image that all participants and observers will leave with is that of taxing and spending regardless of who has the better facts or even who "won" the debate.

Through his book, Lakoff pinpoints the problems in such a precise way that it seems so obvious that it seems like common sense. In the second half of the book, he explains what needs to be done now. This is required reading for all progressives- democrats, greens, independents, whatever- hell, it would probably be good if some conservatives cracked it open. Although, the progressives who really need to read it are the ones in office.