Thinking Points: communicating our American values and vision
George Lakoff
2006
152 pp.
Rating: 3 of 5
Lakoff and the Rockridge folks follow up to Don't Think of an Elephant (read my post on Elephant here). To a large degree, it's more of the same -- more on frames and how they impact the way people think and vote; more on the conservative/liberal split on the idealized family (strict father vs. nurturant parents).
One of his points that it was nice to think on more is the idea that there is no 'middle' - that the mythical moderate is just that, a myth. Lakoff thinks that some folks have both frames, so they appear to be in the middle, but in fact, they are not. They just have a combination of views (sometimes seemingly conflicting), and watering down your views to appeal to them will just drive them to other side (who has clearer views on everything already). I wish there was some way to test this theory.
Aside from a few suggestions about some major issues that could be used against conservatives through winning progressive frames -- clean elections and healthy food are two that seem most appealing, although the food one seems more doable since I'm not sure that the D's really want election reform any more than the R's -- there isn't too much new here. I have to point out that at one point the book refers to gay and lesbian 'sexual preference', which is terminology that everyone stopped using about 10 years ago. Not only does it support the conservative frame, it appears to just be lazy editing, as elsewhere in the book, the correct term 'sexual orientation' is used. Doesn't give one a lot of faith in how carefully these ideas were put together.
I'd buy Elephant, if I were you. You can read the first four chapters of Thinking for free on the Rockridge website, btw.
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