Frames and Memes and Us

You probably have heard of Howard Dean's favorite linguist, George Lakoff, and his "frames" theory that explains why Republicans are so successful in gaining support for their ideas by using language carefully. His new book, "Don't Think of an Elephant: Know Your Values and Frame the Debate--The Essential Guide for Progressives" explains his concept concisely and clearly. Many believe it's a must-read for all progressives as we strategize our message and approach to issues after this devastating loss. Here's a link to the book on Amazon.

"Frame Wars" in the The Texas Observer summarizes Lakoff's theories as well as those of Frank Luntz, the Republican pollster and consultant who helped them use "context" to their advantage with such terms as " war on terror" and "tax relief."

A thoughtful and enlightening article on Dead Reckoning called Applied Memetics for Disillusioned Dems goes deeper and explores the use of "memetics" and "memes" to establish positive attributes for democratic and Democratic values.

These concepts may sound complicated and confusing, but Lakoff's latest book and these two articles are actually quite good in explaining them in a way that is easy to understand. They demonstrate how these concepts can be used effectively by progressives in our efforts to overcome the Republican advantage in "marketing" ideas to voters.