Entries from July 2007 ↓

As I’ve already written, there are some very good things to say about George Lakoff’s new book, Thinking Points.

But there are far more things to complain about. Before you plop down your $10, consider this.

1. Has George Lakoff ever actually read a handbook? Thinking Points is billed as “a progressive handbook.” Pick up a copy of the Boy Scout Handbook and compare. They Boy Scout Handbook is full of step-by-step how-to instructions. You want to build a fire, turn to the right page and it’s there. You want to splint an arm? Turn to the right page and it’s there.

Nowhere in Thinking Points is there any sort of step-by-step instruction. You can’t turn to a page for a clear instruction about how to activate “deep frames.” It’s not a handbook, it’s a dumbed-down textbook.

2. Is it true just because Lakoff says it’s true. Thinking Points is full of some pretty bold assertions. “As we look at arguments, we find certain characteristics common to all effective and successful arguments” [emphasis added].

Really, all effective and successful arguments? That’s a bold statement, and there is absolutely no evidence to back it up.

Thinking Points is full of this kind of grandiose statement without anything to back it up. There is no citation of studies to back up his claims of the value of deep frames over surface frames. No examples how how we can test his assertions that the progressive/conservative split is based on two different visions of family. Instead, we’re told to accept it because, well, just because they say it’s true.

3. If you’re teaching effective communication, you yourself should be able to communicate effectively. This book put me to sleep. Repeatedly. Seriously, if Lakoff wants progressives to effectively communicate about our values, he should lead by example. When he talks about values, he leaves me uninspired. When he talks about theory, he leaves me unconvinced. And when I put down the book, I find it hard to say that I’ve actually learned something.

He could have done so much better. George Lakoff has an important lesson for progressives that can help us take back this country, which is exactly why I wish he would take more care in presenting it. Don’t think of an Elephant was focused, effective, and convincing. Thinking Points, however, is bloated, feeble, and meandering. And that’s a shame for all of us.

I really enjoyed George Lakoff’s Don’t think of an Elephant, so I was quite happy to get my hand’s on his new book Thinking Points: Communicating our American Values and Vision.

While my overall take is “don’t waste you’re money,” (more on that here), there are a few very good points in the book:

Deep Framing: Lakoff argues that for long-term change, we need to get people into the habit of thinking about issues in a fundamentally progressive manner. It’s not enough to just put spin on the surface, we need approaches that shift the fundamental way people look at an issue.

My personal example of this is how we talk about the war in Iraq. It’s easy to quote the generals that oppose the war, but then we are supporting the ideas to listen to the generals and trust them about matters of war. We aren’t fundamentally addressing the core attitude that accepts violence as an acceptable way to solve problems. For long-term change, we need to go deeper. Hence, deep framing.

Bi-Conceptuals: Can Progressives reach out to swing voters by moving right? Lakoff says no. Lakoff argues (though he doesn’t cite evidence) that there’s no such thing as a “moderate,” but rather some people are bi-conceptual. That is, they operate using both progressive and conservative frames.

How does a progressive reach a bi-conceptual? By talking to them like a progressive so that they turn to their progressive frames. Bi-conceptuals can operate as a liberal and as a conservative: you won’t get them to operate as a liberal by dressing up like a conservative.

Values are important: Progressives are progressives because of what we care about. We have empathy, we care about the fate of our children, of the poor, and of the earth. These values provide the “why” that lies behind our policies.
They are important, we should be wiling to talk about them.

“I start with the premise that the function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers.“ Ralph Nader

When we talk about building a movement for peace and justice, a large part of what we need to be talking about is building up the people who will lead the movement.

This is an area where I have a lot of growth to do.

So, I’m working to recruit more chairs and leaders in the committees I’m working on. A chair doesn’t have to do all the work, nor does the chair need to set all the plans. But the chair does need to ensure that all the work gets done and all the plans are made.

In the ICPJ Wiki  I’ve posted some information about what it takes to be a good committee chair.

Of course, it’s easy to write about it–the work ahead is to

• Recruit people to be chairs
• Train them so they rock as chairs
• Support them in their work.

It’s never as easy as writing a wiki entry or a blog post.

Why should you read Finding Strategy: A Survey of Contemporary Contributions to Progressive Strategy?

Because if progressive voices are going to win, we need to have a plan! In Finding Strategy, Wolfgang Brauner and Charles Knight examine different strategies that progressives have used. They don’t evaluate them, they just describe them. It’s a useful way to consider the different perspectives on how we can change the world.

(Thank you Gilbert Report for the link)