Don't Think of an Elephant
2007-08-01 00:00:00
By George Lakoff . Published by Scribe Short Books , Melbourne , 2006 . ISBN 1 920769 45 5. . Reviewed by Peter Tait , PHAA, EHSIG member This interesting little tome opens up a fascinating analysis of why conservative politics and neo‐liberal economics are having such a profound impact on our lives. It is because of the insights given that this is such an important book for those interested in social justice and the public health. This will help us to both understand the predicament and to take action to reverse it. It is not a recent publication, even though the Australian edition only came out last year. I read it after having seen it cited in several places. It is based on an edited series of lectures given by George Lakoff between 2001 and 2003 and is a distillation of his much more comprehensive work, Moral Politics: How Liberals and Conservatives Think (2002). Lakoff is a linguist who specialises in cognitive linguistics, which is the study of thought and how it is expressed in language. The book is brief, 119 pages, and in two sections. The first 80 pages set out the background, somewhat repetitively, outlining the concept of framing, the strict father and the nuturant parent models, of how using one or the other of these models to frame how we think and so talk about society and the world leads to what Lakoff describes as a conservative (right wing) or progressive (left wing) political viewpoint. From this it offers an explanation for why left‐wing politics is failing and the right has the upper hand. This analysis neatly complements Clive Hamilton's in his quarterly essay What's left . The strict father and the nurturant parent models are key to understanding conservative/right and progressive/left political viewpoints. Each is based in a set of assumptions about the world, which leads to a parental model of behaviour within families that at another level translates into a national governance model. The political model links neatly into a free market capitalism economic model. There is domestic and foreign policy action that arises from applying one or other of the models. It is beyond the scope of this review to go into the details. The final nearly 20 pages offers from theory to action. Moving through chapters What the Right Wants , What Unites Progressives and FAQs , he ends with How to Respond to Conservatives . He summarises the ‘culture war’ that conservatives have been successfully waging over the past four decades against a progressive world order. He lists the values and ideals that could unite progressives. He sprinkles solutions and suggestions throughout the book, but the summary at the end is: • Show respect. • Respond by reframing. • Think and talk at the level of values. • Say what you believe. The key is reframing: it is not the ‘war in Iraq’ but the ‘occupation of Iraq’. Promote nurturant moral values: how is the government's action on climate change responsibly protecting Australian prosperity for our children? Integrate the issues and develop strategic initiatives to address a broad range of issues with one action. For instance, addressing climate change will address climate change, several other environment problems, a range of health issues, have an impact on foreign policy and Third World development, create jobs in alternative energy, and so on. Our aim is to make this world a better, healthier place. But we cannot do this unless we can counter the current conservative grip on public debate. To combat this neo‐liberal hegemony, we public health people need to become better at winning the hearts and minds of the uncommitted public and influencing the more committed bureaucrats and political minders. This book gives us a way forward and a toolkit to apply to overturning the right and establishing a new paradigm in public discourse. Read the book for the full bottle on not thinking about elephants. The Rockridge Institute at http://www.rockridgeinstitute.org/ and the AlterNet at http://www.alternet.org/ have more information and details.
http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.pngAustralian and New Zealand Journal of Public HealthWileyhttp://www.deepdyve.com/lp/wiley/don-t-think-of-an-elephant-ilTv3OHR9Z
By George Lakoff . Published by Scribe Short Books , Melbourne , 2006 . ISBN 1 920769 45 5. . Reviewed by Peter Tait , PHAA, EHSIG member This interesting little tome opens up a fascinating analysis of why conservative politics and neo‐liberal economics are having such a profound impact on our lives. It is because of the insights given that this is such an important book for those interested in social justice and the public health. This will help us to both understand the predicament and to take action to reverse it. It is not a recent publication, even though the Australian edition only came out last year. I read it after having seen it cited in several places. It is based on an edited series of lectures given by George Lakoff between 2001 and 2003 and is a distillation of his much more comprehensive work, Moral Politics: How Liberals and Conservatives Think (2002). Lakoff is a linguist who specialises in cognitive linguistics, which is the study of thought and how it is expressed in language. The book is brief, 119 pages, and in two sections. The first 80 pages set out the background, somewhat repetitively, outlining the concept of framing, the strict father and the nuturant parent models, of how using one or the other of these models to frame how we think and so talk about society and the world leads to what Lakoff describes as a conservative (right wing) or progressive (left wing) political viewpoint. From this it offers an explanation for why left‐wing politics is failing and the right has the upper hand. This analysis neatly complements Clive Hamilton's in his quarterly essay What's left . The strict father and the nurturant parent models are key to understanding conservative/right and progressive/left political viewpoints. Each is based in a set of assumptions about the world, which leads to a parental model of behaviour within families that at another level translates into a national governance model. The political model links neatly into a free market capitalism economic model. There is domestic and foreign policy action that arises from applying one or other of the models. It is beyond the scope of this review to go into the details. The final nearly 20 pages offers from theory to action. Moving through chapters What the Right Wants , What Unites Progressives and FAQs , he ends with How to Respond to Conservatives . He summarises the ‘culture war’ that conservatives have been successfully waging over the past four decades against a progressive world order. He lists the values and ideals that could unite progressives. He sprinkles solutions and suggestions throughout the book, but the summary at the end is: • Show respect. • Respond by reframing. • Think and talk at the level of values. • Say what you believe. The key is reframing: it is not the ‘war in Iraq’ but the ‘occupation of Iraq’. Promote nurturant moral values: how is the government's action on climate change responsibly protecting Australian prosperity for our children? Integrate the issues and develop strategic initiatives to address a broad range of issues with one action. For instance, addressing climate change will address climate change, several other environment problems, a range of health issues, have an impact on foreign policy and Third World development, create jobs in alternative energy, and so on. Our aim is to make this world a better, healthier place. But we cannot do this unless we can counter the current conservative grip on public debate. To combat this neo‐liberal hegemony, we public health people need to become better at winning the hearts and minds of the uncommitted public and influencing the more committed bureaucrats and political minders. This book gives us a way forward and a toolkit to apply to overturning the right and establishing a new paradigm in public discourse. Read the book for the full bottle on not thinking about elephants. The Rockridge Institute at http://www.rockridgeinstitute.org/ and the AlterNet at http://www.alternet.org/ have more information and details.
Journal
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health
– Wiley
To get new article updates from a journal on your personalized homepage, please log in first, or sign up for a DeepDyve account if you don’t already have one.
All DeepDyve websites use cookies to improve your online experience. They were placed on your computer when you launched this website. You can change your cookie settings through your browser.
