Wednesday, October 19, 2011

George Lakoff to Occupy Wall Street — It's the framing, stupid.


Good advice from a cognitive scientist on how to frame the debate in terms of democracy and public purpose. Frame this as a moral issue that appeals to the 99%, and don't let opponents frame you. Above all, don't go negative.


MMT needs to pay attention to the framing, too. Going public with idea is best accomplished with the appropriate framing. Emphasize public purpose, like achieving full employment at full utilization of capability, along with price stability and sustainability.

Bill Mitchell:
I think Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) does provide insights to the general population that are not only obscured by the mainstream media but which if they are broadly understand will empower the 99% to demand governments redefine their roles with respect to the non-government sector. Part of that re-negotiation has to be to reduce unemployment and redistribute national income more equally. We will also be better placed to have a sensible discussion about the human footprint on the planet. The three goals – full employment, reduced inequality and environmental harmony – should be central to the current civic protests (such as OWS).



3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yes to advocacy but take no prisoners!

Anti said...

Obviously there's a problem with MMT fanatics blitzing comment sections across the web, being insulting and/or otherwise rude, failing to understand much about economics or even MMT, and really coming across as cult members, much like the Austrians.

The authors of this blog, along with people like Fullwiler do a much better job of trying to explain their positions, rather than just attack, harass, and act as if everyone who disagrees is stupid.

GLH said...

The Geroge Lakoff article is excellent.