Lakoff: How To Help Trump

[Roland99]

https://georgelakoff.com/2016/12/15/how-to-help-trump/

When you repeat Trump, you help Trump. You do this by spreading his message wide and far.

Nobody knows this better than Trump. Trump, as a media master, knows how to frame a debate. When he picks a fight, he does so deliberately. He tweets or says outrageous things, knowing they will be repeated millions and millions of times. When the news media and Democrats repeat Trump’s frames, they are strengthening those frames by ensuring that tens of millions of Americans hear them repeated over and over again.

Quick: don’t think of an elephant. Now, what do you see? The bulkiness, the grayness, the trunkiness of an elephant. You can’t block the picture – the frame – from being accessed by your unconscious mind. As a professor of brain science, this is the first lesson I give my students. It’s also the title of my book on the science of framing political debates.

The key lesson: when we negate a frame, we evoke the frame. When President Richard Nixon addressed the country during Watergate and used the phrase “I am not a crook,” he coupled his image with that of a crook. He established what he was denying by repeating his opponents’ message.

[lastlib]

1. Don't think about elephants!

(see, you cheated!)

[Cha]

2. Never repeat their charges! Instead, use your own words and values to reframe the conversation.

This illustrates one of the most important principles of framing a debate: When arguing against the other side, don’t use their language because it evokes their frame and not the frame you seek to establish. Never repeat their charges! Instead, use your own words and values to reframe the conversation.

When you repeat Trump, you help Trump.

In the coming weeks and months, I’ll use this space to provide simple, practical advice on how Democrats, progressives and conscientious journalists can use the principles of effective framing to expose and undermine Trump’s propaganda. Knowledge is power! We must arm ourselves with the fundamentals of effective political communication. We must know our values and frame the debate – and avoid helping Trump.

When you repeat Trump, you help Trump.

Thanks Roland

[duhneece]

4. That's why I always say, "I am pro-choice"

I never use 'their' framing....whatever is was! grin

[Cha]

8. It is Pro-Choice.. no other way to look at

it, imv.

I think these are good suggestions to remember from Lakoff.

Thanks duhneece~

[gordianot]

3. The curse of the twentieth century is alive and well in the twenty first.

When these types claim opposition is paid you are in serious trouble and to a degree it is true. The mere thought that opposition occurs independent of propaganda and advertising is terrifying to the real movers and shakers. Whether right or left you will take your marching orders just do not expect personal profit. You have to finance your candidate pay up.

There is no help ever for Trump he is the curse come to life and can be replaced with a snap of your fingers. This disgusting monster was created quite possibly by accident and now others have the formula.

[lambchopp59]

5. Exact tittily the plan, however egregious

Just say the most outrageous crap that spills of the tongue and presto: free media coverage! Wash, rinse, repeat.
Sickens me however, how an utterly abhorrent campaign actually garnered enough votes to make the election rigging work for the man-child. Reveals how rot gut the soul of dumbed-down mesmerized US has become.

[watoos]

6. I blog on a local web site

in Alabama, halfway between Philly and Pittsburgh. I am vastly outnumbered, am attacked constantly.
I started a thread and I said let's stop the negativity, let's list the positive things that are going to come from a Trump presidency. The thread keeps falling off the front page, I have to keep kicking it up. 2 people have responded and have said protecting our southern border and no more political correctness. Those aren't really positives but that was it. Trump ran on hatred for others, on negativity, on blaming our troubles on someone other than our self. My thread has again fallen off the front page I am kicking it back up again.

I'm 69 years old and usually when people get older they learn that the only way to get anything out of life is by giving. I say this on Christmas Day that Trump hasn't learned this, that he may never learn this. He must be a truly unhappy, never at peace person, and he may never be one. It's one reason why he never laughs. Trump will never be at peace, never be joyful if he keeps believing that it's better to receive than to give.

Happy Holidays.

[maddiemom]

9. Don't you mean that you live in "Pennsyltucky"? I know mid PA is often known as "Alabama."

No offense to Kentucky, where I lived for several years. The people were great, but strongly Democrats in those days. I'm in western Pennsylvania (my home state) now, but I think the term Pennsyltucky is an apt description for the middle of the state. Great post, though!

[Dustlawyer]

10. Start posting things like, "I feel betrayed, Trump promised to "Drain the Swamp" and

now he tells us he thought it was a "hokey" statement that we don't need anymore, but it worked on us so he kept using it." Point out Trump's lies to his followers one after another and you will eventually start taking his base away. Once he has been President for a little while there should be oodles of material. The secret is to not put them on the defensive, but to strike a chord that WE have been used by a con man plutocrat who is giving away to the wealthy what little we have left.

Remember, these people were feeling left out of government too, they just fell for the hate, lies and RW propaganda. Don't just aim it at Trump, throw out some lies of Alex Jones, Hannity, Rush et al., to tear down the propaganda machine.

[Locrian]

11. absolutely!

It stuns me as to how many "smart" people do not get this.

It's all about tactics: we can't get dragged into a battle of anger and start putting people on the defensive.

Lately I've been able to get to trump supporters by saying similar things: that I was hoping for xyz but now he's not doing xyz and seems to be like (insert establishment pick) etc. You sorta have to play dumb, and throw stuff out like " I liked his idea about jobs etc but why is he doing xyz? why is he picking goldman sachs etc???"

[Roland99]

12. +1

[Madam45for2923]

7. Thanks for posting! I clicked on the author's name & there were lots of great articles he's written!

[Roland99]

13. The Framing Wars is a great one

[Madam45for2923]

14. Cool! Thank you for the recommendation!

[JudyM]

17. I looked for it, didn't see it, but ended up spending an hour listening to one of his presentations.

Fascinating stuff.

[Roland99]

23. My bad. That was actually a NY Times article from several yrs ago

Here's another from Lakoff this past summer:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/georgelakoff.com/2016/07/23/understanding-trump-2/amp/?client=safari

Trump was "misunderestimated" in that he was able to latch onto a sentiment held by about 1/3 of voters and it was enough to put him over the top, electorally


More on framing:
http://www.truth-out.org/progressive-picks/item/27576-george-lakoff-progressives-cannot-succeed-without-expressing-respect-values

[JudyM]

24. Cool, thanks.

[msongs]

15. when I want to read all of trumps twits I come to DU and voila, here they are repeated and repeated

[JudyM]

16. A lecture on his website generated an idea: develop a "fishy" metaphor to bind with tRump.

It'd use existing neural circuitry that associates the word fishy with an embodied/physical reaction that ties together spoiled fish with immorality.

The other main thought it popped up was that we need to get rid of the 2016 Postmortem forum because it's building/strengthening neurocircuitry/beliefs that are divisive within the DU community.

Thanks for the link.

[Madam45for2923]

18. To start with -his mouth opens and closes in fish fashion

while at the same time everything he says is fishy.

[JudyM]

19. Ha, right. Not to mention how slimy he is.

[Madam45for2923]

20. Yes to me everything about him is slimy! In and out!

[JudyM]

21. Ewwwww.

[Auntie Bush]

26. I once emailed Warren asking her to call tRump fish mouth because he's so

Sensitive about his image. But unfortunately she thought better of it and never used the term.
I guess she didn't believe in name calling.
I actually think we should just refer to him as Fishmouth.

[Roland99]

22. Exactly. The post-mortem is not constructive at this point

[Madam45for2923]

25. Exclusive: How Trump Won & How All Can Win-Win Now! Dr. George Lakoff On The Carol Rosin Show

Exclusive: How Trump Won & How All Can Win-Win Now! Dr. George Lakoff On The Carol Rosin Show