Post Punk Kitchen Forum

Background: I study/do research in cognitive linguistics, so I know framing matters and has huge consequences, especially at a political level. However, that doesn't often translate into an ability to personally re-frame debates in order to get to the issue at hand. So...

...I was really excited to see this piece in my friend's blog: http://www.thelittleblueblog.org/2012/0 ... d-liberty/ It's about re-framing the abortion debate from a progressive perspective. Regarding one recent proposal by the Texas GOP they write:



There's also quite a lot about specific language use and how to change it. I thought it was neat.

Unfortunately, the people in charge of the GOP these days are idealoges. They are more concerned about "purtity" and how it fits in their belief structure. One could probabaly reframe a debate in multiple ways, but they wouldn't listen becuase it doesn't fit in with thier world view, which they are not willing to either examine or change.

My mother has gotten involved with Citizens for Prosperty, so I have been reading "The Law" by Bastiat and "Economics in One Lesson" by Hazlitt. All I can say is scary. Classical Liberalism beliefs fused with "traditional american values" is not a good thing in the long run for the US, in my opinion.

Yeah. The purpose is rather to reframe it for the progressives, who often get trapped using conservative language (which reinforces conservative idea/ls). Agreed re:your opinion on Citizens for Prosperity.

Only the Catholic Church is pro-life; the Protestant right wing is pro-family. The difference is that the Protestants (in the US) oppose abortion because it harms the family. They can be "pro-life" and "pro-death penalty" because violent crime also threatens the family. Government intrusion into the family is also opposed. If a family needs help with food or medical aid, they should seek it from their community and church, not the government. Maybe it's because I am old but I don't think suggesting that pro-life people don't care about babies is any more useful than their suggestion that I want to murder unborn children.

I found Spirit and Flesh by James Ault to be really helpful in understanding the worldview of American Protestant Fundamentalists. It's a nuanced portrait that manages to remember that they are human beings. When Ault's grant ended and he was trying to secure other funding to finish his project, some members of the church he was studying tried to see if they could employ him in their own businesses so he could have some income.