Northwest Institute for Social Change: The Blog

Framing – a new form of activism?

On Monday we learned a harsh truth about today’s world of politics – framing. According to Robin, my fellow student, frames are “pre-existing cognitive structures that we use to make sense of incoming information.” Frames are those biases, those lingering traces of previous experiences that are invoked when someone uses certain phrases or images.  Frames are what prevent us from actively taking in information or spur us to constantly consume more information to discover the “truth.” Even now, as you read this, your pre-existing frames are absorbing some words and ideas while others simply flow through your mind – falling back into the vacancy of space.

But  to the point – why do we care about “frames” in social activism? Because we were told we should use them. Because all politicians use them. The conservatives. The liberals. The anarchists. The environmentalists. Every value-group that exists in our contemporary society.

Tony Iaccarino, the current Research and  Policy Director for Portland’s City Club and former professor of American History at Reed College, gave us some examples of “framing” in our three hour seminar with him on Monday. His favorite example – George Bush’s use of “permission slip” during his fourth State of the Union Address on January 20th, 2004. The exact quote:

“From the beginning, America has sought international support for our operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, and we have gained much support. There is a difference, however, between leading a coalition of many nations, and submitting to the objections of a few. America will never seek a permission slip to defend the security of our country.”

In other words, our former president was stating that he would not like to discuss his invasion in Iraq with the United Nations and the United States shouldn’t have to explain its motives. By using the phrase “permission slip” Bush was invoking the previous experiences of many angry parents with over-regulated and bureaucratic school systems. That or he was hoping to remind the younger generation of those times they couldn’t go to the beach because their parents hadn’t signed a piece of paper. Bush, or rather Bush’s speech writer, was toying with American emotion. He was using the frame of a “permission slip” in order to invoke an emotional rather than logical response from the American people – plunging the U.S. into war, debt, and universal hatred.

Yet Bush is not alone. Our current President Obama has recently used the term “effective government” when referring to his administration. Why? Because “big government” conjurs up Orwell’s 1984, and “limited government” frightens those fighting for universal health care.

These are gross generalizations – partially used to prompt further discussion. Just how aware are we of the “frames” in our own lives? Politics aside – what pre-existing cognitive structures do we adhere to that prevent us from deciphering our official’s words?

Think about it.