Language is a powerful force, more powerful than most of us realize/recognize.
But you know who gets it? The arch-Conservative messaging gurus that have morphed the GOP into today's MAGA Repubs--people like Frank Luntz and before him Lee Atwater.
In addition to accurately calling the loans people take out to invest in their future earning …
Language is a powerful force, more powerful than most of us realize/recognize.
But you know who gets it? The arch-Conservative messaging gurus that have morphed the GOP into today's MAGA Repubs--people like Frank Luntz and before him Lee Atwater.
In addition to accurately calling the loans people take out to invest in their future earning potential (i.e., the means to pursue the American Dream) "education debt," we should also more critically consider the term loan “forgiveness.”
NOTE: When we (the taxpayers) gave Wall Street and the banks responsible for the Great Recession a loan, it wasn't called "forgiveness;" it was called a "bailout" -- by definition a rescue from distress. Who would be against saving someone, implicitly a victim, from disaster?
But, we use "forgiveness" whenever we talk about individuals -- homeowners who default on their mortgage, or students who can't afford their education debt. Using "forgiveness" relies on what's called a metaphor or linguistic frame.
In this case, it is a frame created by the right/Republicans (this was pointed out to me by an amazing messaging diva, Anat Shenker-Osorio).
Why? Because the right personifies the economy over working people, whom it objectifies. E.g., consider "free hand" of the market, or discussions around whether our economy is "healthy," or if an industry/industries need "reviving" etc.
The right asserts that the economy is like God, and therefore, debt "forgiveness" implies a person who can't pay back their loan has sinned. So, rather than language that reminds listeners/readers how working people have been forced into crippling debt because of the need to attain a ludicrously expensive degree to thrive and succeed in today's workplace, where educational provenance and social networks predetermine success for a wealthy, well-connected few, even as we (Biden/Dems) advocate to lift this crushing debt, we also end up casting those student debtors as sinners.
Cognitive research/experiments consistently show that the linguistic metaphors we use prime people and directly impact their beliefs about an abstract concept (i.e., a law, regulation or policy), AND it subconsciously shapes their preferences.
Sadly, the most of us (certainly politicians on the left/Dems), too often simply repeat the right's language, without questioning it. Another prime example, "tax relief."
I rely on cognitive linguist George Lakoff for information on framing, etc. His SubStack is called FrameLab. I depended on him during the four years of Trump.
Language is a powerful force, more powerful than most of us realize/recognize.
But you know who gets it? The arch-Conservative messaging gurus that have morphed the GOP into today's MAGA Repubs--people like Frank Luntz and before him Lee Atwater.
In addition to accurately calling the loans people take out to invest in their future earning potential (i.e., the means to pursue the American Dream) "education debt," we should also more critically consider the term loan “forgiveness.”
NOTE: When we (the taxpayers) gave Wall Street and the banks responsible for the Great Recession a loan, it wasn't called "forgiveness;" it was called a "bailout" -- by definition a rescue from distress. Who would be against saving someone, implicitly a victim, from disaster?
But, we use "forgiveness" whenever we talk about individuals -- homeowners who default on their mortgage, or students who can't afford their education debt. Using "forgiveness" relies on what's called a metaphor or linguistic frame.
In this case, it is a frame created by the right/Republicans (this was pointed out to me by an amazing messaging diva, Anat Shenker-Osorio).
Why? Because the right personifies the economy over working people, whom it objectifies. E.g., consider "free hand" of the market, or discussions around whether our economy is "healthy," or if an industry/industries need "reviving" etc.
The right asserts that the economy is like God, and therefore, debt "forgiveness" implies a person who can't pay back their loan has sinned. So, rather than language that reminds listeners/readers how working people have been forced into crippling debt because of the need to attain a ludicrously expensive degree to thrive and succeed in today's workplace, where educational provenance and social networks predetermine success for a wealthy, well-connected few, even as we (Biden/Dems) advocate to lift this crushing debt, we also end up casting those student debtors as sinners.
Cognitive research/experiments consistently show that the linguistic metaphors we use prime people and directly impact their beliefs about an abstract concept (i.e., a law, regulation or policy), AND it subconsciously shapes their preferences.
Sadly, the most of us (certainly politicians on the left/Dems), too often simply repeat the right's language, without questioning it. Another prime example, "tax relief."
Here's some background if you're curious:
https://prospect.org/features/framing-dems/
I rely on cognitive linguist George Lakoff for information on framing, etc. His SubStack is called FrameLab. I depended on him during the four years of Trump.
Same here!