DUely noted. I'm glad to see he/she is responding.
Are you here to practice?
On Nov 10 2004, 01:42 PM (Post #59) you wrote the following:
Chapter 10 of Lakoff's book is called "How to respond to conservatives"
Remember that:
1. Progressive values are the best of traditional american values (rla--take note!)
2. The strict father model of the family has been defeateed repeatedly in our history, and we have achieved greater unity each time. (so women's suffrage, civl rights. medicare, etc.)
3. Everybody has both strict and nurturant models--our job is to activate the nurturant model people already have for politics.
4.show respect to the conservatives you are responding to.
5. avoid a shouting match.
6. If you have moral outrage, keep it under control. Lose control, they win.
7. distinguish between ordinary conservatives and nasty ideologues.
8. be calm.
9. be good humored.
10. hold your ground.
11. conservatives have paradied liberals as weak, angry, weak-minded, softhearted, unpatriotic, uninformed and elitist. don't give them any opportunity to stereotype you in any of these ways. deal with the stereotypes when they come up, as they will.
12. by the way you conduct yourself, show strength, calmness and control; an ability to reason; a sense of realism; love of country; command of the basic facts; a sense of being an equal, not superior.
13.many conversatiosn are ongoing. It is your job to establish a psotion of repsect and keep it.
14. don't expect t convert staunch conservatives.
15. you can make considerable progress with biconceptuals, those who use both models but in different parts of their life. (See book for details)
16. Avoid the usual mistakes. Don't just negate, reframe.
17. Once a frame is accpeted into discourse, everything else you say is just common sense (note RLA!)
18. Never answer a question framed from your opponent's point of view.
19. Be sincere.
20. A useful thing to do is to ask a rhetorical question: Wouldn't it be better if...?
21. Stay away from set ups. If the game is fixed, don't play. (e.g., don't go on Fox news)
22. Tell a story.
23. Always start with values.
24. Be prepared.
25. Use wedge issues, where ytour opponent will violate some belief he holds no matter what he says.
26. An opponent may be disengenuous if his real gaols isn't what he says it is. Politely point out the real goal, then reframe.
27. Your opponent may use language that means the opposite of what he says, called Orwellian language. Realize that he is weak on this issue.
28. Rememebr once more that our goal is to unite our country behind our values, the best of traditional american values.