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How the Conservatives Are Using Public Relations to Trick Americans into Destroying the Environment
(Kenny Ausubel, AlterNet, October 28, 2003)
"George W. Bush's harshest critics say he's dumb. But the real point is � he thinks we're dumb." . . . "One of the fundamental findings of cognitive science is that people think in terms of frames and metaphors � conceptual structures. The frames are in the synapses of our brains � physically present in the form of neural circuitry. When the facts don't fit the frames, the frames are kept and the facts ignored." . . . In other words, forget winning on the facts or the science. It's all about the story. And once stories take hold, they're hard to dislodge. . . . Recently the Environmental Working Group, a public-interest group based in the Beltway, leaked a fascinating story . . . it's about instructing conservative politicians how to lie through their teeth to sucker the public into doing the opposite of what people want. After all, survey after survey shows that Americans care deeply about the environment and are even willing to shell out money to take good care of it. So duping innocent people into harming the environment requires an occult technology of trickery. . . . documents from a briefing book assembled by Frank Luntz, the top public opinion researcher for corporate lobbyists . . . The briefing book is a playbook on how to frame the current wholesale rollback of environmental and public health protections while avoiding a stinging public backlash . . . Luntz sternly warned Republican leaders that they were overreaching on the environment because 62 percent of Americans � and even 54 percent of Republicans � prefer to see Congress do more to protect the environment rather than cut regulations. . . . So here � in Luntz's own words � is an abbreviated guide to help you decipher the shape-shifting doublespeak we're already starting to hear. . . . Number One: First assure your audience that you're committed to "preserving and protecting" the environment, but that "it can be done more wisely and effectively." Absolutely do not raise economic arguments first. . . . Number Two: Provide specific examples of federal bureaucrats failing to meet their responsibilities to protect the environment. . . . Number Three: Your plan must be put in terms of the future, not the past or present. . . . Number Six: If you must use the economic argument, stress that you are seeking "a fair balance" between the environment and the economy. Be prepared to specify and quantify the jobs lost because of needless, excessive or redundant regulations. . . . Number Eight: Emphasize common sense. In making regulatory decisions, we should use our best estimates and realistic assumptions, not the worst-case scenarios advanced by environmental extremists. . . . Luntz cuts to the chase: . . . "Indeed it can be helpful to think of environmental and other issues in terms of 'story.' A compelling story, even if factually inaccurate, can be more emotionally compelling than a dry recitation of the truth... The facts are beside the point. It's all in how you frame your argument." . . . To do this, Luntz says, "The most important step is to neutralize the problem and bring them around to your point of view by convincing them of your sincerity and concern. Any discussion of the environment has to be grounded in an effort to reassure a skeptical public that you care about the environment for its own sake � that your intentions are strictly honorable." . . . Luntz goes on to describe "words that work" � they're road-tested in focus groups. The three words Americans are looking for in an environmental policy are "safer, cleaner and healthier." The solution to global warming is "climate change." Global warming sounds too scary, but climate change sounds like you're going from New York to Florida. (The problem, of course, is that New York is going to be Florida, but later for that.) . . . Some other buzzwords we'll be hearing a lot are "conservationist" and "preserving and protecting." And you've already heard about the phony "Clear Skies" and "Healthy Forests" initiatives. . . . Give citizens the idea that progress is being frustrated by overreaching government, and you will hit a very strong strain in the American psyche." . . . Of the many horrifically destructive technologies of the 20th century, arguably the most dangerous of all is public relations. So when you hear this new stealth story coming at you, you'll know you're being framed. You'll know someone is trying to have public relations with you. . . . But trust me; it's not going to lead to a cleaner, safer, healthier future.

posted by Lorenzo 10:59 AM