Starting in 2005 and then again in 2008 and 2011, I wrote some web essays about the “one big family” frame in American politics.(1) These days it seems that the idea of our being one big family working together to create a better future is stone dead. Yet the enduring power of this part of […]
Search Results for: One Big family frame
Revisiting The One Big Family Frame
Dear MP Network, Back in February of 2005, I sent you a post, already published on Common Dreams, called ‘The One Big Family Frame.‘ It began this way: ‘As the Bush Administration finishes setting forth its alarming vision for America, we must lay out our own ‘big vision’ story. But a vital piece of that […]
The “One Big Family” Frame in 2015
As everyone knows, the most fundamental crisis in America today is the fierce partisan divide we have in government. This situation makes collaboration or cooperation in solving the nation’s problems across party lines appear impossible everywhere. Appear? Certainly in national and state politics it’s real. But what about at the grass roots level? In 2014 The Pew […]
Use the ‘One Big Family’ Frame!
Right now the news looks grim: Republican hostage taking in state capitals, federal shutdown narrowly averted, bombing in Libya at taxpayer expense, continued economic pain for many Americans. But public resistance is growing. To keep that going, we need to get our own narrative right and create smart language to spread it. But there’s a […]
Our ‘One Big Family’ Frame
Published on Wednesday, February 2, 2005 by CommonDreams.org by Susan C. Strong As the Bush Administration finishes setting forth its alarming vision for America, we must lay out our own ‘big vision’ story. But a vital piece of that vision is the way we get to the future we want from where we are now. […]
Counter-frame the Economy! Three Ways to Avoid Their Words
Although everyone’s focused on the election now, by the end of next week America will plunge into yet another harrowing contest over the future of our nation. Already some are frantically working behind the scenes to avoid the so-called “fiscal cliff.” (1) Economic metaphors will again be a very big part of the action. Given the […]
The Hope: Grass Roots Bipartisans at Work Right Now
Labor Day weekend is over, and the Election 2016 countdown is going into overdrive. We’re all going to work hard for our chosen candidates of course, but is there any realistic hope that after November 8 our national political life will move beyond the bitter, paralyzed disagreement we have now? Today the scene looks nothing […]
Move Our Message: How to Get America’s Ear
Move Our Message: How to Get America’s Ear can help you make change happen. It’s packed with practical guidance on “speaking American” about your issues, connecting deeply with your audience, and framing lively political messages that spread. Based on The Metaphor Project’s time-tested methods and tools, the book offers a systematic, up-to-date approach to mainstreaming […]
What’s New
See what The Metaphor Project is up to now: To see our latest suggestions for other frames that respond to fast breaking news, please check our pages on Twitter and The Metaphor Project on Facebook. You may also post a request for a frame on our Facebook page. 5/21/23 The main updates today are to put […]
Getting Heard Beyond the Choir
Getting Heard Beyond the Choir by Susan C. Strong Foreword: Although events are moving faster every minute in our country right now, it is still true that we need to get heard well beyond the choir, even as the “choir” swells with each new outrage. For example, impeachment will require very broad public pressure to […]