Conservative politicians and journalists have been very effective at using
language to convey their ideas. Here's a simple example: a few years ago
conservative political strategists decided that the term "tax relief"
should be used whenever they talked about tax cuts. It's not hard to see
why -- the word relief implies that taxes are inflicting pain and
suffering. Thus by cutting taxes, politicians feel they are relieving
people from unnecessary pain. The political strategists spread the word to
conservative politicians, journalists, and think tanks, and soon everyone was
using the term "tax relief."
Unfortunately, even progressives began using this term without realizing the
trap they had fallen into. Taxes could just as easily be framed in a
positive way, for example as an investment or as dues that you pay for being a
member of society.
For more background on language and reframing the debate, we highly recommend
books and articles by George Lakoff and the Rockridge Institute. Here are
a few selections:
- Metaphor,
Morality, and Politics. Or, Why Conservatives Have Left Liberals in the Dust - Simple
Framing - Reframing
the Political Battle: Market Fundamentalism vs. Moral Economy
