George Lakoff - Don’t Think of an Elephant!: Know Your Values and Frame the Debate

Praise for The ALL NEW Dont Think of an Elephant!

When the original Dont Think of an Elephant! came out in 2004, Lakoff showed us that progressive Democrats voted on values, not issuesjust like the right. Now, Dr. Lakoff is back to prevent a relapse of bad framing. The ALL NEW Dont Think of an Elephant! is a must read, every bit as important as the first edition. This time we have to train ourselves to think for the long term. Buy this book, memorize it, and teach it to your children. Progressives may be smart, but we dont communicate our ideas well. This book is the blueprint for how to do better.

Howard Dean , former chair of the Democratic National Committee and founder of Democracy for America

Lakoff single-handedly convinced liberals of the importance of language in winning political battles. Now hes back to finish what he started.

Markos Moulitsas , founder and publisher, Daily Kos

The All New Dont Think of an Elephant! is an indispensable tool for progressivespacked with new thinking on framing issues that are hotly debated right now, and new insights on how to reclaim the political debate on meaningful terms that can yield true progress, not just political gains.

Jennifer M. Granholm , former governor of Michigan

Praise for the first edition, Dont Think of an Elephant!

Its not enough that we have reason on our side. We also have to use words and images powerful enough to persuade others. Lakoff offers crucial lessons in how to counter right-wing demagoguery. Essential reading in this neo-Orwellian age of Bush-speak.

Robert Reich , author, Aftershock , former US Secretary of Labor

Fascinating insights into why progressives lose good causes and how they can start winning again. You will never listen to a political speech the same way after reading this book.

Tina Brown , cofounder, The Daily Beast

Dont let anyone tell you that the words dont make a difference; they can evoke the best and the worst in us. Read this book and be part of transforming our political dialogue to support our highest ideals and speak to the hearts of Americans.

Joan Blades and Wes Boyd , MoveOn.org

Ever wonder how the radical right has been able to convince average Americans to repeatedly vote against their own interests? Its the framing, stupid! Dont Think of an Elephant! is a pithy and powerful primer on the language of American politics, and a vital reminder that he who creates the political framework controls the picture thats put inside. Its also a detailed roadmap out of the mess we are in. Lakoff shows how progressives can reclaim the political narrativeand, in the process, change our country and our world for the better.

Arianna Huffington , cofounder and editor-in-chief, The Huffington Post

This is a pocket manifesto for those who still wonder how a small group of rich, powerful oligarchs tied together the shoelaces of the progressive movement. Read it once, and know why we are losing. Read it twice, and we can restore sanity to the world.

Paul Hawken , author of Natural Capitalism

Dont Think of an Elephant! is a work of genius. As George Lakoff explains how the right has framed the notion of the political center, he presents both the most original and the most practical analysis of United States politics in many years.

George Akerlof , Nobel Prize winner in Economics

George Lakoffs Dont Think of an Elephant! is a wonderful example of what happens when you combine a linguists ear for the subtleties of language with an understanding of the complexities of modern politics and a commitment to progressive ideals. Whether you think of yourself as a liberal, a progressive, or simply someone with an interest in how political language works, this is a must read.

Geoffrey Nunberg , University of California, Berkeley

Progressives have a lot to learn about persuading swing voters to our cause, and theres no better teacher than George Lakoff. This readable text couldnt be more timely; it should be read widely and put to work before November!

Daniel Ellsberg , author of Secrets: A Memoir of Vietnam and the Pentagon Papers

If you want to take back our country, you have to take back your community. If you want to take back your community, you need to take back the debate. This book, and the video that goes with it, are your essential tools. What the Bush administration has done for obfuscation, George Lakoffs work does for clarification.

Carl Pope , former president, Sierra Club

Previous Books By George Lakoff

Political Action

The Little Blue Book

Dont Think of an Elephant!

Thinking Points

Deep Politics

Moral Politics

Whose Freedom?

The Political Mind

Linguistics and Cognitive Science

Metaphors We Live By

Women, Fire, and Dangerous Things

Philosophy in the Flesh

Where Mathematics Comes From

More Than Cool Reason

The ALL NEW

Dont Think of an Elephant!

Know Your Values and Frame the Debate

George Lakoff

Chelsea Green Publishing

White River Junction, Vermont

Copyright 2004, 2014 by George Lakoff.

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be transmitted or reproduced in any form by any means without permission in writing from the publisher.

The first edition of this book was published as Dont Think of an Elephant!

Editor: Joni Praded

Project Manager: Patricia Stone

Copy Editor: Deborah Heimann

Proofreader: Eric Raetz

Designer: Melissa Jacobson

Printed in the United States of America.

First printing September, 2014.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 14 15 16 17 18

Our Commitment to Green Publishing

Chelsea Green sees publishing as a tool for cultural change and ecological stewardship. We strive to align our book manufacturing practices with our editorial mission and to reduce the impact of our business enterprise on the environment. We print our books and catalogs on chlorine-free recycled paper, using vegetable-based inks whenever possible. This book may cost slightly more because it was printed on paper that contains recycled fiber, and we hope youll agree that its worth it. Chelsea Green is a member of the Green Press Initiative (www.greenpressinitiative.org), a nonprofit coalition of publishers, manufacturers, and authors working to protect the worlds endangered forests and conserve natural resources. The ALL NEW Dont Think of an Elephant! was printed on paper supplied by Thomson-Shore that contains 100% postconsumer recycled fiber.

ISBN 978-1-60358-594-1 (paperback)ISBN 978-1-60358-595-8 (ebook)

The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.

Chelsea Green Publishing

85 North Main Street, Suite 120

White River Junction, VT 05001

(802) 295-6300

www.chelseagreen.com

To Kathleen,Whose insights illuminate every page

Preface

Ten years ago, in 2004, when the first edition of this book appeared, hardly anyone had heard of or thought about, much less discussed, how social and political issues were framed. Framing was an unknown and undiscussed concept, outside of the academic field of frame semantics.

Dont Think of an Elephant! became a best seller and changed all that. Discussions of how issues are framed are now commonplace in the national media. Millions of people hear the word frame in a discussion of issues and understand, at least basically, what it means. That is a lot for one small book to have accomplished.

But Dont Think of an Elephant! had higher goals. At the time, the Republicans were doing a much better job at framing issues their way than the Democrats were. Republican framing superiority had played a major part in their takeover of Congress in 1994. I and others had hoped that, starting in 2004, a widespread understanding of how framing worked would allow Democrats to reverse the trend.