George Lakoff

"By banning some of us, Musk is sending a message to everyone else: Comply with the dictator or lose access. Twitter has become a virtual simulation of authoritarian rule."

"But Musk didn’t build Twitter. We, collectively, turned the bird app into a consequential power. If it remains under the control of a man who sees journalists as enemies, we have a moral responsibility to fly the coop."
--@gilduran@journa.host on getting banned from #twitter.
https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/openforum/article/elon-musk-twitter-ban-censorship-17680044.php

Some lessons from the 2024 election:

1. Strict Father morality is growing stronger.

2. Moving to the right failed – again. There is no "center" in American politics.

3. Attacking Trump helps Trump (because it makes him the center of attention).

4. Trump remains a super salesman. Underestimate him at your own risk.

5. People vote their values, not their self-interest.

6. Identity is not political destiny. Republicans are winning votes from women, Latinos and other groups. Democrats need to understand why.

7. Frames trump facts. People are buying into the alternate reality that authoritarian Republicans are creating.

8. Authoritarians are winning the communication war. They are have invested in messaging and media outlets for decades, and they are reaping results.

More at FrameLab:

https://www.theframelab.org/some-lessons-of-the-2024-election/

Trolling is a science.

When you respond to trolls, you reward them with clicks and clout.

Better to:

1. Avoid the engagement trap.

2. Frame issues from your own viewpoint.

3. Block!

Why you can’t win debating trolls (w @gilduran@journa.host):

https://www.theframelab.org/response-in-reward-why-you-cant-win/

The 'Misunderestimating' Trap:

Many progressives think that people who vote conservative are just stupid, especially those who vote against their economic self-interest.

Some believe that if we tell them the real economic facts, they will change how they vote.

In reality, those who vote conservative have other reasons, and we must understand them.

Conservative populism is cultural — not economic — in nature.

Conservative populists see themselves as oppressed by elitist liberals who look down their noses at them.

They see liberals as trying to impose an immoral "political correctness" on them.

And they are very angry about it.

More at FrameLab:

https://www.theframelab.org/twelve-communication-traps-democrats/

Violent language invites violence.

Such language changes brains and can result in real world consequences.

The power of violent language far exceeds mere words.

And no one has done more to inject violent language into our politics than Donald Trump.

Analysis with @gilduran@journa.host at the FrameLab Newsletter
https://www.theframelab.org/donald-trump-language-of-violence/

Trump is telling us exactly what he plans to do if he gets another term. He is framing his return to power as an authoritarian effort, and he is overtly using Nazi language and symbolism to drive home the point.

This wasn't a mistake. It isn't a joke. American freedom and democracy are on the line in 2024. The main headline in Trump's ad asks: "What's Next for America?" Trump's answer: authoritarianism and fascism.

More at FrameLab: https://www.theframelab.org/unified-reich-trump-campaign-goes-full-nazi/

Trump is a danger to the nation.But he's also a Big Loser.

And that's the one thing this would-be dictator fears the most. Here's why it matters:
https://www.theframelab.org/trump-is-a-loser-heres-why-it-matters/

Some voters are genuinely confused about their moral identity and have trouble deciding.

Much effort goes into persuading these swing voters to pick a side.

This is what is happening in San Francisco right now, as tech zillionaires with authoritarian politics try to make Democratic voters embrace failed Republican policies as commonsensical.

Read more: 'Moderate': The weasel word masking extreme politics

with @gilduran@journa.host

Please read and subscribe (it's free!)

https://www.theframelab.org/moderate-weasel-word-masking-authoritarian-politics/

J.D. Vance is promoting a book that uses GENOCIDAL language to frame Democrats as "unhumans."

In a previous era, this might have ended his political career. But in 2024, such dangerous and weird extremism is trendy in the MAGA GOP. More from
@gilduran@journa.host https://www.thenerdreich.com/unhumans-jd-vance-and-the-language-of-genocide/

Ninety-eight percent.

That’s an estimate of how much of human thought is unconscious. Most of your ideas, thoughts and opinions exist in your brain without you having any awareness of them.

And these unconscious thoughts are powerful.
Read more at FrameLab: https://www.theframelab.org/p/the-power-of-unconscious-thought

Brain Change is Social Change

From the point of view of the brain, which is all you have for understanding the world, you're always using metaphors for understanding God.

You have no choice. Here’s why:

https://www.theframelab.org/god-metaphor-and-the-soul/