Sadly Deluded People

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Dingbatt

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#2711140 22-May-2021 08:12

Had to search “Overton Window”. Very interesting to see the tactic has a name (of course it does. Someone probably got a research grant to study it). A version of

“Dad, can I have $100?”,

“What! No.”

“Well, how about $20?”

“Yes, okay, that’s much more reasonable.”

“We’ve arranged a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. Carl Sagan 1996

Fred99

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#2711210 22-May-2021 09:39

Dingbatt:

Had to search “Overton Window”. Very interesting to see the tactic has a name (of course it does. Someone probably got a research grant to study it). A version of

“Dad, can I have $100?”,

“What! No.”

“Well, how about $20?”

“Yes, okay, that’s much more reasonable.”

The first couple of paragraphs on the wikipedia page explain that it's a theorum - not a strategy.

What you describe seems like a salesman's strategy.

I think it's appropriate to use the term to describe the shift over time in acceptability of how animals are treated. 100 years ago people took care of unwanted litters of kittens by tying them in a sack with a rock, and chucking it in a river.

These days if you've got an ancient dog with hip dysplasia, you'd risk being "shamed" as being heartless if you made it public that you'd had it put down humanely by a vet instead of spending $15k to give it artificial hips.

Somewhere there's "middle ground", but the Overton window has clearly shifted.

neb

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#2711578 22-May-2021 23:27

Followups to the Trump thread please since it's more appropriate there, this is just to provide context:

Fred99:
The first couple of paragraphs on the wikipedia page explain that it's a theorum - not a strategy.

The US far right sees it as a strategy. There's a deliberate attempt to shift the Overton window as far to the right as possible in order to normalise right-wing thinking and ideology, it's extensively discussed on forums like 4/8chan and reddit. It's a really big deal for them, for example when a site calling itself the Daily Shoah sells "Pop-em-in" oven gloves for $14.88 (that's not made up) to create an extreme position then it's a deliberate move to make conventional far-right ideas seem moderate in comparison. Whether you think it's going to work or not, the US far right is willing to give it a try.

Dingbatt

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#2711599 23-May-2021 08:28

Yes. Sorry. Didn’t use Wikipedia as the source. And confused the tactic of moving the window with theorem of the window itself.

Good to see pedantry still alive and though.

“We’ve arranged a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. Carl Sagan 1996

Fred99

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#2711609 23-May-2021 09:03

Dingbatt:

Yes. Sorry. Didn’t use Wikipedia as the source.

I know it's frequently referenced in "partisan" politics, but that's not really what going on in this thread WRT PETA, killing mice etc.

They (ie PETA / SAFE etc) seek to shift "public opinion" thus the "Overton Window".

"Everything is politics" applies when the appeal to "do something" has the intent to bring about change to laws. our politicians are lawmakers, that's how it works. It's just not seen as "political" when it's got bi (or multi) party support (or rejection in the case of a nutter suggesting that killing plagues of mice is a bad thing).

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