Ideology and framing

1. Ideology and framing

2. Ideology • Though ideology has many definitions and is applied in many ways, perhaps the best way to approach it at first is as a person’s “worldview” • That is, what does a person believe to be the nature of reality?

3. Ideology • Ideology is largely unquestioned, unexamined—what is assumed to be true by the individual • Chomsky refers to the “unexamined presuppositions” we walk around with • Most of a person’s ideology is drawn from the culture and is therefore shared with others in the society. Once you grow up in a culture, you expect people to share a certain outlook on the world with you. You have a tendency to see that outlook as ‘natural’ or to simply be “common sense” rather than constructed or chosen.

4. By providing a view of reality and what possibilities for human action exist, ideology largely determines what options people consider and what kinds of actions they take to further their interests. • If people accept the view that production should be carried out through the use of private property, then the options for feeding the poor do not include public provision of food

5. Ideology • Certain shared values, etc. are thought to be good on their face • Freedom • Certain ideas, people, etc. are assumed to be bad on their face • Adolph Hitler, communism • In between are the concepts, ideas, arguments that are a source of legitimate controversy

6. Socialism Fascism Atheism Hitler Osama Bin Laden Estate taxes Dirty movies HPV vaccination Stem Cell research God Democracy Freedom Mom Apple pie Patriotism

7. Certain statements are presented as “fact” • Government is inefficient • Democracy is good • The United States is honorable • Illegal aliens are taking our jobs • We have a high standard of living • People are paid according to their value to society • Freedom of religion is an important right of all Americans • People wish they were young—old people are ugly

8. Nationalism • People can be identified as citizens of a nation • Our national identity is a very important part of who we are (should dominate) • We owe our nation our loyalty and allegiance right up to the point of giving our lives if called to do so • Those who do not exhibit nationalism are traitors

9. Questions on Nationalism • What does it mean to be an American? • What are the characteristics of America as a nation? • Why do people sacrifice for America? • What privileges, etc. is it assumed that Americans have and other people don’t? • What assumptions are there about American character that are not made about the character of other nationalities?

11. Means to identify ideology • Do different rules apply to different groups of people? • Are a different set of rights and obligations assigned to owners and workers? Men and women? Americans and ‘illegal aliens’? • Is one group involved in a dispute automatically held responsible for some negative outcome? • Workers cause ‘disruption’ of normal business when they strike

12. Means to identify ideology • If you ‘reverse the field’ does the same set of values, rules and expectations fit? • Would the Iraqis have had the right to invade the United States, kill George Bush’s children and, ultimately, hang him because the United States represented a potential future threat to their country? • What about Afghanistan? North Korea? Mexico?

13. Means to identify ideology • Do the same material conditions prevail in the situation as those the ‘spectator’ is used to? • If not, should that have a bearing on the conclusions she came to? • Example: People should eat fresh veggies twice a day. • MakaniThemba: Try that in central city Oakland.

14. Means to identify ideology • Does the best evidence really support the assertions made to support a point of view? • The largest group of welfare recipients is white women living in the suburbs (especially those who are divorced and have custody of children) whose former husbands are not paying their support.

16. NOTE: • Ideology is not inherently wrong. Most of ideology, when examined, we are likely to think is right. We probably would agree with equal treatment under law, though we might disagree as to whether it really exists. But ideology is not necessarily right, either. Nor is it natural or commonsensical. Examining the ‘unexamined presuppositions’ of varying people and cultures might lead to greater understanding, less conflict, and greater happiness all around.

17. Framing • Framing is the application of ideology to the discussion of a social problem • Framing an issue often predetermines what evidence is pertinent, who has the right to speak, what solutions are appropriate, and what arguments for those solutions are strongest/weakest

18. Framing • Groups representing varied interests try to frame a given issue in ways that advance their interests • Strikes • Miners • Professional Baseball Players • Social welfare • Recipients • Democrats • Republicans • Socialists

19. An example • Who are the ‘illegal aliens’? • What are they doing that seems to upset people? • Why are they coming to our country? • What proposals have been put forward to deal with the problem? • What is their impact on the native population?

21. If you had asked those questions in the 16th century, what would the answsers be? • Who are the ‘illegal aliens’? • What are they doing that seems to upset people? • Why are they coming to our country? • What proposals have been put forward to deal with the problem? • What is their impact on the native population?

23. Another example • Who are the terrorists? • Why do they commit acts of terror? • What acts have they committed? • What are their goals? • What should we do about them?

25. If you asked the Palestinian people, what would the answers be? • Who are the terrorists? • Why do they commit acts of terror? • What acts have they committed? • What are their goals? • What should we do about them?

27. Framing • Drugs • Drug Czar • Secretary of Health

28. Drug War • Criminalization • Addicts unwilling to approach public health establishment for help • Border interdiction • Attack on source countries • Prison crowding/increased capacity • Massive expense of policy • Economic drain on economy—overseas payment • Massive profitability • Subsidy for organized crime • Violence/murder • Significant reduction in use?

30. http://www.dpft.org/

31. Drugs as a Public Health Problem • Treatment • Decriminalization • Information campaigns • Local production • Price drop • Increase in usage?

33. Framing abortion • Pro-Choice • Pro-Life

36. Approaches to understanding • A number of approaches to understanding the world lead us to certain beliefs about what should be done • Manichean Thinking: dividing the world and its phenomena into binary groups in which one term is positive and one is negative [http://social.chass.ncsu.edu/wyrick/debclass/gloss.htm]

37. Manichean thinking • The world is split between “us” and “them” • Any country or group is either an ally or is in league with the enemy • We’re good, so they must be bad • We are very, very good and they are very, very bad • We are locked in combat and must prevail or perish • Those who think otherwise are naïve or have been brainwashed, etc. • This sort of thinking supports extremism

38. Looking to individual characteristics to explain structural phenomena • “Blaming the Victim” • Those who live in poverty chose their fate by not studying harder in school or by doing drugs • The homeless must have defaulted on their mortgages

39. Denying the reality and impact of social bias • Those born into poverty are expected to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps • Racism no longer exists • Sexism is not a problem in the U.S. of today • There is no such thing as institutional bias/racism/sexism