Overton window: Difference between revisions
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| ⚫ | The '''Overton window''' is a concept in [[political theory]], named after its originator, Joseph P. Overton (4 January 1960 - 30 June 2003)<ref>NNDB “intelligence aggregator” Web site, [http://www.nndb.com/people/574/000213932 "Joseph P. Overton"]</ref>, former vice president of the [[Mackinac Center for Public Policy]], who died on June 30, 2003, in an ultralight airplane crash[http://www.mackinac.org/bio.aspx?ID=12]. It describes a "window" in the range of public reactions to ideas in public discourse, in a spectrum of all possible options on a particular issue. |
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{{No footnotes|article|date=April 2010}} |
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| ⚫ | The '''Overton window''' is a concept in [[political theory]], named after its originator, |
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== Details == |
== Details == |
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At any given moment the “window” includes a range of policies considered to be politically acceptable in the current climate of public opinion, with “acceptable” defined as something a politician can recommend without being considered too “extreme” or outside the mainstream to gain or keep public office. Overton arranged the spectrum on a vertical axis with policies defined as “more free” at the top and “less free” at the bottom, where “free” is defined as less subject to government intervention. When the window moves or expands, it means that ideas previously not considered politically acceptable have become so, and possibly that ideas previously considered acceptable are no longer. |
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The degrees of acceptance of public ideas can be described roughly as: |
The degrees of acceptance<ref>Daily Kos story, [http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/5/9/205251/2950 "Why the Right-Wing Gets It--and Why Dems Don't "]</ref> of public ideas can be described roughly as: |
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* Unthinkable |
* Unthinkable |
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* Radical |
* Radical |
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* Policy |
* Policy |
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The Overton Window is a means of visualizing which ideas define that range of acceptance by where they fall in it |
The Overton Window is a means of visualizing which ideas define that range of acceptance by where they fall in it. Proponents of policies outside the window seek to persuade or educate the public so that the window either “moves” or expands to encompass them. Opponents of current policies, or similar ones currently within the window, likewise seek to convince people that these should be considered unacceptable. |
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| ⚫ | Other formulations of the process created after Overton's death add the concept of moving the window by deliberately promoting ideas even less acceptable than the previous "outer fringe" ideas<ref>Daily Kos diary, [http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/11/5/800804/-Morning-Feature:-Crazy-Like-a-Fox%202009 "Morning Feature: Crazy Like a Fox?"]</ref>. That makes those old fringe ideas look less extreme, and thereby acceptable. The idea is that priming the public with fringe ideas intended to be and remain unacceptable, will make the real target ideas seem more acceptable by comparison. (This might be a form of the “[[Door-in-the-face technique]] of persuasion.) |
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==In Popular Culture and Elsewhere== |
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*Conservative talk show host and columnist [[Glenn Beck]] has written a novel titled “The Overton Window” with a June 15, 2010 publication date.<ref>Glenn Beck Web site, Books, [http://www.glennbeck.com/content/books/ "The Overton Window"]</ref> |
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*[[Commonweal Institute]] Fellow [[David C. Johnson]] described a particular application of the Overton Window in a speech posted on the organization’s Web site. <ref>Commonweal Institute Web site, [http://blog.commonwealinstitute.org/2007/03/were_all_in_this_together_1.html "We're All In This Together"]</ref> |
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*The [[Mackinac Center for Public Policy]] at which Overton was vice president has assembled other information about the concept on its home page. <ref>Mackinac Center for Public Policy Web site, [http://www.mackinac.org/12887 "The Overton Window"]</ref> |
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==References== |
==References== |
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{{reflist}} |
{{reflist}} |
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==Further reading== |
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* {{cite book|author=Gordon Tullock|first=Gordon|last=Tullock|authorlink=Gordon Tullock|title=Politics of Persuasion|year=1967}} |
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* [[Slippery slope]] |
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* [[Door-in-the-face technique]] |
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* [[Argument to moderation]] |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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*[http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/5/9/205251/2950 2006 Daily Kos article on the Overton window] |
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*[http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/11/5/800804/-Morning-Feature:-Crazy-Like-a-Fox 2009 Daily Kos article on the Overton window] |
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*[http://diveintomark.org/archives/2006/08/23/overton-window W3C and the Overton window - includes a clear explanation] |
*[http://diveintomark.org/archives/2006/08/23/overton-window W3C and the Overton window - includes a clear explanation] |
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*[http://www.correntewire.com/the_overton_window_illustrated |
*[http://www.correntewire.com/the_overton_window_illustrated Diagram of the Overton Window as applied by the "CorrenteWire.com" Web site] |
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[[Category:Social psychology]] |
[[Category:Social psychology]] |
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Revision as of 17:50, 3 June 2010
The Overton window is a concept in political theory, named after its originator, Joseph P. Overton (4 January 1960 - 30 June 2003)[1], former vice president of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, who died on June 30, 2003, in an ultralight airplane crash[1]. It describes a "window" in the range of public reactions to ideas in public discourse, in a spectrum of all possible options on a particular issue.
Details
At any given moment the “window” includes a range of policies considered to be politically acceptable in the current climate of public opinion, with “acceptable” defined as something a politician can recommend without being considered too “extreme” or outside the mainstream to gain or keep public office. Overton arranged the spectrum on a vertical axis with policies defined as “more free” at the top and “less free” at the bottom, where “free” is defined as less subject to government intervention. When the window moves or expands, it means that ideas previously not considered politically acceptable have become so, and possibly that ideas previously considered acceptable are no longer.
The degrees of acceptance[2] of public ideas can be described roughly as:
- Unthinkable
- Radical
- Acceptable
- Sensible
- Popular
- Policy
The Overton Window is a means of visualizing which ideas define that range of acceptance by where they fall in it. Proponents of policies outside the window seek to persuade or educate the public so that the window either “moves” or expands to encompass them. Opponents of current policies, or similar ones currently within the window, likewise seek to convince people that these should be considered unacceptable.
Other formulations of the process created after Overton's death add the concept of moving the window by deliberately promoting ideas even less acceptable than the previous "outer fringe" ideas[3]. That makes those old fringe ideas look less extreme, and thereby acceptable. The idea is that priming the public with fringe ideas intended to be and remain unacceptable, will make the real target ideas seem more acceptable by comparison. (This might be a form of the “Door-in-the-face technique of persuasion.)
In Popular Culture and Elsewhere
- Conservative talk show host and columnist Glenn Beck has written a novel titled “The Overton Window” with a June 15, 2010 publication date.[4]
- Commonweal Institute Fellow David C. Johnson described a particular application of the Overton Window in a speech posted on the organization’s Web site. [5]
- The Mackinac Center for Public Policy at which Overton was vice president has assembled other information about the concept on its home page. [6]
References
- ^ NNDB “intelligence aggregator” Web site, "Joseph P. Overton"
- ^ Daily Kos story, "Why the Right-Wing Gets It--and Why Dems Don't "
- ^ Daily Kos diary, "Morning Feature: Crazy Like a Fox?"
- ^ Glenn Beck Web site, Books, "The Overton Window"
- ^ Commonweal Institute Web site, "We're All In This Together"
- ^ Mackinac Center for Public Policy Web site, "The Overton Window"
External links
- W3C and the Overton window - includes a clear explanation
- Diagram of the Overton Window as applied by the "CorrenteWire.com" Web site
- Diagram of the Overton Window as described by Joseph Overton
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