Overton Window

[SassyLady]

How many situations do you believe the theory of Overton Window applies to?

At any given moment, the “window” includes a range of policies considered to be politically acceptable in the current climate of public opinion, which 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 of “more free” and “less free” in regard to government intervention. When the window moves or expands, ideas can accordingly become more or less politically acceptable. The degrees of acceptance^[3] 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, such as deliberately promoting ideas even less acceptable than the previous "outer fringe" ideas, with the intention of making the current fringe ideas acceptable by comparison.^[4] The "door-in-the-face" technique of persuasion is a similar concept.

[Abbey Marie]

the concept of moving the window, such as deliberately promoting ideas even less acceptable than the previous "outer fringe" ideas, with the intention of making the current fringe ideas acceptable by comparison.

This is a great explanation of what I have bee saying about Obama's forcing Catholic hospitals, etc., to provide insurance coverage for morning after pills, etc. By focusing on this fringe element of his health care push, Obamacare itself as an abhorrent idea, became almost irrelevant.

[SassyLady]

This is a great explanation of what I have bee saying about Obama's forcing Catholic hospitals, etc., to provide insurance coverage for morning after pills, etc. By focusing on this fringe element of his health care push, Obamacare itself as an abhorrent idea, became almost irrelevant.

Yep! Or at least moving from Radical to Acceptable.

Remember when Gay Marriage was Unthinkable?

[Abbey Marie]

Yep! Or at least moving from Radical to Acceptable.

Remember when Gay Marriage was Unthinkable?

Yup. And it seems to change so swiftly these days.

[fj1200]

How many situations do you believe the theory of Overton Window applies to?

Probably all of them.

Yep! Or at least moving from Radical to Acceptable.

Remember when Gay Marriage was Unthinkable?

Then move the window, or at least rephrase the debate. By denying marriage to gays it seems to me that you encourage promiscuity which should be the enemy IMO.

Not to create another gay marriage thread of course.

[SassyLady]

At one time letting women vote was unthinkable, and now it is policy.....so, not all things that are policy are negative. However, when a policy maker wants to change a policy they will focus on something even more unthinkable so that the item they want changed seems harmless in comparison.

[fj1200]

At one time letting women vote was unthinkable, and now it is policy.....so, not all things that are policy are negative. However, when a policy maker wants to change a policy they will focus on something even more unthinkable so that the item they want changed seems harmless in comparison.

So you think, Women's Suffrage and the Growth of the Welfare State. Back to voting rights for the landed gentry I say.