| An employee of mine lived in New Orleans until | | | | carton of eggs seems "edgy" and cool when |
| August 28, 2005. That's the day she evacuated | | | | advertisements imply that these aren't your |
| with her boyfriend and their four cats and all the | | | | daddy's old-fashioned, lame, square outdated |
| valuable things they could pack in to their two | | | | eggs, these are cool eggs and only the truly |
| cars. They booked a room in a pet friendly hotel | | | | awesome are eating our eggs. |
| in Tennessee and rode out the storm there. | | | | Although politicians use framing to put their own |
| For months after her subsequent move to | | | | spin on issues, who's to say they're wrong? |
| Portland, people, when they found out where she | | | | Although I don't understand it, for some reason |
| was from, would say, "Oh, you're a victim of | | | | Bush believes that the war in Iraq is just. He uses |
| Hurricane Katrina?" Her response was always, | | | | framing in every speech he makes, and was |
| "Not really. I had two cars and plenty of cash and | | | | successful in 2004 when he convinced more than |
| credit cards. I was 'inconvenienced' by the | | | | half of the nation that his view was right. He used |
| hurricane and flood and it was a changing point in | | | | 9-11 to frame us into believing that we're all in |
| my life, but I'm not a victim. The victims were | | | | imminent danger and that "It's better to fight |
| the poor people who didn't have the means to | | | | them over there, than to fight them over here." |
| leave." | | | | This also presupposes we'd have to fight them |
| She goes on to frame this even more positively, | | | | over here. |
| "It was an opportunity for a new life, a new | | | | On the other hand, the Democrats have framed |
| profession and a new city where the values are | | | | the war as something that has been prolonged |
| more in line with my own." | | | | and has crossed the line of sacrificing too many |
| Of course, not everyone was so lucky and she | | | | American lives for a cause that is based on lies |
| has definite feelings of loss and sadness and anger | | | | and is less than worthy. |
| about the hurricane and the subsequent nightmare | | | | We can use framing as a positive thing depending |
| of New Orleans, but for the most part, she | | | | on what we consider to be positive. If you frame |
| turned this upheaval into a happy new life. | | | | it in a positive light, almost anything can be |
| Framing is a powerful tool for positive change. It | | | | positive. People use this strategy all the time to |
| can be an unbelievably potent instrument for | | | | convince others to "do the right thing". Martin |
| persuasion. | | | | Luther King Jr. framed segregation as evil |
| Look at the frame that we now put on the | | | | convincing many people that it was wrong, and so |
| Holocaust "victims": Survivors. | | | | here we are today with millions of black and white |
| Thousands of social workers use framing each | | | | Americans who've grown up together not |
| day. Gang members consider killing an opposing | | | | knowing that kind of blatant inequality. Was he |
| gang member honorable, but social workers and | | | | right? I think so. But for opponents of integration, |
| parole officers use framing to show how ugly | | | | he was absolutely wrong. |
| murder is no matter who is the victim. | | | | Frame a hardship into a challenge,. Frame a |
| Advertising is all about framing. To appeal to | | | | setback into a time for reflection. Frame a victim |
| younger audiences, advertisers usurp "rebellious" | | | | into a survivor. Frame an old-fashioned product or |
| or "indie" mentalities in order to sell their products | | | | service into something cutting edge and |
| to the "alternative" youth culture. So now even a | | | | indispensable and awesome. Frame everything! |
