The father of framing himself offers a gift to progressives and their families for Thanksgiving:
We at the Rockridge Institute wish all of our friends a happy Thanksgiving holiday. To help you through those sometimes difficult family conversations, we're posting a chapter from George Lakoff's recent book, Don't Think of an Elephant!: Know Your Values and Frame the Debate. Try out these tips and approaches with family members and guests you'd like to enlighten.
Then, please send us a post-Thanksgiving email and let us know how it went, and share any wisdom you may have discovered for communicating with conservatives. We'll compile and publish the best ones on our web site (with your permission, of course).
Here's the link to the Rockridge site: http://www.rockridgeinstitute.org/ where you can download the free chapter.
As for my own gift to everyone, I suggest that everyone ask friends, family, (potentially rational) enemies, and even complete strangers to answer a simple question: "What kind of world do you want?" I also suggested that we
really listen to the answer, without judgement and without trying to force our own opinions down other's throats. The more we listen to those we disagree with, the more they are likely to listen to us.
I might suggest trying my "What kind of world do you want?" question first at your Thanksgiving gathering, and then after really listening to the answer, try using some of Lakoff's techniques to have a healthy discussion.
But you might want to wait until after everyone's eaten. The more sluggish you all are, the less likely there will be a big Thanksgiving brawl! (Hopefully, no one will be watching football...)
Happy Tofurkey Day!