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Saturday, 6 October 2018

What Is The Overton Window And Why Should We Care About It?

Cartoon of my position in the Overton Window
The Overton Window defines the limits of acceptability of ideas and policy in social and political discourse. It  matters because although we have a say in where it sits, it's also vulnerable to manipulation — and that's what impacts us. As it shifts further and further to the right, have you noticed how things we would never have accepted before are acceptable now? Let's take a closer look — and see what can be done about it.

If you take a look at my conceptualisation of the political spectrum, you may notice that I've added references to libertarianism and authoritarianism. That's because there's a lot of confusion about what socialism means. Basically, in the public mind the spectrum runs from left to right. Socialism to Capitalism, but that's not what happens in real life, where it actually runs from authoritarianism to libertarianism. Basically, the fewer constraints the government places on the choices you make as an individual, the more free you are. Contrary to what many believe, the Right is not more or less authoritarian than the Left. They both have issues with it, and there's actually a lot of overlap. For example, one dedicated Socialist told me he was in favour of extending copyright terms because of the worker's right to derive an income from the work of his hand or brain. Our rights as consumers meant nothing to him. Partisans should really spend more time talking to each other: they'd be amazed at all they have in common.

The threat to democracy


After taking my above comments into consideration you may well find yourself asking what this means in the early evening on a Saturday in October 2018. Well, for a start, our democracy is under threat. Did you know that? Do you know why? The reasons are many but the main ones are:

  • Erosion of community
  • Erosion of the rule of law
  • Despising the weak
  • Erosion of democratic norms
  • Mass media capture

Okay, let's take a look at them one by one.

Erosion of community


As communities break down, we lose our sense of all being in it together, of being part of something bigger than ourselves. We certainly don't feel any solidarity with each other, certainly not enough to intervene on each others' behalves, except in exceptional circumstances. The recent horrific beating of a vulnerable, mobility-impaired man living in a tent is a case in point. There was no rush to house the poor chap until after some local thugs had beat him up. Even then, it was an act of charity; the powers that be did sod all for him. When people believe they're not their brother's keeper, they will do nothing to protect him or ensure his wellbeing unless specifically moved to, and they certainly won't vote for parties that subscribe to socialist tendencies. Result: you're on your own, and expected to accept your lot. People who resent "their" tax monies being spent on "the undeserving" are easy to manipulate into accepting policies detrimental to themselves by being persuaded that they are the exception to the rule — until they're not.

Erosion of the rule of law


Was controversial Supreme Court nominee really the only choice the US Republican party had to put up? I'm sure they had plenty of others who hadn't got accusers waiting in the wings to allege sexual assaults against him, or dodgy BFFs frantically deleting deleterious videos off their YouTube accounts. As it was, the liar was formally voted through yesterday despite the efforts of "paid protestors."* This is, apparently, the GOP being the GOP. It's what they do on the Right. And the reason why is even worse: Kavanaugh doesn't believe it's constitutionally acceptable to impeach a sitting president. They shoehorned him in to keep Trump in office.

Despising the weak


 Decent people don't beat up homeless old men with their own crutches, but they vote Tory despite the cruelty of their policies — and the threat of the bad old days returning. Call the Socialists what you will but I appreciate the NHS, which the Tories are running down. Today I went to get my blood test and found that doctors were away and hadn't been replaced. Some people had been waiting for two years for an appointment, only to be told that their doctor was in India and couldn't see them.

While I'm no mad fan of Corbyn (he's in favour of Brexit), I find myself agreeing with the sentiments expressed here:


When we despise the weak we despise ourselves, for sooner or later we will all be weak and who will fight our corner then?

Erosion of democratic norms


The trouble with partisan scrapping is that it presents the other side as the enemy, not just an opposing point of view. Result: when police who kill are convicted of murder, this is a bad thing. Needless to say, the erosion of the rule of law erodes democratic norms by removing the guardrails that protect against executive abuse of power.


Any sense of civic obligation among Republicans is quickly fading: the idea that the opposition has rights, that judges and elected officials serve all of the American people and not simply their own party’s base, that the judiciary does not exist as a partisan fiefdom to further one side’s ideological agenda. In its place is a growing adherence to reflexive Trumpism. No objection the opposition could have is legitimate, because no opposition is legitimate. Those who support Trump are good, and those who oppose him are bad. - The Guardrails Have Failed, by Adam Serwer for The Atlantic

The long slow slide of America from superpower to banana republic is being mirrored on this side of the Pond:


One thing you may have noticed during the furore over this is that those with opposing views were treated as enemies. This is how you erode democracy — by delegitimising dissent.

If that's not working out for you, why not paint the opposition as being in league with the boogeyman? That's how the partisan game works.


Needless, to say, chances are there will be a Blue Wave in November to push the Republicans out of power. And needless to say, partisanship will increase to ring-fence progressive gains. Expect things to get worse before they get better since both sides have an authoritarianism problem.

Mass media capture


Our main media outlets are owned and controlled by a few main players. That's why this shouldn't surprise you.

That the major newspapers with the biggest readership are in favour of Brexit is the reason why we're going through this mess in the first place.

What can we do about it?


One of the funnier aspects of life in a kleptocracy is that hiring talent is hard; pay peanuts, get monkeys is as true in Russia as it is over here.



While this is hilarious, and yes it's a sign that the cartoonishly evil regime we're living under will eventually implode, it's not a signal to us to kick back and make some popcorn. We can do something now. We can

  • join a political party
  • get involved in political discussions
  • educate ourselves about the institutions that uphold our societies and how they work
  • work towards educating others

I do a lot of political discussions. I flat out argue with people sometimes and take part in campaigns because getting engaged means we know and understand more about the world around us. I'm very proud of my work on the ACTA campaign in 2012 and the victory we won there. We can use the same techniques to win more victories.

Educating oneself isn't hard: find out where the best sources of reliable information are and follow them. I follow David Allen Green on Twitter, along with policy wonks and journalists — educated people who can educate me. I also do a lot of advocacy, talking to people in person and trying to get them to get more engaged with the world around them. Idealism has its place but as the late Terry Pratchett said, you can't build castles in the air unless you've got your feet on the ground.

Ultimately, the more we do to get people to think about what they believe and why they believe it the less likely they are to be only influenced by the mass media — we can influence them too.

The Overton Window needs to move in a left-liberal direction. If it doesn't, authoritarian Fascism will become the norm and our friends and neighbours will be cheering it on.


*Okay, I'm up for it. How do you get that gig and how much do you get paid?

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