How Political Language Is Engineered — with Drew Westen and Frank Luntz

Democracy depends on our ability to choose our political views.
But the language we use to talk about political issues is
deliberately designed to be divisive, and can produce up to a
15-point difference in what we think about those issues. As a
result, are we choosing our views, or is our language choosing
them for us?


This week,Your Undivided Attention welcomes two Jedi
Masters of political communication. Drew Westen is a political
psychologist and messaging consultant based at Emory university,
who has advised the Democratic Party. Frank Luntz is a political
and communications consultant, pollster, and pundit, who has
advised the Republican Party. In the past, our guests have used
their messaging expertise in ways that increased partisanship.
For example, Luntz advocated for the use of the term “death tax”
instead of “estate tax,” and “climate change” instead of “global
warming.” Still, Luntz and Westen are uniquely positioned to help
us decode the divisive power of language — and explore how we
might design language that unifies.


CORRECTIONS: in the episode, Tristan refers to a panel Drew
Westen and Frank Luntz were on at the New York Public Library. He
says the panel was “about 10 years ago,” but it was actually 15
years ago in 2007. Also, Westen refers to a news anchor who
moderated a debate between George H. W. Bush and Michael Dukakis
in 1988. Drew mistakenly names the anchor as Bernard Kalb, when
it was actually Bernard Shaw.

RECOMMENDED MEDIA

The Political Brain: The Role of Emotion in Deciding the Fate of
the Nation


Drew Westen's 2008 book about role of emotion in determining the
political life of the nation, which influenced campaigns and
elections around the world


Words That Work: It's Not What You Say, It's What People Hear


Frank Luntz's 2008 book, which offers a behind-the-scenes look at
how the tactical use of words and phrases affects what we buy,
who we vote for, and even what we believe in


New York Public Library's Panel on Political Language 


A 2007 panel between multiple 'Jedi Masters' of political
communication along the political spectrum, including Frank
Luntz, Drew Westen, and George Lakoff
 


RECOMMENDED YUA EPISODES

The Invisible Influence of Language with Lera Boroditsky:
https://www.humanetech.com/podcast/48-the-invisible-influence-of-language


How To Free Our Minds with Cult Deprogramming Expert Dr. Steven
Hassan:
https://www.humanetech.com/podcast/51-how-to-free-our-minds


Mind the (Perception) Gap with Dan Vallone:
https://www.humanetech.com/podcast/33-mind-the-perception-gap


Your Undivided Attention is produced by the Center for
Humane Technology. Follow us on Twitter: @HumaneTech_