The Dark Art of Framing | 5 Minute Video
Why do intelligent people – sometimes even our friends and family members – continue to fall for the Left’s false narrative? Jeff Myers, President of Summit Ministries, offers some compelling insight into the ways in which the Left manipulates words and emotions, and what you can do to protect yourself. This video was made possible through our partnership with Summit Ministries. Learn more: https://www.summit.org/resources/prageru-sign-up-framing/
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Script:
If you’re a movie buff, you’ve probably seen a picture of a director, thumbs joined together, index fingers forming a square, showing the camera operator how to frame the shot.
The camera can’t see everything, right? The art of directing is framing every shot so the audience sees exactly what the director wants them to see.
We all do something like this in making arguments, whether personal or political. It’s not necessarily a bad thing. We only have so much time to make our points.
But there is a downside. Often arguments end up unfairly skewed by the information they include or leave out. If you understand how framing works, you’ll have a better chance of seeing through weak arguments and appreciating good ones.
Let’s look at some examples.
Take socialism. Socialism is enjoying renewed popularity, especially among young people. Why is this, given the failure of the socialist model in places like the former Soviet Union, Cuba, and Venezuela?
The answer is that socialism has been very cleverly framed by its proponents.
Socialism, we are told, is morally superior because it makes people “more equal.” Those who have more than their fair share have to give it back. What could possibly be wrong with leveling the playing field? Who’s against equality?
When framed that way, socialism is made to seem the only moral choice. So if you’re opposed to it, you’re framed as regressive, selfish, and pretty much a jerk.
Another example of framing is the issue of religious freedom. The American Civil Liberties Union website says that “The Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment gives you the right to worship or not as you choose. The government can’t penalize you because of your religious beliefs.”
It sounds good—but only because of the framing. The Constitution doesn’t speak about the right to worship and to hold beliefs. Those are a given. The Constitution specifically defends the free exercise of religion. And that means freedom to act on your religious beliefs and not to be forced to violate them. And that also includes the right to influence others—just as secular people can.
Yet people who want to exercise their religion in these ways are framed as bigots. Martin Castro, former chair of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights for the Obama Administration, wrote that religious freedom is a “code word” for “discrimination, intolerance, racism, sexism, homophobia, and Islamophobia.” So even if courts uphold your religious freedom, you’re still a “hater.”
Speaking of hate, “hate speech” is another example of framing. “Hate speech is not free speech” is a common refrain on college campuses. And what counts as “hate speech”? Whatever people who say “hate speech is not free speech” find hateful. And that number is growing at an alarming pace, according to several recent studies.
There are many other examples. People who question climate change policies are framed as “science deniers”; people who oppose abortion—even late-term abortion in a healthy pregnancy—are framed as “waging a war on women.”
So how does someone who wants to present the other side of these arguments deal with this framing tactic?
First, reject biased framing. Now that you know what framing is, you’ll be able to spot it. That’s half the battle. Say something like, “Do you think that’s the whole story? Let me suggest another way of looking at it.”
For the complete script, visit https://www.prageru.com/video/the-dark-art-of-framing
source
You shall not bare false witness against your neighbor. Call it out.
Great video and nicely explained. It's a great shame that you e-book does not download!
3:09 That's like saying that calling Harvey Weinstein a sexual abuser is "biased" against him because it makes him look bad. Calling a turd a turd is not "bias" or "hyperbole" but reality.
A masterclass on framing. "Socialism" is presented as one unitary monolith, when in reality there are a whole variety of models of socialism just as with capitalism. You can have the social democracy of Sweden or the communism of the Soviet Union, just as much as you could have the laissez faire capitalism of the 1800s UK or the more welfare state style capitalism of, well, the modern UK.
Quite conveniently the Establishment Clause is not discussed at all.
2:45 You definitely have a constitutional right to not be called a "hater." Obviously the free speech and snowflake sensibilities of conservatives are paramount.
Jesus hates this shit.
Ironic this channel would criticize framing, while they use it themselves
but then again, PragerU is also great at framing.
https://youtu.be/l2g0jEdu8qk
Thank you. Very concise and accurate. Excellent teaching tool!
2020 update: people who oppose lockdowns are framed as killers, and people who question the security of the election are framed as sore losers.
2021 update: Actually, now, people who question the security of the 2020 elections aren't just framed as sore losers. they are framed as violent fascist insurrectionists.
Of course we have freedom of speech! As long as what we say is what other people want to hear. Hate to break it to Leftists, if people are confined to speaking in certain ways it's no longer free.
There is nothing moral about equality. The whole purpose of leftism is to legitimise jealousy, theft and tyranny through mental gymnastics.
“Freedom not to be forced to violate them”. Well, that’s exactly why mandatory school prayer should be banned-kids shouldn’t be forced to pray
I am against equality. Equality is injustice.
When liberals bring up socialism they bring up
Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland (other high gdp countries)
When conservatives bring up socialism they bring up
Former SU, Cuba, and Venezuela (other corrupt governments)
"It's unlikely they've ever heard your arguments"
No, we've heard them. They're just garbage. We know CO2 leads to global warming by both theoretical models and the evidence of Ice Cores, Fossils and similar. We know that religious fundamentalist are often violently opposed to any other belief system or people which don't conform to their views on Gender, Sexuality and similar. That "BUT SOVIET RUSSIA!" is a bad argument against using the government to deal with economic problems and that unchecked capitalism is a bad thing.
After having read some comments.. so socialism leads to demotivated, enslaved workers without property? To one ruling, wealthy elite and oppression of the opposition and critical voices?
Please take one minute to reflect about how much better capitalism works in our world and then tell us again about what is the true evil – an economic system or the selfish nature of human beings and their thirst for control and power, their fear of change and minds that think differently. The only difference is that capitalism offers a better means to hide: Why has someone become that rich? Clearly not because he was evading taxes, entering corruption or paying wages that low that it should be considered enslaving workers – he was simply "working harder and better than anyone else", right?
Look at the number of families (in capitalism), struggeling with their monthly salary. The way that single individuals (out of the private sector) own media channels and can simply dictate which topics will not be discussed. The fact that companies can evade taxes, commit crimes to humankind and nature, and at maximum have to pay a ridiculous compensation.
The problem is that small fraction of people, those 2 or 3 % that simply don't give a ***t about others and priorize themselves.
"reject biased framing" this man tells us, while not giving us any examples of right wingers using biased framing
Religious freedom is islamaphobia, um isn't islam covered under religious freedom?
People who deny climate change are science deniers? That's a bad thing, really??
The irony of this propaganda attempting to frame the framing of socialism just get's me. Anyway… you all should read a book! Bernie 2020
I can't tell much about US television but some stories about German tv. And let me tell you something: German tv consists pretty much entirely of framed material when it comes down to political or social topics. Especially when you are watching government near media like ARD, ZDF and others.
There is nearly no topic you can watch there without getting a feeling of being steered in the desired-to-be direction of the mainstream political establishment in this country. So I stopped watching it some time ago. It was a just choice, I guess.
Prager U talking about biased Frames, excellent self-critic. Let's see…oh no, no self critic, they are starting by strawmaning socialism and socialist and even lie about the amount of young people being socialist (Barly anyone is a socialist) Warning about biased framing, while using biased framing, that's a hole new level of irony.
“Socialism is enjoying renewed popularity among young people.”
Leave me out of this
Fake university prager does a a video on framing and then tells hou why you shouldn't trust their fake "lessons"
😁👍👍👋👋
Framing is for telling stories. Fiction.
Perfect!
1:05 Cuba? A faliure? https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/w/cuba-found-to-be-the-most-sustainably-developed-country-in-the-world-new-research-finds They are the most sustainably developed nation in the world! Maybe do a Google before ya say things.
PragerU has biased framing in all of its videos
a good video after a long time.
So framing arguments incorrectly on purpose is exclusive to the left? Got it
"Facts are stubborn things" -John Adams
The problem with the Left is that they can only see everything through their own frame. Though they insist that everyone's truth is different, and that therefore everyone's perspective is equally valid, they then turn around and insist that only their perspective is valid.
Logical fallacies abound in the Left.
Great Jeff!
Socialism is NOT communism. Look at Norway not USSR
It's almost like Dennis Prager framed people who have logical disagreements with Israel as antisemites on his latest video…
When you oppose false framing but that’s a huge factor in ~95% of your videos.
0;54 "Take Socialism…" Substitute the word 'theism' and the argument has even greater validity!
It is remarkable, these gawd proponents don't see, all of contemporary fallacious diatribe is patterned by them!
"Let me tell you about a non-demonstrable, non-evidentairy, supernatural father figure watching over you."
This is one of the biggest SMH videos I've ever seen on PU. AND… Dennis Prager lives here! 😉
It’s always socialism until it stops working.
“Oh, that wasn’t real socialism.”
Idiots
This is an excellent example of how to frame the policies of your opponents in a way that weakens them and follow the generalized broad sweeping statements seen on the left.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xd_8jrid_mk
I hate and respect this guy
Both the left and the right are mischaracterizing what modern leftists support as socialism. What’s really being advocated is social democracy (a welfare-based government system like that of Scandinavia). However both leftist politicians (Bernie Sanders and democratic socialism) and conservatives (any FOX host) are labeling this as post-capitalist socialism, but nothing any popular leftist is supporting is government-owner means of production.
Secondly, you cannot be jailed for acting on your religious beliefs unless it infringes a right of another person. Spreading the word of your religion isn’t illegal, but me referring to you as a backwards Neanderthal isn’t jailing you. You’re just butthurt.
Presuppositions … frame.
Religious freedom a codeword for Islamaphobia? Was Castro serious? Did he assume that Islam was an ethnicity? If he did, that was pretty stupid of him to do.
this should be required viewing for all Americans. Especially on a college campus.
I was hoping to learn the magic of getting crops to grow. Then I read the title with more care.
401 people rejected the biased framing of this claptrap. 15,000 dumbasses cannot yet spot biased framing.