The Overton Window [#10]

The Overton Window: What it is and Why it is Important

 

    The Overton Window is a theory/model that shows understanding/acceptance for political ideas over time. The theory is that only ideas that lie in the window are acceptable for discussion or policy change, ideas that are the middle ground between the radical thinking of both sides. This is important because it tells us that no matter what a political candidate believes or runs for, they can not change polices that live outside the narrow window.  The window is a safe space, where the ideas can be discussed without worry of losing electoral support of the masses.

    Luckily, the Overton Window is malleable; it is not stuck in one place for eternity. It can change and it can shift to better match the ideas and feelings of the public as a whole. For example, races mixing in schools and women voting were once extreme and unspeakable ideas, but now they are common sense concepts that not many people think twice about. 

    Some ways to shift the window are getting foot-in-the-door policies to get people talking about it, but not so much so it disrupts the system. One instance is Massachusetts, who legalized gay marriage before it was recognized at a federal level, started the conversation about rights for anyone who did not identify as straight. Many other states after that legalized gay marriage and after another decade of struggle it was accepted at a national level in 2015. It was not simply a matter of approving it at a national level, but one of starting smaller at the states to shift the window in that direction. Another technique is pulling the rope sideways, for example during a game of tug of war everyone is struggling to win for their side, but if you pull it sideways, in a way no one would expect, everyone would come tumbling down. To put that idea to a policy, if people are arguing over hiring or lowering taxes, if you ask that you change where the tax money goes, people would be caught off guard enough to listen to you and change the conversation. 

"That, I believe, is our basic function: to develop alternatives to existing policies, to keep them alive and available until the politically impossible becomes politically inevitable."

- Milton Friedman

    Here is a quick and concise YouTube video that explains the Overton Window in a more visual way. It includes examples of how the window has changed for ideas such as women's suffrage and gun ownership.  

    The Overton Window effects society as it whole, because it dictates what our politicians can talk about, what they can change. It allows us to reflect on the ideas that we hold dear and ask ourselves "Can we talk about this upfront or do we have to do this another way?" The understanding that this exists frees us from the assumptions that anything can change overnight and reinforces the power we as the voters have to change policy. 

    Different groups of people are effected by the Overton Window in different ways, some minority groups may be front and center in the discussions of policy, such as immigration, Black Lives Matter, and homosexual rights, while others, racism towards Asian culture, may be more hidden from view. If you are front and center of the window, you may be more or less targeted with hate, you will have more attention, and most prominently, you will see political change. 

    It effects each and everyone of us because we live in this world caught up in political systems, but if we understand the system we can make it so it is not some scary huge monster to try and destroy. We can make the system work for the people again, if we allow ourselves to be educated on it.