Talking Right
| Company type | Book |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing |
| Founded | 2006 |
| Founder | Geoffrey Nunberg |
| Products | Non-fiction book |
Talking Right, subtitled How Conservatives Turned Liberalism into a Tax-Raising, Latte-Drinking, Sushi-Eating, Volvo-Driving, New York Times-Reading, Body-Piercing, Hollywood-Loving, Left-Wing Freak Show, is a 2006 publication by Geoffrey Nunberg, who utilizes his expertise in linguistics to examine the electoral difficulties faced by the Democratic Party in the United States.
Summary
Nunberg challenges the common belief that the Democratic Party's problems stem from ineffective slogans. Instead, he contends that U.S. political language has been largely influenced and shaped by conservative forces. Terms such as values, freedom, patriotism, and even liberal have been imbued with meanings favoring conservative perspectives—meanings widely accepted by major media organizations like The New York Times and The Washington Post. This linguistic framing enables conservatives to depict liberals as out of touch and elitist, a portrayal so deeply rooted that Republicans can invoke it simply by mentioning words like elite.
Attempts by Democrats to reclaim these words—for instance, during John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign emphasizing "a celebration of American values"—have not achieved significant success. Nunberg attributes this failure to the long-standing dominance of a potent quasi-populist conservative narrative. He calls on Democrats to develop a persuasive and authentic narrative that highlights their policy strengths while transforming public understanding.
See also
- George Lakoff, writer of Don't Think of an Elephant! Know Your Values and Frame the Debate.
- framing (social sciences)
External links
- 'Talking Right': Why the Left Is Losing, Linguistically. Interview on NPR’s Fresh Air, July 6, 2006.
- Linguists on George W. Bush, Michel Paradis. Oxonian Review of Books 2006 6.1.