Norms Matter in Free, Democratic Societies
One recent public-opinion poll asked Americans their thoughts on different periods of European history. Most Americans probably know little about events that took place in their own country 10 years ago, but they nevertheless expressed to YouGov fairly strong opinions about Classical Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and Late Antiquity.
I still found it reassuring that the majority holds a “very or somewhat favorable” view toward the Renaissance and the Enlightenment. However, 17 percent were favorably disposed toward the Dark Ages. Even funnier, 9 percent held the Black Plague in high esteem, with 32 percent positively inclined toward the Crusades—small, but not insignificant numbers. Such people live among us, although maybe they just have a great sense of humor.
Such polls confirm one of my favorite maxims: “Whoever sets the agenda wins.” Basically, if I start a public debate about whether to launch nuclear strikes against Myanmar or start electing house cats to state legislatures, some percentage of the public will support it. Once an idea is placed on the agenda, it gets legs—no matter how absurd. A more thoughtful expression of this is called the Overton Window.
Developed by the Mackinac Center’s Joseph Overton, his theory explains that politicians promote policies that fall within a window of widely accepted ideas. He believed think tanks (and others) could, as The New York Times described it, turn the “politically unthinkable” into the “mainstream” by talking about ideas outside the window. Such debates shift the window—and then politicians are willing to embrace policies that had been off limits.
We’ve seen dramatic shifts in acceptable policy discussions over the past few years, mainly because of Donald Trump, who has gotten Americans talking about once-unthinkable ideas. Some of the resulting debates would strike Americans from just a decade ago as bat-guano crazy: making Canada the 51st state, taking over Greenland, deporting celebrities, ending support for vaccines, etc. Anything Trump says—and he always has something unusual to say—instantly shifts the window (whether he’s serious or trolling) quite dramatically.
Unfortunately, his ability to shift acceptable policy debates poses dangers, given that many of the shifts obliterate democratic norms. Even if he does respect the courts’ ultimate rulings—and he’s given mixed
Article from Reason.com
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