Content warning: This post mentions sex acts, Republicans and furniture. Please stop reading if you are easily offended.
Readers of George Lakoff's work are familiar with the phrase "Don't think of an elephant." He uses it to illustrate an important point: When you tell people not to think about something, you force them to think about it. Your language activates the idea in their brains.
Much of Dr. Lakoff's work has focused on getting Democrats to understand basic principles of cognitive science. One of the biggest mistakes Democrats make is to constantly repeat Republican ideas. This, warns Lakoff, only strengthens those ideas in the brain's neurocircuitry.
"When you negate the frame, you evoke the frame," says Dr. Lakoff. Put another way: If you repeat it, you can't beat it.
False JD Vance couch rumor
Here's a powerful example: Yesterday, the Associated Press published a most unusual fact check of a false rumor circulating on social media. In a nutshell – prepare yourselves – the false rumor holds that JD Vance once attempted a sex act with a couch. According to the false claim, he wrote about this in his bestselling Hillbilly Elegy memoir.
There is no truth to the rumor, which clearly started as a joke and soon became a viral sensation. So, in an earnest attempt to inform readers, the venerable AP published a fact check with the following headline:
"No, JD Vance did not have sex with a couch."
And just like that, the AP boosted the false rumor. The headline went viral, forcing the public to visualize JD Vance having inappropriate relations with a piece of furniture. It activated these frames in millions of brains. The AP now says the fact check article did not go through proper editing. It has been deleted, but the headline is still rocketing around social media.
Beware social media lies, trolls
Democrats may find this funny, but there's a serious lesson to remember.
First, we live at a time when false rumors spread with tremendous speed. Viral falsehoods – no matter how funny they might seem when they confirm our own beliefs – are a double-edged sword. It won't be so funny when the Republicans succeed in spreading viral lies about Vice President Kamala Harris.
Second, remember that repeating false information word-for-word – even to say it's not true – only helps spread the false information. As we have written before, professional trolls deliberately publish false and inflammatory claims because they know it's irresistible bait for online engagement. It's best to avoid the troll bait.
Truth sandwich
But if you must engage false rumors, structure your response in a way that does not further the specific rumor. A good way to do this is by using the Truth Sandwich.
Here's how it works: First, state the truth. Second, address the false information by labeling it as false and pointing out the truth. Third, repeat the truth.
Example:
State the Truth: A false claim about JD Vance is going viral on social media.
Address the Lie: The false claim involves a joke about a couch, and claims JD Vance engaged in inappropriate relations with one, but it's an online hoax.
Repeat the Truth: Beware of false claims, even if they're funny and go viral online.
Here's a better headline for AP: False claim about JD Vance goes viral.
SEO rewards lies
Of course, we rarely see a headline like this. A successful headline would need to include elements of the viral lie, such as "couch" and "sex." That's because of something called search engine optimization (SEO). In order for a news story to get picked up by Google and other search engines, it needs to have "good SEO." This means including key terms that users might be searching – like "Vance," "sex" and "couch." So, the incentive is to repeat the lie.
If Trump said "the moon is made of green cheese," we would see headlines like: "Experts debunk Trump's claims about 'green cheese' and moon" or "Trump says the moon is made of green cheese. Here's what the experts say." This is a problem modern journalism has yet to solve. But it needs to be addressed.
Don't think of a criminal
The basic lesson: Never repeat your opponent's frame! It's a surefire way to lose.
But don't tell that to Trump.
During a speech at a recent rally, Trump said: "And then the campaign says: 'I'm the prosecutor, and he is the convicted felon."
The Harris campaign posted a video snippet of him saying this, along with a message from the Democratic nominee:
"I'm Kamala Harris, and I approve this message."
Further reading:
FrameLab
FrameLab