Comments theunlikelyactivist has made

  • It's all about communicating.

    Listen. The writings of George Lakoff (Don't Think of an Elephant) suggest that folks of ALL persuasions (political ones too) can rally around a given issue. BUT the issue fits their 'frame' differently. That said, conservatives can be pro environment (for an example, look at the Evangelical Christians Bill Moyers and others talk about in Is God Green), and they can find themselves aligned on important core issues with the 'other side'.

    What they don't want to do, however, is wear the green label. If only the environmentalists were able to recognize these core connections for what they are, build on them, and develop a common message platform--a marriage of convenience, if you will.

    After all, 'in your face' tactics have their place, but not when the common interest is so critical and the frames so distinct.

    Larry Grob
    theunlikelyactivist.comOn GOP strategist Frank Luntz argues enviros are failing -- and they're mean to boot posted 2 years, 9 months ago 35 Responses

  • We really have to stop talking to ourselves...

    I've been thinking it for a while, but this fine interview convinced me to do more about it than just that. Thank you Amanda.

    It's clear to me that those who call themselves environmentalists have let their passions lead them into a trap, allowing themselves to be too easily marginalized, not only by the likes of Luntz, but also by the masses of people they really need to connect with. And I believe that the trap has two components.

    The first is an inward focus, preventing them from understanding just how fine a line separates them from the eConsciousness dormant in outsiders like--well, Luntz himself. The second is a general inability to communicate with--vs. talk at--folks outside the 'green box'.

    When you look at the effectiveness of communications today--especially on the commercial side of the spectrum, the sophistication of messaging, and the pervasive new channels available to reach out and touch one another, it's high time for more enlightened envirocommunications to take off.

    Let's take advantage of the noble efforts of Gore et al, and learn how to engage people at all scales, across all lines. Increasingly, I think we're seeing that it works.

    Larry Grob
    theunlikelyactivist.comOn GOP strategist Frank Luntz argues enviros are failing -- and they're mean to boot posted 2 years, 10 months ago 35 Responses