"The radical left wants to destroy America." "The far right is on the rise in the United States." We have all heard statements like this before. What does it mean to be far-right or a left-wing radical? Is it a matter of believing certain things or is it a matter of talking about things that are outside the realm of acceptable discourse? The Overton Window is a theory in political science that a society has a range of what is considered to be acceptable debate. For example, whether a woman can have an abortion at 20 weeks is an open question, but whether she should be allowed to vote is a settled issue. Suppose society has a norm such as Red means stop, Green means go, and yellow means go but be careful. It is acceptable to have a debate about whether you should go or stop on yellow, but it is not acceptable to say that you should go on red or stop on green. However, the Overton Window can shift in one direction or another. In 1800, the vast majority of Americans were against women having the right to vote, but due to activism from suffragettes, the majority of Americans, now, believe that women should have the right to vote. The Overton Window shifts as new issues arise, people change their minds, or an issue becomes irrelevant. The Overton Window also shifts when policy changes or there is more noise coming from one side of a debate. I am politically all over the place. When I am in California, people think I am a conservative, but people think I am a liberal when I am in North Carolina. My views don't change, but given what the realm of acceptable politics is for a certain area, my views come across differently.
There are numerous examples of how society's views on issues have changed. Generally in the modern political era, America has moved socially to the left, but economically to the right. Ideas that were mainstream in the Democratic Party of the 1950s-1970s such as universal healthcare are divisive within the party. Most Americans are in favor of Gay marriage and marijuana legalization which were not considered to be mainstream views, even in 2008. The Overton Window is an important concept to understand because the political issues of today will not necessarily be the same ones fought over tomorrow. Or even if they are fought over tomorrow, the debate of what is acceptable will be different. The Overton Window is also an important concept because it helps show that calling someone a radical says just as much about them as it does about society.
This is part of a quote said by Barry Goldwater. His full quote was "I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. Let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue." Barry Goldwater was a man outside the Overton Window in 1964. He lost the election massively, but his campaign went on to influence other conservatives such as Ronald Reagan. It is important that we have people that challenge our preconceptions. I do not agree with a lot of what Barry Goldwater believed, but I think his quote is very accurate. We should not be afraid to challenge the status quo, even if it ruffles some feathers. In order for our country to improve and our politics to meet the needs of the people, we need to be challenging the status quo.
Sources
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKeDW_Ib9I8
No comments:
Post a Comment