I read a tweet the other day that mentioned Overton Window. Not only a great name for a Eton school leaver, an Overton Window describes how public opinion is nudged along a spectrum so that something unthinkable becomes, at the very least, up for discussion.
I know readers of my weekly Rambling On email are curious souls. This is perhaps something to consider and hold up over Christmas? As we’re overwhelmed with political messages, theories and a barrage of information – Overton Window is a reminder to stay curious and retain a healthy level of skepticism about what we’re being fed (no, not the turkey, he’s alright).
As Noam Chomsky said in The Common Good, ‘The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion, but allow very lively debate within that spectrum—even encourage the more critical and dissident views. That gives people the sense that there’s free thinking going on, while all the time the presuppositions of the system are being reinforced by the limits put on the range of the debate.’
Stay curious!
As you were.
Andy.