Frame Wars - Frame it
Right now, South Korea is in the middle of a framing war.
That's because April 10 is the date of the National Assembly elections.
The president is halfway through his term in office, so the regime change frame is dominant.
The opposition wants to frame the election in a regime change frame.
The ruling party wants to frame the election in terms of national stability.
Currently, parliamentary elections tend to be more influenced by the media than elections that look at the character and ability of lawmakers.
So in close races, mass media such as TV, newspapers, and the internet can change the outcome of polls.
In particular, if a candidate of a political party says something bad, it can have a negative impact on the election and cause the candidate to be canceled.
This is because the impact of mass media goes beyond the individual candidate and affects the entire
election.
Mass media has a huge impact on elections.
So each side frames things in a way that is unfavorable to the other side.
They cherry-pick the middle of the road and frame it as a straw man, even if it makes sense in context.
Sample of frame
The opposition leader, after making the rounds of the Land Bank Market to solicit support, criticized the current government for failing to control agricultural prices. Holding up a bunch of green onions, Lee asked, "Are you sure this is 850 won?" and when supporters said no, he shouted, "It's 5000 won. 5,000 won," he shouted.
The president was referring to the "green onion price controversy" that erupted when he said, "I still think 875 won is a reasonable price for a single green onion," in front of a green onion stand at Hanaro Mart in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on March 18.
Sometimes it's framed as, "I don't care if it's false, I just want to win."
The two major parties have solid and close approval ratings. The election will be won or lost by who captures more of the middle of the road votes.
Who will win the framing war in this election?
"frame it"
A "frame" is a system of thought and a mental construct that reminds us of something. Cognitive scientist George Lakoff, who coined the term, wrote that "the more you deny a frame, the more it paradoxically becomes active." Once you speak the other person's language, their frame is activated.
Thank you for reading my post 😀
23 March 2024, @mariannewest's Freewrite Writing Prompt Day 2320: frame it