Language matters – developing inclusive narratives
JVL Introduction
As this exploration of political discourse on race and class in Britain makes clear, language matters.
In undertaking this study Class (the Centre for Labour and Social Studies) found a singular, overarching – and highly divisive – narrative across the political spectrum.
The dominant narrative puts a certain framing in place: it racialises the working class as white, presents workers of colour as competitors, pits good against bad immigrants, fuels “culture wars” and creates a moral panic in which only one side can win. And that’s just for starters.
Repeating a frame, even to negate it, can strengthen that frame.
We need, rather, to counterpose to it “a strong narrative and communicate in ways that unite and mobilise citizens to come together and demand progressive change using their voice and their votes… We need to communicate the truth that there is a small elite making decisions against the common interests and connect the necessity of people uniting (across race and class) to secure our mutual interests: a better future.”
This report suggests how.
It has been funded by supporting unions, including NEU, ASLEF, BFAWU, CWU, GFTU, GMB, NUM, NUT, PCS, TSSA, UCU and Unite the Union; and also supported by the Robert Bosch Foundation, Unbound, Barrow Cadbury Fund, Guerilla Foundation, People’s Action, and Marlene Englehorn.
This article was originally published by Class - Centre for Labour and Social Studies on Tue 6 Sep 2022. Read the original here.
The Divide and Rule Playbook
An analysis of how the powerful few use metaphors in their storytelling to divide by race, class and other lines.
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The majority of people are familiar with the Divide and Rule phrase, but I doubt most of them are aware and conscious of it at work in society, even though most of them ARE divided one way or another from others themselves as a consequence of the manipulation by those who manipulate us. The last thing the PTB want of course is people coming together and being united.
In MY book you have to to be pretty evil to deliberately do that – ie keep us divided on the one hand, so as to prevent us from creating the totally different reality that we would if we were one, on the other, sharing and caring and living in harmony with each-other and the planet we live on.
One thing’s for sure…. the road ‘they’ are taking us down is getting darker and darker and darker.