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Framing Taboos
Framing is an amazing persuasion tool which I continue to explore and in this article, I've chosen some pretty volatile topics to make a pretty powerful point.
Framing is an amazing persuasion tool which I continue to explore and in this article, I’ve chosen some pretty volatile topics to make a pretty powerful point.
We’re all familiar with what they refer to as “the oldest profession”. And we’ve all got our ideas and fears on the evils that arise from such a profession. In our society, prostitution is illegal. It’s connected to drugs, violence, disease, abuse, and other problems. That’s the frame. We can all agree on that, right? How about looking through someone else’s frame? A former student and acquaintance of mine sent me an e-mail recently with a link and all it said was, ‘Check out this frame.’ The link was to the International Committee for Prostitute’s Rights. http://www.walnet.org/csis/groups/icpr_charter.html
Upon further research, I found another organization called C.O.Y.O.T.E. The letters stand for call off your old tired ethics. They bill themselves as a sex worker’s rights organization. Old frame: prostitutes. New frame: sex workers.
There’s a pretty strong movement in the U.S. and all over Europe, to decriminalize prostitution and ensure rights and protection to the people working in the industry. To me, that’s a new frame. I had never heard of such a thing and it really struck me as interesting.
Proponents of this frame differentiate between the prostitutes who are being victimized and the sex workers who feel empowered in the industry. The issue is certainly complex with the emotional fire that politics and sexuality can inspire.
The frame gets more complex, describing sex work as an important part of the economy. With Nevada and the Netherlands as examples, proponents of decriminalizing prostitution suggest that through regulation many of the dangers associated with the industry can be lessened. With mandatory medical check ups, the health dangers are drastically cut down. And with no pimps, the violence is lessened.
The issue of sex for money has been taken out of the frame of morality (which has been the strongest frame by far) and put it in the frame of being an important part of the economy. If you look at the argument for legalizing drugs, it’s very similar.
The idea of ‘victimless crimes’ is an appealing frame to me in that the amount of money spent each year on imprisoning pot growers/users and sex workers, is staggering. I am not advocating to ‘legalize it’ though I am intrigued to know that there are intelligent opponents to the cultural norm.
Again, this is just an exercise in framing and when you can reframe a very strong argument with another strong argument, whoever has the better frame, wins.