Political Violence
Don’t Take the Bait
With the details of the shooting at Utah Valley University still largely unknown, we are offering you this guide on what you can say and do to help set positive behavioral expectations and reaffirm your commitment to a healthy democracy.
We know that communicating during contentious times is challenging–especially when addressing fraught situations rife with misinformation and deep division. What we do know is that we must respond promptly and clearly to violence, intimidation, and misinformation without inadvertently adding legitimacy to the very things we’re trying to prevent, like a further erosion of our freedoms.
And we strongly suggest, for your mental health, that you get offline. If you can, go talk to real people, in person. Be in community, not isolation.
Here are some best practices and overarching anti-violence guidelines from Research Collaborative and from OverZero, global experts on counteracting and preventing identity-based violence:
Reject calls to crack down on political rights and freedoms: Violence can be used to justify authoritarian responses that undermine our right to peaceful protest and expression of our views. Times of uncertainty can make these measures seem appealing in the name of “restoring safety and security.”
Avoid feeding “both sides” sentiments. Statements about how we must all remember to act peacefully, or recommit to the democratic process, or pledge to condemn hateful rhetoric, make it seem that political and other violence are of origins unknown.
Avoid making an exception in this instance of violence. While the political nature of the event makes it unique, mass shootings are tragically common here. What occurred should be framed within the broader context that we have a massive problem in our country: ready access to deadly weapons. Otherwise, we feed the right-wing false narrative that they are uniquely targeted and are political heroes or near martyrs.
Do not amplify right-wing hatred. Cataloging examples of violent rhetoric spreads their statements. While it is understandably satisfying to point out their hypocrisy, such arguments have always fallen flat. They rely on people caring about the process - politicians being consistent in their actions and speech, which voters already assume never happens.
Take care not to feed hunger for a “strongman.” While it is critical to name the need to address the violence in our country, focusing too much on “danger,” especially without indicating we have solutions for it, risks tacitly feeding the desire for an authoritarian “strongman.” When people operate from fear, they are more susceptible to promises that someone can come and provide “law and order.”
Beware of extremists scapegoating vulnerable groups. We are already seeing, without any evidence, certain groups of people being blamed. Here’s how to counter: name what these folks stand to gain from scapegoating, and create an opening for your audience to think more critically about the nature of these attacks and to distinguish them from ideological or policy disagreements. Common goals of scapegoating include:
Stigmatize and devalue: Dehumanizing marginalized groups to further stigmatize them.
Mobilize a base: Turning a scapegoated group into a common enemy to energize and organize a base.
Win elections: Exploiting fears of the scapegoat to gain electoral support and secure victories in political contests.
Polarize: Manufacturing a controversy to polarize society in a way that sparks division within political opposition groups and/or unifies an authoritarian movement.
Distract: Shifting public focus away from critical issues, government failures, or unpopular goals by inflaming fear, disgust, and anger at a scapegoat.
Normalize political violence: Targeting a scapegoat for intimidation, violence, and militia activity to desensitize the public to violence against the group specifically and society more broadly.
Some sample language
As Wisconsinites, we affirm our commitment to peaceful democratic engagement and reject violence in all forms.
While this moment feels tense and uncertain, history reminds us that violence is often used to justify authoritarian crackdowns that threaten our rights to protest and express our views. We refuse to be drawn into cycles of hate and violence, and instead see this as a call to recommit to rejecting harmful rhetoric, defending our freedoms, and working together to protect democracy through nonviolent protest and free and fair elections.
If you need more…
If you are part of an AIW partner organization, a member of the press, or someone else who wants support crafting a narrative that aligns with our shared values, let us know.
EVERGREEN GUIDANCE
LEAD with shared values — such as community, safety, prosperity, equity, justice, or fairness — in a way that names race and class while bringing people together.
FOCUS on the creation of good — delivering jobs and healthcare, funding schools and communities, creating a process where every Wisconsinite can safely and freely cast our ballot, etc. — tangible positive outcomes, rather than the amelioration of harm (e.g., “provide for every child so they can achieve their dreams” instead of “fix our broken system”)
CAST ‘we the people,’ everyday Wisconsinites, as protagonists: Only by acting together can we move Wisconsin forward — in contrast to how our opposition is trying to hold us back. We turned out in record numbers to elect leaders to care for us and act in our interests. We pulled together throughout this pandemic, to deliver meals, support neighborhood businesses, support our kids and care for loved ones. That’s why it’s so important that we bring our neighbors and communities into the story, as its main actors and as active agents who can and will change the outcome.
CHARACTERIZE the opposition: Who is violating our values? How are they doing it? What is their motivation? What role does race play? These are all questions we need to answer clearly (without jargon!) in our messaging.
DEFINE + DELIVER: define this moment as a pivotal crossroads, and deliver a positive, inspirational vision for the future we will create together for a Wisconsin where we all can thrive. We believe that we will win.
AVOID the opposition frame (e.g. crime, riots, government waste, freeloaders) and PIVOT to our frames of freedom, safety, community, etc. They want us to use their language- even if it’s a lie- so that the narrative fights stays in their frame of fear.
DO NOT REPEAT accusations, even to refute. (e.g. do not say “crime is....”)
AVOID the 'recipe': as always, say the brownie, not the recipe. The freedom to vote, rather than the abstraction of democracy. The ability to see a doctor when we need, rather than simply saying expand healthcare.
DO NOT start with or get stuck in despair: people know something is wrong already. The job of a good narrative is to remember that we are not in a facts fight– we know the truth is on our side already (and if facts were all we needed, we would already have the world we want). Our job is to pull people out of despair and into a shared feeling of hope and potential.