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The Progression of the Overton Window
Most discussions about the Overton Window neglect a critical factor: time. This is a critical notion that must be accounted for. If we do not, then it is only a matter of time before policies become unsensible to the vast majority.
Most discussions about the Overton Window neglect a critical factor: time. This is a critical notion that must be accounted for. If we do not, then it is only a matter of time before policies become unsensible to the vast majority.
The OW does talk about the range of discourse at any given time as a point sample, but often the unavoidable progression of time and how the window moves during the progression of time is not discussed. This is a major error in thinking about the OW.
The OW must be thought of in terms of the time dimension because it has significant implications on how the content within the window changes dramatically over time – it creeps towards one direction - allegedly in the direction of "progress."
Because, by default, the conservative position is to “conserve,” this has significant implications on how policy can be manipulated by progressive thought, eventually moving conservative opinions and even left of center opinions into “unthinkable” categories.
Let’s simplify and overlay the Overton Window on a Progressive / Centrist / Conservative axis. Progressive by definition means moving over time, Conservative means to hold a position over time, and Centrist means to be directly in-between the two over time. Here's a visual
Progressivism has only ONE demand: progress. This is in of itself not a problem. But when it is pitted against a stance that is meant to preserve and conserve, it becomes a problem.
What happens when progress continues to progress in a single direction and take the OW with it?
What happens when progress continues to progress in a single direction and take the OW with it?
By moving in the direction of progress, the conservatives are at a distinct disadvantage. Because conservatism is meant to hold fast, the more progressive the ideas get and the further the frontier of progress, the more "unthinkable" conservatism becomes.
As progressivism continues to push towards newer and newer frontiers, the conservative position is left in the dust, becoming more and more unthinkable to those who are progressive and centrist.
At T3, not only is the Conservative demanding policies that are "unthinkable" but now even the Centrist is out of the realm of "sensible." Because progressivism demands new frontiers of progress.
By demanding more and more along the frontiers, progressivism leaves everyone in the dust. And only those who are not very far from the extreme progressive school of thought are within the Overton Window.
Here is a CONCRETE example: abortion.
Where abortion was once an UNTHINKABLE idea for everyone except the ultra-progressive, over time, it became sensible to the centrist. At T3, abortion is thought of as a human right by the progressives and SENSIBLE by the centrist.
Where abortion was once an UNTHINKABLE idea for everyone except the ultra-progressive, over time, it became sensible to the centrist. At T3, abortion is thought of as a human right by the progressives and SENSIBLE by the centrist.
By continuing to pull and pull at the frontiers of what is acceptable and what is not; by continuing to move the goalposts towards one side, progressivism has two advantages. The first, is that conservativism becomes more absurd BY CONTRAST.
The second is that because centrists have the position of being somewhere near the two extremes, their position is slowly but surely being pulled left the further the progressives move.
Then there are those who are "left of center" and "right of center." I think this is the wrong way to think about these types of folks. They should be thought of in terms of willingness to be pulled by the extremes.
Where the Centrist moves by absolute mean, the left of center and right of center merely move at different speeds (away from hardcore conservatism).
Now here's my theory: Progressivism moves much too fast for these "left of center/right of center" people to keep up. Thus, what happens is that both groups get left behind and eventually become "right of center."
Because they are not pure centrists and do not update their beliefs through the splitting of difference, but based in relation to how fast progressivism moves, even those that started as "left of center" become viewed as "right"
This is because no pure centrist exists. The centrist is a hypothetical category that splits left and right in half. This is no real person.
Thus, at some time -- T3 -- people who view themselves as "left of center" actually become "right" of center when viewed from the hypothetical perspective of a "centrist."
This, I propose, is why so many people who believed themselves to be "Democrat" now feel so betrayed by the Progressive movement and have picked up "conservative" positions. It is not that they are conservative, but because progressivism has left them behind.
The more progressive the progressives get, the more the party lines get redrawn. Over and over until only the most extreme win.
But the problem the progressives use to win and move the Overton window has a problem. People's political views are normally distributed! The more progressive they go, the less and less people they are able to fit into the Overton.
At some point in the future, the Overton will be so far left that the overlap they have with the normal distribution of people's political preferences will not be sufficient to win in a voting democracy.
Addendum: Being "WOKE" seems to mean constantly and actively trying to stay at the frontiers of progressivism wherever it goes.
