As the fine folks at Public Works remind us, how we talk about public officials matters. It’s easy to default to bad habits. We all do it. Who hasn’t been frustrated with their elected officials? But those habits (yes, I’m talking about the slamming, badmouthing, demonizing, grumbling, name calling…) trigger deeply entrenched, negative frames about government.
We all know there’s a lot of work to do reminding Americans that government is our best tool for getting important work done together as communities. Research commissioned by Public Works has shown that what comes to mind when Americans think about government is politics and politicians rather than the actual work of government. And when we think of politicians, we default to negative images of bickering and corporate wheeling and dealing. It’s no wonder that so many Americans simply check out of politics.
You can see why it’s counterproductive to join in the politician bashing. In the end, it further erodes faith in government, favors the “drown the government in a bathtub” mindset, ignores the good work of all the upstanding electeds and public servants, AND sets ridiculously low expectations for those whose job it is to represent us.
So, how can we talk about our political representatives in more productive ways? Public Works offers some rules to live by. Pass it on to your friends and colleagues!
