Tactic of Moving the Overton Window / Logical Fallace of "We Have to Do Something"
Tactic of Moving the Overton Window / Logical Fallacy of "We Have to Do Something"
The Tactic of Moving the Overton Window / Logical Fallacy of "We Have to Do Something" occurs when a crisis (possibly created) is used to push for a change (new normal). Joseph Overton originated the idea that at any moment there is a window of politically acceptable policies, but that window can be moved during a crisis. Seminars are given in the public sector on how to do this.
Examples of the Tactic of Moving the Overton Window / Logical Fallacy of "We Have to Do Something"
White House Chief of Staff, Rahm Emmanuel:"Never let a serious crisis go to waste. What I mean by that is it’s an opportunity to do things that you thought you could not do before.”
Joseph Overton first made the proposition that there is a window of politically acceptable behavior. Under stress, people generally will accept a change of behavior with the promise of relieving the stress. The idea is to deliberately create a crisis that requires some action. The action would be to give themselves more power or authority or other benefit. In addition, there are crises of opportunity. When these come up naturally, they become an excuse to shift the Overton window.
