Fair is fair, right? Well, except when it’s unfair. Appealing to people’s sense of fairness can be incredibly powerful in politics, but fairness is also one of the trickiest concepts in political psychology and cognitive linguistics to get right. Many voters sense that they’re being unfairly left out of the…
Republicans Attack Government’s Brand, 1 of 2: The Anti-Brand
In a way, the closest branding parallel to today’s Republican Party is the punk movement. Punk emerged and grew as a sort of anti-statement, a counterpoint to popular culture, commercial marketing, and other forms of telling you what to think. Eventually, punk was coopted and commercialized. As the ironic California…
The Middle Class Dies Twice in Detroit
Detroit didn’t die when it filed for bankruptcy — but the city isn’t the only symbol of 20th century middle-class prosperity the bankruptcy threatens. Defined benefit pension plans in general are endangered by this move, and Social Security itself is the ultimate target. Detroit, of course, was once a thriving…