Impact Story / Nov 21, 2024
NYT: ‘We Tire Very Quickly of Being Told That Everything Is on Fire’
In this piece, Jeneen Interlandi explores the unintended consequences of framing (seemingly) every public health issue as a crisis. According to FrameWorks research, crisis framing can activate fatalism, which leads to apathy and disengagement. As FrameWorks CEO Nat Kendall-Taylor notes in a quote in the piece: “we tire very quickly of being told everything is on fire.” Showing people feasible solutions to big problems is a more effective strategy.
Why invoking a public health crisis too often can lead society astray.
Crisis framing tends to activate a mind-set known as fatalism (a sense that the world itself is beyond repair), which in turn makes people apathetic and resistant to change. “We tire very quickly of being told that everything is on fire,” Mr. Kendall-Taylor says. A far better strategy for instilling urgency or inspiring action is to show people that real solutions lie at the ready — that change is not only desirable but also eminently possible.
Issues: Government and Democracy, Health
Countries: United States