How to Talk about Rigged Systems: A Quick-Start Guide
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Americans think the system is rigged—and we need effective ways of talking about it. This guide provides summarized guidance on how to talk about rigged systems in ways that inspire collective action, reduce exclusionary attitudes, and foster support for systemic change.
For more information on the research, a complete explanation of the System is Rigged mindset, and further recommendations on talking about rigged systems, read the full research report: Filling in the Blanks: Contesting What “the System is Rigged” Means.
Introduction
We live in a society rigged by the powerful few to serve their interests at our expense.
This idea—the core assumption of the System is Rigged mindset—increasingly animates public thinking about aspects of society, from the economy to education, from healthcare to elections. This mindset is held across the political spectrum, by people of all ages, races, genders, and income levels.
While the mindset is increasingly dominant, it is also fuzzy, leaving a lot of blanks to be filled in: Who rigs the system? In what way? For and against whom? With what outcomes? Depending on how these blanks are filled in, this way of thinking can either support a powerful critique of an unjust and under-democratic society, or it can foster fatalism or justify hate and exclusion.
How can our communications help people fill in the blanks?
In this quick-start guide, we’re sharing three core framing elements that should be included in any communication about rigged systems to channel thinking in productive directions.[1] By “productive directions,” we mean that these framing elements have been shown to:
- increase collective efficacy (the idea that change is possible);
- decrease exclusionary attitudes (e.g., xenophobia and antisemitism);
- decrease authoritarian attitudes (e.g., support for a strongman); and/or
- build support for systems change and progressive policies.
[1] These recommendations are based on four quantitative survey experiments and nine focus groups conducted between 2022–2024.
