ReFraming Food: Changing the Story for Justice

Growing Food & Justice for AllMilwaukee, WISeptember 19, 2008

Physical/Psychological Narrative /Mythological

Power Over

Narrative Power Analysis

Examining Dominant Stories in US Culture

Power shapes Point of View of the story

Stories can Normalize Power/Universalize Experience

Changing Stories: not what people don’t know, but what they do know =FILTERS

GILLIAM ALTERED THE RACE OF THE WOMANPORTRAYED IN A WELFARE REFORM TV STORY TOTEST VIEWERS' PERCEPTIONS OF GENDER ANDRACE.

Welfare Queen

“Loots” “Finds”

Elements of Story/Story-Based Strategy

Frames the ConflictDraws our attention to particular details of the story

and avoids others outside the frame Amplifies the Voices of Characters

Stories speak to us through relevant SpokespeopleHero/Victim/Villian

Show Don’t Tell -- Engage Values Stress stories, images, 5 senses, values (over data)

Foreshadowing --Shows the Future/Offers Vision People will only go someplace that they have first

been to in their minds

Challenges underlying assumptions

Illegal Aliens

Changing the Story…

Many campaigns are a Strugglefor “Whose Story?”

Amplifying the Voices of those most directly affected

Show Don’t Tell

vs.

Foreshadowing

Foreshadowing Vision

Show Don’t Tell

Story-Based Strategy

Frames/Reframes the Narrative

Amplifies Voices of Characters

Engages Peoples Values

Show Don’t Tell (Images, Symbols, Pop Culture Icons)

Foreshadowing the Future

Challenging underlying assumptions

story Amplify

Alliance Building + Analysis

Mobilize

Organize

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