Framing and The Use of Emotions
By Meher George
“Activists are often involved in framing contests, or “framing wars,” with their opponents in an attempt to win the hearts and minds of the public.” (SMR 55)
In order to survive, a social movement must maintain a sense of cohesiveness. This unity must then be broadcasted to the masses in order to create unique change. As explained by James M. Jasper in the quote above, activists often have to broadcast their unity better than their opponents. If you win the “framing war”, you win the public’s perception of right and wrong. When it comes to gun control, the “framing war” has just begun.
Note: Since evaluating the multiple organizations advocating for gun control as one movement will likely yield inconclusive results, the Brady Campaign‘s framing tactics will be the area of focus for this blog post along with Moms Demand Action (For Gun Sense in America). Since the frames used by an organization often respond to those of an oppositional group, I will compare and contrast the tactics used by the Brady Campaign and Moms Demand Action with those used by the National Rifle Association.
Over the years, the Brady Campaign has grown its base by maintaining a level-headed approach to its advertising. It’s first use of emotion in promotion was it’s origin story. James Brady, assistant of Ronald Reagan, was shot and nearly killed. While he survived the shooting, Brady was partly paralyzed and unable to lead a normal life. This tragedy convinced many Americans something needed to be done. Soon after, the “Brady Bill”-mandating federal background checks- was passed. While still relying on emotional advertising, The Brady Campaign has used mild forms of advertising compared to other gun control organizations. Their angle has been to use common sense, as opposed to fiery comments or the vilifying of groups like the NRA. This calmer approach has contributed to its credibility, but hasn’t inspired as many members to donate as the NRA has. As of 2013, the NRA had a revenue of $348,000,000 while the Brady Campaign had only amassed $3,315,528.
An example of this milder, non-provocative advertising is shown below:
Moms Demand Action is an example of an organization set on pulling American heart strings through emotional advertisements. The name itself suggests these women are emotionally tied to the gun control movement as they chose to use their familial label- mom. Since family remains one of the strongest units in society, these women have created a successful organization by incorporating the importance of family into a larger fight- gun control. By creating heart-wrenching advertisements, it is estimated these mothers have amassed an annual $15,700,000 in revenue! An example of these emotional advertisements is shown below:
As demonstrated by the advertisement above, the gun control movement (specifically Moms Demand Action) is tactfully framing its grievances. By involving children in its narrative, Moms Demand Action invokes sympathy in citizens reading or viewing this advertisement online. The importance of gun control can be lectured, but visuals and parallels are more powerful. In this advertisement, assault weapons are compared to Kinder chocolate eggs. Since these chocolate eggs pose choking hazards, the United States has banned them. Moms Demand Action points out the irony behind banning candies, but not assault weapons. The statement at the top of the advertisement “One child is holding something that’s been banned in America to protect them. Guess which one.” Similar to the Brady Campaign, this thought-provoking advertisement uses common sense to engage citizens. By including youths in the message, Moms Demand Action adds an emotional and personal dynamic to its advertising, which is not seen as prominently in the Brady Campaign. Perhaps, this contributes to why Moms Demand Action has brought in millions more in revenue than the Brady Campaign has.
While not as effective as Moms Demand Action in emotional advertising, the Brady Campaign seems to attract more media attention than its opponent- the National Rifle Association. Similar to Moms Demand Action, the NRA often uses children in its advertisements. Here, we can identify a clear “framing war” between gun control groups and the NRA. Both sides of the debate are using emotional advertising to attract attention. So who is winning?
(Example of NRA’s Emotional Advertising)
The gun control groups are winning. The Brady Campaign and the National Rifle Association both use consistent framing strategies in material delivered to the public. According to a study done by the University of Denver and Ohio State University, the Brady Campaign has “a significant association between specific frames in its press releases and coverage in the New York Times,” which was not seen in the NRA. While partly attributable to media bias, the Brady Campaign’s correlation between news coverage and framing means it has attracted attention. So, if the gun control groups are more effective in their framing- why does the NRA still have so much power?
In Doug McAdams’s book on the “Freedom Summer” of 1964, he finds three factors common amongst participants: biographical availability, ideological compatibility, and social network ties. (SMR 54) When finding who amongst the participants became active members, he eliminates the first two factors. The factor most responsible for creating devoted members was “social network ties”. Therefore, the Brady Campaign’s framing may appeal to the press, but the campaign hasn’t been able to use social networks to lure in more participants. Conversely, the NRA has been effective in tapping into social networks and forming a cohesive group. This proves that frames are important in creating a successful movement, but not the only ingredient.
Sources: Framing the Gun Control Debate: Press Releases and Framing Strategies of the National Rifle Association and the Brady Campaign Trent Steidley, Cynthia G. Colen, Social Science Quarterly
Mother Jones, Mark Follman These Women are the NRA’s Worst Nightmare Oct 2014
Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence (bradycampaign.org)
The Gun Control Movement 