Spreading Values through Social Action
Presentation by Bill Crosier to Unitarian Fellowship Church
January 15, 2006

[Note: See downloads below for handout on Elevator Speeches]

Thank you for allowing me to share this morning with you, to talk about some ideas of how we can spread our social values.

This isn't about proselytizing people to convert them to a particular political party or religious faith. It's about how and why to talk about our core beliefs, in a way to influence social change.

How many of you have been in a situation where people around you were making hateful or insensitive comments about some current issue, but you didn't know what to say without starting a big argument?

Today, let's talk about how we can use those situations to spread our values, and perhaps to open up some minds in the process. It's about spreading our values through action. A direct, and non-violent way we can do this is by making some minor adjustments in how we talk with those with whom we disagree, something we may have an opportunity to do frequently.

I'm going to talk briefly about Martin Luther King, Jr., not just because tomorrow we are honoring him, but also because he is such a fine example of how talking about values in the right way can be so powerful.

After that, we'll go over some suggestions from experts on communication, on how to talk about values, and then we can have a brief mini-workshop so you can try what I suggest, and get your feedback.

About Martin Luther King, Jr.

So, first, I want to say a few things about one of the great leaders of the 20th century. Tomorrow, we honor Martin Luther King, Jr. He wasn’t an elected official. He wasn’t the CEO of some big corporation. He wasn’t a general, or an admiral, or other military officer.

He was just a citizen with a vision -- a vision about values, and how to put them into action. He put them into action not to enrich himself or his friends, but to promote civil rights for all people, to promote peace, and to promote justice.

His message is a universal one that applies to all people of all times, and that’s what I’m going to talk about today.

King’s message was not just that blacks or other minorities should have the right to vote and equal access to the riches of this country. It wasn’t just that the US should withdraw from Viet Nam. It was about the importance of values, and it was powerful and unstoppable because of them. He believed in talking about values, in relating them to issues of the day, and standing up for them even when the government, the news media, and the majority of the country opposed for many years the changes he knew were needed.

King, like Gandhi, achieved great social change through nonviolent methods. He consistently stood up for his values -- including peace and loving your enemies -- even when they met with great resistance and personal risk.

Today, I want us to think about how King achieved what he did, and how we may be able to follow in his footsteps.

One of the things that I admire so much about King was that he was such a great communicator of values. I certainly do not expect to come close to his oratory abilities, but we can all learn from how he communicated.

In his speeches, he did not make one of the mistakes of which many of us in the progressive movement are guilty. He didn’t jump into talking about tactics and policies at the beginning of his speeches. He didn't start out saying that we had to have civil rights legislation, or that we had to get out of Viet Nam. He emphasized universal values first, and often began his speeches with stories of personal significance -- how hard working people and their children were treated so harshly and unfairly by those in power. This is a powerful lesson that I hope we can all use when we talk about the issues of the day with friends and co-workers, even if we aren’t giving a speech.

Talking About Values

I believe it's time for those who are concerned about the direction our country is going to show we have values in common with those of different political views. These are the values that have made our country strong - the values that all the world's religions support, and that we learned in kindergarten and grade school. And it's time we start talking about them more, relating them to social action and issues we care about, and bringing us closer to a just society.

Unfortunately, some of us, and I'm sorry to say some in government, have forgotten those values. Even worse are people who pervert these values in their attempt to justify some of the worst unethical behavior and policies I've seen in a long time. We need to take back the use of the term "values" from those who say the word and imply that they have a monopoly on it, but who use it in vain.

We all have hopes and dreams, as did King. I wish for a country and world where we all respect each others' rights even when we disagree. I want a country where those who work hard, to provide their family and community with their needs, can live with dignity. I want the US and all parts of its government to embrace and support, not just tolerate, our Constitution and especially its Bill of Rights, that wonderful gift that our country's founders gave to us and to all generations.

Early in our lives, we learned that it's wrong to lie, to be selfish, or to take things from others just because we were stronger than them. We learned to respect and care for our homes, our schools, our communities, and our planet. We learned that there was no excuse for violating these principles, no matter how much we wanted what someone else had.

It's wrong to be a bully, to despoil our environment, to waste our planet's resources at the expense of future generations.

Often, though, we hear others talking about things they've heard on Fox News or elsewhere, and although they may seem terribly uninformed, it's difficult to know what to say. So sometimes we don't say anything.

How many of you have been in a situation like this, when you hear a co-worker say something about a current issue that you know is based on misinformation, perhaps something they heard on a talk radio show, but you didn't know what to say?

We can turn those situations into opportunities to talk about our values, and get people across this country talking about values as they haven't done in a long time.

Framing

What would Martin Luther King say when confronted by some inflammatory comment? I think he'd start talking about what he believed in, rather than responding directly to the a no-win discussion framework the other person started.

George Lakoff and Jeffrey Feldman have made some excellent suggestions on how "framing" a debate or conversation in the right way can make all the difference in communicating our ideas to others. They make the point that discussions about issues and policies should be framed around values we care about, not around a valueless frame that someone else creates and which inherently limits how we can communicate.

They say that social and political debate exists on three levels -- with values at the top, issues in the middle, and policies at the bottom. According to them, social progressives talk way too much about policies, and hardly ever about values. No wonder we turn people off.

For example, if someone starts talking about the "war on terror", you're not going to make much headway if you jump in talking about the evils of the PATRIOT ACT, wiretaps without court orders, or the rights of the Iraqi civilians. They are thinking about fear, terrorism, and how to fight it. You have to change the frame to be about values if you want them to understand your points.

Similarly, if you hear someone referring to people on welfare as lazy and undeserving, it probably won't help to respond by saying welfare recipients need child care and food stamps in order to survive. You should first talk about relevant values instead. I think that's what King would do.

So here's what we could say if someone says something that offends us about a political or social issue. We shouldn't respond directly. We should make a brief statement about our values, in a way likely to appeal to others, so we can frame the debate around those values rather than the frame they have set up.

[Pass out handout "Spreading Our Values - Using an Elevator Speech."]

Want my ideas on how to start spreading values through action? Let's start with changing the way we talk with our friends and co-workers.

Here are my suggestions for what to say when you hear a remark that offends your values, concerning some issue of the day. Don't ignore what you heard, but don't jump right in and start criticizing it. Make sure you start by saying the words "I believe", followed by some universal values that are important to you. I suggest that you plan a one-sentence statement based on your values, and practice it over and over, so you can use it without hesitating whenever the occasion comes up. This is what's called an "elevator speech", because it's short enough to use in a brief elevator trip. You need a short, concise statement about your core beliefs that you can use instantly in response to any statement relevant to those beliefs. Obviously, an elevator speech is not just for elevators.

Politicians use elevator speeches all the time, although some are not based on values. But ours should be.

My elevator speech is:

I believe in:
[mnemonic: FOSIRL]
Fairness and Opportunity for all, a Strong democracy based on ethics,
Investing in our future, the Rights of individuals & families, and
Leading the world by example.

Sometimes, I use just part of it, in response to a single issue someone has brought up. But memorizing our elevator speech and having it at the tip of our tongues makes it easy to instantly respond to issues others bring up. Here are some examples of how you can use parts of an elevator speech like this:

If someone starts talking about fighting the "war on terror", we might say "I believe in a strong democracy based on ethics, and leading the world by example." Then we could bring up whether it's ethical to lie to justify invading another country, how torture is universally condemned by all the world's religions, how the US used to be an example that the rest of the world looked up to, and how our actions in Iraq may be a recruiting tool for Al Queda. See how that changes the frame from "the war on terror"?

If someone talks about keeping gays and lesbians from marrying, I could say "I believe in fairness and opportunity for all, and the rights of individuals & families." Then I could say how I think all people should be able to love whoever they wish, even those I may not approve of, and how the government shouldn't be interfering in people's personal family relationships. That changes the frame from talking about "protecting marriage" to one of promoting fairness, non-discrimination, and respect for others.

If someone talks about "tax relief" for property owners and investors, we might say "I believe in investing in our future, and the rights of individuals & families." Then we could say "the future of our country depends on the education our children are getting today. We can't keep this country strong if we give unwarranted tax breaks to the wealthy while our schools can't pay teachers adequately and classrooms are overflowing. We can't have strong families when poorly educated parents have to work two jobs to put food on the table, and don't have time to read their children bedtime stories nor monitor how they spend their free time." See how that changes the frame from "protecting tax breaks" to one about the value of investing in our future, and in our children?

Mini-Workshop

Now, I'd like to do something different. I want you to look at the sheet on "Spreading our Values - Using an Elevator Speech".

It summarizes some of the things I've said.

It also has a few guidelines on how to make your own elevator speech, to make it personal -- one that you believe in from the depths of your soul, and can speak about from that perspective.

On the handout, you can see a list of values you might use in your elevator speech.

To make an elevator speech, take two of the values listed there, or others that are important to you, and put them after the words "I believe in". For example, "I believe in prosperity and opportunity".

Then take three or four other values, but turn them into expressed values that relate to social or government policies, by making them into metaphors. For example, you could turn the core value "protection" into "strong community". This implies that protection can come from people helping people, rather than from arming ourselves to the teeth and by throwing people in prison. Here's another example -- turn the values "honesty and trust" into "ethics in government". Or turn "opportunity" into "a great education for everyone". Or turn "fairness" into "quality, affordable health care for all".

Now, I want each of you to take about 5 minutes, pair up with the person next to you, pick some values that you feel are important, and write a one-sentence elevator speech. It doesn't have to be perfect. Then read it to each other, and revise it if you wish. One of you in each pair can then say something inflammatory about a current event, and the other should say the elevator speech, or part of it, in response. Try it and then I'll ask for a few of you to read us your elevator speeches. Remember, they should be only one sentence, and begin with the words "I believe in".

[Distribute pens/pencils if needed, wait for people to finish]

Would anyone like to share their elevator speech? We're not going to criticize them, just share ideas with each other.

How or when can we use this to put our values into action?
Has anyone seen this used effectively, by people on either side of the political spectrum?

Any thoughts or inspirations? Examples of how this might change people's minds?

Thanks for putting up with this little exercise. If you liked it, I encourage you to read more -- see the end of the handout for references.
I hope this will help you to communicate your values to others, in a way that will get us all thinking and communicating as Martin Luther King did.