Overton Window

   The Overton Window is the imaginary view of the range of ideas the public is willing to accept. The public determines what the collective opinion on new topics is in society and sets them on a scale that moves as history proceeds. These ideas change very slowly over time here and there a little. This is dones through movements and events throughout history and it usually takes time to change the majority of the opinions in the public. The scale starts on the outside of the freedom spectrum and moves inwards. The spectrum from out to in is Unthinkable, Radical, Acceptable, Sensible, Popular, and finally Policy.

    Joseph Lehman says “The most common misconception is that lawmakers themselves are in the business of shifting the Overton window. That is absolutely false. Lawmakers are actually in the business of detecting where the window is, and then moving to be in accordance with it.” This means that it is all up to the public and the overton window is not fixed, we move it. But how do we move it? This question is multivariable but can be summed up in our role in government because our goal is policy. 

    An example of this is the evolution of Women’s Rights. Before Seneca Falls in 1848 women’s suffrage was Unthinkable in the majority. Then the overton window switched to radical but acceptable when Wyoming was the first to give women the right to vote on the state level. We can see that the law detected where the window was but the people voted for it to be there. Next, we see a major shift to Sensibile and Popular in 1914 at the start of the first World War. Women were working and helping the war machine immensely, so rationally speaking there was no reason for them not to vote and popularity of that idea led them to the final step of Policy. In 1920 the 19th Amendment was passed and it was policy that all American Women had the right to vote at all levels. 

    Supposing that lawmakers accurately detect where the Overton Window is, the idea works well and can serve the public very well. We as a people choose what is acceptable and the law moves with our moral compass. The only problem is when a corrupt government detects the Overton Window by the opinion of the few in power rather than the majority of the public. Oftentimes in dictatorships or corrupt governments we see people revolt because they are not being represented correctly. Our revolution against Britain started with wanting religious freedom but the lawmakers not acknowledging the movement of the window.

    As long as we the people maintain a good moral compass and the law makers accurately study our opinions, the Overton Window is one of the most important ideologies of democracy. The people give power to the leaders and the leaders serve the people. An accurate Overton Window is the first sign of a good leader and properly represented people.