Your Cause Probably Has a PR Problem — And 3 Things You Can Do to Address It
No matter what cause it is that you’re fighting for, you probably have some specific reasons that the change you want hasn’t happened yet. Before you dive into those, though, take a step back. Why does the opposition to your mission oppose you?
Let’s look at one of my passions as an example.
I want every city in the US to have accessible, affordable, and reliable public transit. I want them all to have the option of car-free living with minimal to no sacrifice. And I don’t just mean New York, Chicago, and San Francisco — I mean Louisville, St. Louis, Houston, and Detroit. All of them.
Obviously, I’m not the only one that wants this — some version of public transit exists in most cities, and there are people in them who use it every day, and who advocate for increased service. You may say the problem is inadequate funding or a lack of riders. And you wouldn’t be wrong, but you’d be missing a core issue.
The US doesn’t have more public transit because public transit is for poor people.
Do I agree with this statement? Absolutely not. Is it true? Not at all. But that doesn’t change the fact that it’s the reason we don’t have better transit service. It’s a narrative in the minds of people who see a different reality than I do.
The narrative that your opposition has planted in their minds will render them resistant to any change you try to make.
While such a PR problem remains pervasive, the logical arguments you make won’t stick. The narrative — the emotional and cultural aspect — is where the meat of the issue lies. Fortunately, there are a few ways you can respond to that issue.
Keeping the narrative at the front of your argument will validate the rest.
No matter how small the individual cost is for funding transit, or where the funding is coming from, it’s difficult to persuade someone to fund something they don’t think is for them. The truth is that public transit is for the public — everyone can use it, and everyone can benefit from it. It’s important that your argument reminds people of their personal connection to the issue.
Public transit allows you to go to your favorite shops and restaurants without having to worry about parking.
Public transit allows you to go out and drink safely without having to worry about getting a ride home.
Public transit is used by everyday people like you and me.
Craft a new narrative that bridges the gap between your audience and your cause. It may seem obvious to you, but it won’t be to them.
Evade their narrative instead of combating it
It’s common for these narratives to feature an “us vs. them” mentality. Besides the “that’s their problem” narrative we see with public transit, it comes up often when talking about financial security as well. For example, no one is going to support UBI if they believe people are facing financial issues because of their own bad decisions. “Why should we pay for an issue they caused”?
While that narrative can be difficult to combat, it may be easier to evade it — in this case, by ignoring it and instead emphasizing why someone should care about benefiting others, whether it’s their fault or not.
The domino effect of poverty causes health issues (driving public health crises and filling up hospitals) and increases crime rates (many crimes are done in an act of desperation resulting from homelessness, unemployment, etc.).
It’s not always worth fighting someone on what they believe. Sometimes, you’re better off finding a different angle.
Fight with emotion and tell a story
It’s always tempting to cite a statistic, but it’s not always the right argument to make. Statistics lie — they’re easily manipulated, and thus not easily trusted. For every one that you cite, your opposition can find three to disagree. What they can’t disregard so easily, though, is a story.
What this difference in narrative comes down to is that we all live in our own realities — your job is to paint a picture and tell a story to show them yours. Get creative with it — bring in people who represent that reality, recruit a graphic designer or an artist to create a visual depiction of that reality, film a video, write a script (this is why representation in film, television, and theater is important — show an example).
By showing someone your version of reality, they’ll begin to see that it can, in fact, exist.
As much as I’d like to remain an optimist, in the end, not everyone will agree with you or even begin to understand your reality. That’s okay — you don’t need to convince everyone, and it’s a sign of wisdom to recognize what arguments aren’t worth your time.
But by recognizing the disparity between your narrative and someone else’s, you can begin to bridge the gap, leading to a better understanding of what you’re fighting for.
