please hope me! June 26, 2009 9:27 AM   Subscribe

Somewhere on Metafilter, either in a post or a comment, I remember a specific term being used to describe how organized advocacy for extreme positions shifts public understanding of what is acceptable policy in that direction, making other, similar but slightly less extreme positions seem more moderate in comparison. I believe the term was "___ square" where ___ was a last name.

There was also a link to a wikipedia article on the term and its use in Political Science.

I haven't had any luck with mefi search, google or wikipedia. Does anyone know what I'm talking about or did I make it all up?
posted by Vectorcon Systems to MetaFilter-Related at 9:27 AM (7 comments total) 1 user marked this as a favorite

The Overton Window?
posted by mesh gear fox at 9:29 AM on June 26, 2009


It looks like mesh has it, so I'll just add that I used this technique fairly successfully when lobbying my parents for things as a kid. My wife just laughs. And says no. Damn it.
posted by empyrean at 9:36 AM on June 26, 2009


That's it! Thanks.

Looks like I wasn't the first to appreciate and then forget it.
posted by Vectorcon Systems at 9:38 AM on June 26, 2009


Sort of related.
posted by peep at 9:51 AM on June 26, 2009


I guess windows are square...
posted by five fresh fish at 3:45 PM on June 26, 2009


Well, now that that's solved, I'm off for hot sex with your grandma's corpse. Or perhaps you'd like to give me $10 instead?
posted by Pollomacho at 6:51 PM on June 26, 2009 [1 favorite]


No, I charge $20 for sex with my Grandma's corpse, same as downtown.
posted by BrotherCaine at 10:57 PM on June 26, 2009


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