Videos framing health care

Sorry to say, this is incredibly unclear. Who is this intended for? Is this the pro or con Universal coverage ad? By evoking extreme traumatic events and then not even coming out and saying clearly what you are supporting, I believe you have only served to activate conservative frames.

Putting these political ideas to the test without also studying media framing, the power of the image, and cognitive science, unfortunately backfired in my opinion.

I took away the message that the ad supports universal health care. It did seem low key and understated, however.

Are the flag photos and mention of bad events at the outset supposed to hook conservative-leaning folks? As a progressive I found the beginning somewhat distracting. When I see flags and hear that date in September, I immediately brace myself for a Strict Father message to follow. So it was difficult for me to shift gears for the rest of the ad.

Now, maybe that's a calculated tactic that works really well for health care biconceptuals. It didn't work well for me, but I may not represent the target audience.

What got my attention was the association of disaster aid with health care. I found that intriguing. (It was new to me.) Personally, I wouldn't name a specific storm or event, but just say something like, "When disaster strikes we assist those who need help the most. But when it comes to health care..." But maybe that's like the flag photos, and it works for an audience different from me.

Interesting class project. Thanks for sharing it.

But then I am a NYC first responder who served at 9-11, and a single payer universal health care advocate. I enjoyed that someone decided to make a video showing the inconsistency between how America responds to obvious mass casualty events like 9-11 and how we respond to more hidden and easily ignored catastrophic medical events that individuals face alone, and undergo without aid. To me there is an ongoing 9-11, or. in some ways a better example, ongoing Katrina taking place everyday as people go without medical care they desperately need, until it is an emergency, and often too late. The estimated 18,000 Americans who die each year because of lack of access to health care is a much larger number than either 9-11 or Katrina, and we could remedy that huge number of deaths simply by creating the political will to provide health care to all, like every other developed nation.

I'm glad the students decided to point out that tremendous discrepancy in humane response.

Thanks for your feedback. The intention of the ad was to increase support for universal health care using the principles of Lakoff's theory, which was applied in two ways. First, the living room scene with family pictures was intended to activate the nation as family metaphor; just as we care about our own family members, we care about our fellow Americans. Second, a health crisis is framed as a catastrophe.* Because even conservatives support government programs that aid the victims of catastrophes, it is hoped that the successful framing of health crises as catastrophes will force all Americans (not just progressives and biconceptuals) to reconsider the way health care should be delivered. Of course we all know that successful reframing requires the type of discipline of which progressives are infamously incapable.

*People know that health crises can strike any person at any time. In some cases, such as accidents and genetic vulnerabilities, the health crisis is unequivocally beyond the victim's control. In other cases, such as poor lifestyle habits that increase one's vulnerability to health crises, the victim is partly to blame. Catastrophes also take both forms: The victims of 9/11 were blameless, whereas the victims of natural disasters are sometimes accused of making poor choices to live in vulnerable places. In both cases, however, Americans support federal government aid for victims.

NOTE: This video was only one of five produced by our class. The remainder can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/DanMeegan

The trouble with the "health care debate" is prevention & public health are what improve the nation's health. In this case, safer trampolines, a spotting device so accident didn't occur, trampoline safety course etc. might have prevented the "accident."

The actual value of universal health care is we could syphon off some funding into prevention & public health instead of waiting for sickness & accidents to occur.

(I thought the video was straightforward & clear - a compelling statement for the "typical liberal position" which misses the point about prevention & public health.)

Can I just say how impressive it is that this course exists - I wish it was offered at my Uni!

I liked that it told the story of a real person. The fact that he was holding a child also added to the emotion of the story in that he had a real person relying on him, who can't take care of him/herself.

It's certainly an advert hard to argue against from a conservative/right wing point of view.

it also emphasised that we are all in this together - dropping in some good valuespeak.