This zine series is inspired by a May 12, 2025 article by Vu Le, “What the heck is the Overton Window, and how can we use it to advance progressive goals?”
Basically the Overton Window is a political science idea that proposes there is a window of ideas that the public is willing to accept. Everything outside the window is radical or unthinkable. The theory is, if you want to move the window, you should propose something extreme to make the slightly less extreme ideas seem acceptable.
The idea is that people don’t have to accept an idea at first. They just have to get used to it by comparing it to other more radical ideas.
Conservative example:
Vu Le shares, “For instance, when they talk about sending US citizens to concentration camps in El Salvador without due process, it trains the public to think that sending non-US citizens to these camps without due process is less horrifying in comparison (when it absolutely is still very horrifying).
Progressive example:
“For instance, a few decades ago, marriage equality was unthinkable, and even popular Democratic presidents still opposed it. Now, the Window has widened to include LGBTQ rights so it’s not too controversial for politicians, even conservative ones, to say they support it,” states Vu Le.
This zine series highlights a few ideas for uplifting seemingly extreme ideas (make it impossible to be a billionaire, grant natural entities like rivers and forests a protected status and rights, etc.) to help make tamer ideas feel within reach (automatic voter registration, healthcare as a human right, etc.).
Finally, I invite people to print them out and distribute them. Free Little Libraries are a great place for sharing.
