In politics, you’re either on message or you’re losing. Let’s get to it.
Welcome to On Message, a weekly look at where the battle lines are drawn and who is winning the war of words.
This week… What’s in a Name?
One of the biggest debates during Utah’s annual 45-day legislative session this year has been a future name change for Dixie State University.
If you live in Utah, that name likely seems just fine, you’ve probably grown up with that just meaning Southern Utah.
And If you are new to Utah or watching from anywhere else in the United States, you likely had a slightly more visceral reaction to a term tied to the deep south and oppression.
Proponents of changing the name point out that it doesn’t send the message that aligns with the university’s vision, while opponents of the change say they don’t want their school to be a casualty of cancel culture.
To some extent, this is a matter of connotation vs. denotation. The word Dixie is defined as, “an informal name for the southern states of the U.S.”
But the connotation (the idea or feeling a word invokes in addition to its literal or primary meaning) is very different for many.
Put another way: how many kids named Adolf do you know? And how fashionable has it been in the last 80 years to have a small mustache that is only as wide as your nose?
Sure, you could have one and argue that you mean it as a tribute to the Charlie Chaplin but you better be ready to explain that in a hurry because that’s not the first thing that will come to mind for anyone who sees it.
The name Dixie State University is Charlie Chaplin’s mustache. It means one thing to people who grew up there, but far more people see it as Hitler’s mustache.
So, what’s the lesson?
What matters is not what you try to communicate but what your audience sees, hears and interprets. Words and symbols have meaning but the meaning that matters is what the audience sees or hears in our attempt to communicate. The burden of getting it right is on the presenter.
The Dixie State University name is now impacting students who go out into the workforce and have to justify the name or explain that they didn’t attend a racist institution to gain the skills they need to succeed.
In practicality, the name is a hurdle to delivering the very value the overall institution promises to matriculating students. And that’s a problem.
To move the name change along, legislative leaders and others did a nice job of reframing the argument. Racially insensitive vs. Part of Our Heritage wasn’t a winning battle for anyone. So, reframing the argument to focus on a lofty goal based on common ground was the smart way to go.
Supporters of the name change pointed out that DSU, located in one of the fastest growing parts of the country, is primed to become a regional, poly-technical university. Realizing that vision requires attracting students, professors and donations from outside Utah. That clarifies the choice: keep the name at the expense of the bigger vision or make a change and grow into something remarkable.
Frame the argument correctly and the choice you are advocating for becomes much clearer.
That’s it for this week.
More On Message in the next issue of the Utah Political Underground. Don’t forget to like this video and subscribe to our new YouTube channel.
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