What words would you use to share this photo and this story? What are the best communication techniques and frames about the current border crisis?
Story Behind Viral Photo of Diapered, Barefoot Migrant Children Fleeing Tear Gas
Please share cleaner, shorter versions in the comments, or take this as you like and create memes from it! (I don't want credit if you like some of the wording, but would love links back.)
"Whatever you think about how we should deal with our border, we all need a moment to let this image be real to us.
If you live in a world where you have not had to flee with your children, feel thankful for that. Whatever you think we should do at the border, let the reality that this is happening have a moment of your heart.
We're seeing a mother who gave birth, fed her children, was afraid every time they got sick, quite likely took them to church every week, and at some point made the choice that fleeing with them was the best thing she could do for them. Whatever you want to do at the border, see her. Whatever your politics, make sure she has some choices better than watching her children face hunger and violence.
Goal: Get people to open their hearts, the first step of the cascade — not yet pushing for policy change, though I think the heart-opening is the hard part, and the policy change screams out once hearts are open.
Audience: A wide swath, all the way from:
- Centrist voters who dislike both Democrats and Republicans, and who see liberal insults of the GOP as part of the hyper-partisanship; who feel like spectators, who need to be invited to participate.
- Conservatives such as Pro-Life voters who are really Christian, who are more blind to suffering rather than compassion-less (though it looks the same to make liberals who see the suffering and don't realize how people could fail to focus on it.)