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Overton window

File:Overton_Window_diagram.svg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

EntityQ542950· pop 41· linked from 747 articles

Overton window

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Also known as window of discourse

range of ideas tolerated in public discourse

~9 min read

Encyclopedic overview

An illustration of the Overton window, along with Treviño's degrees of acceptance

The Overton window is the range of subjects and arguments politically acceptable to the mainstream population at a given time. It is also known as the window of discourse. The key to the concept is that the window changes over time; it can shift, shrink, or expand. It exemplifies "the slow evolution of societal values and norms".

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Overton window” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.