Strategic Use…
Politicians and activists often use the Overton window deliberately:
• “Door-opening” strategy: Push a more extreme position to make your real goal look moderate by comparison (the “anchor” effect).
• “Window-moving” strategy: Work for decades to normalize an idea (e.g., think tanks funding research, media appearances, model legislation).
• The “Overton paradox”: Sometimes the window moves so fast that yesterday’s radical idea becomes today’s consensus (or vice versa).
