This is called reframing. It is an attempt to redefine a problem ("It"). Reframing has potential power to view the problem from another angle, leading to a (previously unnoticed) solution to the problem.
Politicians use reframing a lot. We are going to hear this many times during upcoming presidential debate.
I like reframing. Reframing can shift my mental framework of understanding. It can be intellectual pleasure. It can be like a miniature version of a paradigm shift, an "ah-ha" moment, or a puzzle solved. Or even a comedy.
One thing I am careful about reframing (especially by politicians) is that whether the reframing helps solving the original "It", the problem.
Here is an example.
"School shooting is not about guns, but about mental illness".
Are we getting any closer to solve school shooting by redirecting our attention from gun availability to people with mental illness? Would the reframing eventually help to solve or reduce school shooting?
Problem solving by reframing needs follow-up measures for the "Y". Can the people reframing the school shooting issue as mental illness issue provide a (better) solution to mental illness? "Just saying" should not be enough.
Reframing can give us a small mental pleasure, an "ah-ha" moment. But if we are satisfied by that small pleasure and stop working on solving the original problem, it would mean that we fell for the agenda by the reframing guy.
Because, in many cases, reframing is used to redirect attention from "X" to something else rather than to solve the problem. The reframing guy can be quite sinister, hoping some of us to buy their reframing and forget about "X".
It's November before 2016 Presidential election in the US. Political season is coming up. Hope people keep healthy dose of problem-solving mindset.
PS
When "It" is not a problem, reframing is still an attempt to see "It" from a different angle. Whether the overall attempt is correct or not is open question, though.
Example: "Tango is not about technique, but about passion". Some will agree, others won't.
From my observation, people who neglect technique tend to lack it. You gain what you value.
