Don't think of an elephant!

Hugo Chávez has a new pet peeve. Whatever you do, do not call him a dictator! Today he showed how much it annoyed him, when he said that if...

Hugo Chávez has a new pet peeve. Whatever you do, do not call him a dictator!

Today he showed how much it annoyed him, when he said that if the opposition behaves and stops calling him a dictator, he would be willing to meet with Zulia Governor Pablo Pérez.

I guess this is how he negotiates: stop calling him names he doesn’t like, and you get some face time with the dictator.

It’s not the first time Chávez has showed his annoyance and being called for what he is. Just a few days ago, in his address commemorating the January 23rd uprising, he tooted the same horn. He did the same in his State of the Union address. And let’s not forget this.

Chávez obviously hasn’t read many books on political framing. Nobody has told him yet that the more he repeats he is not what the opposition claims he is, the more people will associate him with the term. Do you want to see how this works? Quick: don’t think of an elephant!

So keep going Hugo. Keep saying it. All together now: “I am not a dictator!”