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title: Overton Window
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The Overton window is the range of policies politically acceptable to the mainstream population at a given time. It is also known as the window of discourse.

The term is named after Joseph P. Overton, who stated that an idea's political viability depends mainly on whether it falls within this range, rather than on politicians' individual preferences. According to Overton, the window frames the range of policies that a politician can recommend without appearing too extreme to gain or keep public office given the climate of public opinion at that time.

via [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overton_window)

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Overton worked at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, and they have a [page describing the concept](https://www.mackinac.org/OvertonWindow), as well as this video:

<iframe width="852" height="479" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FMU0w4MP8Dc" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

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The most current example I have of the Overton Window in action is Berlin passing a 5 year rent freeze law. Berlin's rental prices have been going up dramatically. And, there are more and more private housing owners. 

But, it so happens that the German constitution still has terms in it about the government being able to appropriate privately held housing from any entity that owns 200 or more units. Activists in Berlin starting talking about this law and suggesting its use. Where before private interests were against any sort of rent freeze, a 5 year rent freeze was agreed to, when faced with the much more "radical" option of having the housing appropriated. So, the activists "shifted the Overton Window".