[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

RE: perception and reality



Radsafers:



Boy I hate getting in these kinds of discussions, but my button's been pushed.



In USCEA (now NEI)public speaking training, I learned the three hit theory of peoples' perceptions of reality.  Essentially it states that when told something three times, without any countering information, a person will come to believe what they have been told. It is a foundation tool of the marketing industry.  It is why the anti-nuclear folk are so much more successful than we are in "selling" their product/beliefs.  How do you prevent people from believing a falsehood? Simply counter the information with your own hit.  



I suggest that you follow my example and send the reporter an email to counter his built-in belief that radiation is bad, bad, bad. It may take awhile (it took me one year to get one reporter to be neutral), but you can change them (to at least a neutral belief).  I recommend that you email the reporter something akin to what Michael Stabin wrote which compares responses/real risk to the different emergencies.  It has high emotional impact, which helps to break through the person's (false) belief. Please be tactful if you do email him - really review it to make sure it does not attack him personally, otherwise you can kiss your effort goodbye.



Countering false beliefs is a never ending battle. It is tough, takes commitment and you must have patience when your efforts do not work right away. 



PS: It is nigh on impossible to correct the anti-nuclear bias "hit" that all the people reading the article got. You can only hope that this guy's future writings will counter this hit today. 



Larry Grimm, Senior HP

UCLA EH&S/ Radiation Safety Division

*	lgrimm@admin.ucla.edu   Phone:310/206-0712   Fax: 310/206-9051

Cell: 310/863-5556  Pager:1-800-233-7231ext93569

*	On Campus: 501 Westwood Plaza, 4th Floor, MS 951605

*	Off Campus: UCLA Radiation Safety Div, 501 Westwood Plaza 4th

Fl, Box 951605, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1605

*	If this email is not RSD business, the opinions are mine, not

UCLA's.





-----Original Message-----

From: Michael G. Stabin [mailto:michael.g.stabin@vanderbilt.edu]

Sent: Wednesday, August 14, 2002 12:51 PM

To: radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu

Subject: Re: perception and reality, my foot





> Dismissing people with concerns as stupid or inferior will only

> reenforce their fears.

> ...those who want to continue their elitist and condescending approach to

public concerns:



As noted by others, however, and I agree, the overreaction was not so much

by "the public", but by those who dispatched hundreds of emergency workers

to pick up a box of dirty tools off the roadway (thanks for the correction,

Rick). Perception is not reality by a long shot. In my post, there were only

words copied from web pages, but under those words was a reality. Two human

beings died in an inferno caused by a truck crash in Orlando and six other

human beings were crushed and mangled to death in Oklahoma by a truck

carrying peaches. These people were probably horribly frightened and

suffered pain before they died. Their families and friends had to attend a

funeral. Their beds at home and perhaps desks at work are now vacant. That's

reality. In the low level rad waste incident, absolutely no one was harmed,

but officials massively overreacted and scared the public. Then the

disingenuous politicos jumped on the situation to show how "inherently

dangerous" the whole nuclear industry is, and tried to tie it to Yucca

Mountain. Did these same critics suggest that we also shut down the

petroleum and peach industries? Noting this is not elitist or condescending,

it's just an attempt to state the point that the reactions were

inappropriate, and that things shouldn't happen that way in the future.



Mike



Michael G. Stabin, PhD, CHP

Assistant Professor of Radiology and Radiological Sciences

Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences

Vanderbilt University

1161 21st Avenue South

Nashville, TN 37232-2675

Phone (615) 343-0068

Fax   (615) 322-3764

e-mail     michael.g.stabin@vanderbilt.edu

internet   www.doseinfo-radar.com





************************************************************************

You are currently subscribed to the Radsafe mailing list. To unsubscribe,

send an e-mail to Majordomo@list.vanderbilt.edu  Put the text "unsubscribe

radsafe" (no quote marks) in the body of the e-mail, with no subject line.

You can view the Radsafe archives at http://www.vanderbilt.edu/radsafe/

************************************************************************

You are currently subscribed to the Radsafe mailing list. To unsubscribe,

send an e-mail to Majordomo@list.vanderbilt.edu  Put the text "unsubscribe

radsafe" (no quote marks) in the body of the e-mail, with no subject line.

You can view the Radsafe archives at http://www.vanderbilt.edu/radsafe/