RE: "Perception is reality"

<<Barbara Hamrick wrote:

Zero radioactivity above background leaving any site, anywhere, anytime. Oh yeah, this'll be fun.>>

The entertainment's still free.

<<Ted de Castro wrote:

Pay attention to perception - right or wrong it can cause you great difficulty/grief.>>

Many years ago I (eventually) learned a lesson in a labor law class when I kept getting a C on every paper I wrote. I couldn't figure out what the problem was until I realized that I wasn't addressing the irrelevant factors in the case studies. When I started addressing them in a short introductory paragraph and then dismissing them with a brief explanation, the professor no longer assumed I wasn't aware of them, and the C's changed to A's.

Our "customers" include those who may be less intelligent, less informed, less rational or more driven by their emotions, and likely more skilled in persuasion of the public and politicians (probably due to operating from their emotions--let's all cry on cue now when we talk about the future of our children). As asinine as their viewpoints may appear, they still need to be acknowledged and addressed (yes, each and every time--all together now in a non-patronizing tone--No, there aren't any monsters under the bed, Suzy). After hearing the same response time after time, one of two results is likely: they'll either quit worrying about monsters, or they'll start addressing their real objections in a rational manner; they won't like either option if they're not honestly afraid of monsters under the bed. It takes all of the adults doing the same thing for it to work, though--you can't have mom telling Suzy that there are no monsters and dad acting as though there could be monsters and we should worry about it.

So the bottom line is to be aware of and address the (false) perceptions briefly, then immediately move to reality (the sound-bite approach seems to work best).

Jack Earley
Radiological Engineer

-----Original Message-----
From: BLHamrick@AOL.COM [mailto:BLHamrick@AOL.COM]
Sent: Tuesday, September 17, 2002 9:28 PM
To: jjcohen@PRODIGY.NET; sandyfl@EARTHLINK.NET
Cc: radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu
Subject: Re: "Perception is reality"

In a message dated 09/17/2002 6:40:44 PM Pacific Daylight Time, jjcohen@PRODIGY.NET writes:

For a classic example of
what
I refer to (and what set me off on this rant), see your recent post on the
California Legislature's scuttling low-level radwaste disposal in the
state.

And, y'all just wait and see what happens with Senator Romero's bill, which is on the Governor's desk. Zero radioactivity above background leaving any site, anywhere, anytime. Oh yeah, this'll be fun.

Barbara