Perspective on anti-nuke instructor.

[KJD@NUCMED.BIH.HARVARD.EDU]

Tom - 

Greetings.  In regards to your e-mail about the teacher with an
anti-nukes bias:  If indeed she has an anti-nukes bias and is
making statements such as you suggest, it is likely that she has
made up her mind, and may not be willing to listen objectively to
a more reasoned opinion.  Even the most superficial understanding
of SI units should prevent anyone from coming to the conclusions
she has.  She is probably more interested in venting her fears of
radioactivity than she is in teaching.  A sad position for a
teacher to be in.

It is a well-known teaching technique to make an outlandish
statement to see how skilled the students are in researching and
debating the relevant points.  I would certainly grade someone
highly who listened to my outlandish stance, then responded in an
understanding, nonthreatening fashion.  Although it might "feel
good" to rip people with stupid opinions to intellectual threads,
it is only a short-term gain for the ripper and most often just
makes a bigger enemy out of the rippee.  Is she intentionally
irritating everyone to see who can keep their cool and respond
intelligently?

If you approach the questions she is posing with the attitude
that she is "a dummy," your responses will do little more than
irritate her.  If you see her questions as an opportunity to do a
little constructive education of your own, however, you have a
chance (albeit small) of diminishing her anti-nuclear zeal.

Although the warm and fuzzy approach makes some people break out
in hives, you might start with a non-threatening explanation of
the different unit systems and the advantages and disadvantages
of each.  Also, include several points already mentioned, such as
the relatively small scope of the nuclear industry as far as SI
unit conversion is concerned, the clear reluctance of the nuclear
industry to convert to SI units, and the fact that the U.S. has
lagged behind many other countries that have been using SI units
for years.  

Make sure you understand why she is asking the question.  Does
she think the nuclear industry is behind the conversion?  Does
she think the Feds are behind the alleged "cover-up"?  Or does
she believe aliens are responsible?  It may turn out that she has
another agenda on her mind, such as a power plant in her own back
yard, or a relative who died unexpectedly of cancer.  If she has
fears of radioactivity, they are real fears.  Dismissing them as
"unimportant" or "ignorant" will do nothing to allay her
concerns, and will cause you to miss an opportunity to do some
educating of your own.  

Kevin Donohoe
kjd@nucmed.bih.harvard.edu