linear hypothesis etc.

["Lamothe, Emelie" <lamothee@crl5.crl.aecl.ca>]

Well, I had planned originally on being quiet.  However, I want to pick on a 
comment by Todd Jackson on public opinion - " Public opinion isn't right or 
wrong, it just is!  You may perceive it as right or wrong but that doesn't 
make your perception any more correct than anyone else's.  ..... our only 
option is to work at changing the reality of public opinion and adding more 
logic and common sense to it. "

Contrary to what some of my friends and colleagues think, the public is not 
dumb.  The public includes engineers, scientists, doctors, plumbers, 
stay-at-home moms and dads, teacher, lawyers, police officers, childcare 
workers,  etc.  However, they do not possess the same techno-babble that we 
do or training.  They are trained in their field (law, medicine, child-care, 
etc) but not in ours.  When it comes to making an informed decision, whether 
it is buying a car or voting on an energy-related issues, WE AND THE PUBLIC 
 base our decision on what information is available and on fuzzy-type 
inputs.

The industry, as in other technical and scientific areas, has largely been 
dominated by men (don't flame me - this is a survey finding of a study 
involving > 3000 people), the use of jargon and the use of facts.  Within 
this context, the nuclear industry is viewed as part of the world of 
technology responsible for weakening human relationships and ignoring the 
human dimension of life, not to be trusted and a potential threat to the 
safety of future generations.  As Todd stated "Loudly proclaiming the public 
to be wrong and telling members of the public to trust the experts isn't the 
way to change the general opinion".

Often, the public distrusts experts. These experts are seen to be preaching 
(ironic isn't it).   And, the feeling becomes one of "Fine, they have a PhD. 
in abc, but what do they know about my/our reality?  They do trust the 
person who speaks simply from the heart and/or personal experience (eg. When 
I found a lump in my breast, I was glad mammagraphy was invented.)

 We need to do a lot of grassroots work to build this trust.  We need to 
appeal to women as well as men, using reason and emotion, not just facts, in 
the discussion about nuclear energy.   Just facts don't work.  And we need 
to bite our tongue and really hear what is being said.

I'll get off my soap box, now.  And of course, these are my opinions.

E.melie Lamothe