David wrote:
> This IS a teaching of _psychology_ list, so _anything_ CAN be made
> relevant, but not everything IS relevant.
>
> Thinking of posting his get rich quick internet scheme(relevance?
> persuasion, method of authority, give me 5 minutes, I'll think
> of more) to
> the list,
> Dave
>
> P.S. This post is apolitical, I would post it if people were garnering
> support for their pro-life or pro-choice rally as well.
David, I tend to agree with you and others who have seen this as an issue
not relevant to the list--but for a very different reason.
Unlike a political list, where such topics can be examined from _both_
sides and discussed (and, yes, there ARE very good arguments for the
position that the US should stay out of the affairs of other nations),
here because of the nature of the list in order to take the opposite
position a list member would tend to give the (probably false) impression
that s/he supported "genocide" or other atrocities. A post such as the
original one in the thread is not an invitation to debate the merits of
the issue (or the facts about the events taking place, for that matter),
it is a call to support a political cause coached in terms that make it
impossible to present an opposing view without appearing callous or
uncaring about human rights.
For that reason, such appeals are _very_ inappropriate to TIPS--although
the discussion of the _issues_ involved (from an academic or political
perspective) are not. Certainly, as a PoliSci instructor (I teach various
courses in PoliSci, Sociology, Minority Studies, and Economics as well as
Psychology) with a very strong academic interest in political sociology
and psychology, I can find any number of reasons why the topic itself is
relevant. Yet, in the form of an appeal to "inform the students" little
response is possible.
Your example was an excellent one: If you introduced a discussion of the
psychological implications of "Get Rich Quick" schemes and how they could
be used to teach students about persuasion or marketing psychology, it
would be a totally appropriate topic to pursue here. But if you posted a
plea to "ask your students to each send one dollar to . . ." instead, the
post would be completely inappropriate.
Rick
--
Rick Adams
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Department of Social Sciences
Jackson Community College, Jackson, MI
"... and the only measure of your worth and your deeds
will be the love you leave behind when you're gone."
Fred Small, J.D., "Everything Possible"
