TexasCHLforum.com

Last warning. No talking about religion. One more mention and the thread is locked.

Keith B wrote:Last warning. No talking about religion. One more mention and the thread is locked.

My dear Mother (R.I.P) always told me that gentlemen do not discuss religion or politics in public.

Sorry Keith.

I didn't think we were. We could just have easily been talking about roofing.

Heh, marketing rarely gets me. I'm one of the biggest cynics I know... sometimes that's not a good thing, but it certainly saves me a lot of money on things like Slapchops and Shamwows

I'm the same. My dad messed with me so much that I have a difficult time believing anything I hear without verifying it with another source and sometimes at least two other sources. I'm not a paranoid person, but I am suspicious of a lot of things.

7075-T7's post above reminds me of the method of persuasion of trying to snow you with technical or smart sounding double speak that means very little, but sounds really intelligent if you don't think about too hard.

I'm an engineer and I occasionally see people get twisted around by techno-babble that means very little. I see it a lot on some of the history/science shows where guys are trying to sell their idea that there were ancient aliens or some other idea. They sometimes sound pretty good if you don't consider the assumptions they are making or the alternative questions or answers they are ignoring. The history channel has a lot of crazy stuff at times that can be fun to discuss.

We all get manipulated by sales techniques. I guess different people are suckers for different pitches.

MechAg94 wrote:7075-T7's post above reminds me of the method of persuasion of trying to snow you with technical or smart sounding double speak that means very little, but sounds really intelligent if you don't think about too hard.

I'm an engineer and I occasionally see people get twisted around by techno-babble that means very little. I see it a lot on some of the history/science shows where guys are trying to sell their idea that there were ancient aliens or some other idea. They sometimes sound pretty good if you don't consider the assumptions they are making or the alternative questions or answers they are ignoring. The history channel has a lot of crazy stuff at times that can be fun to discuss.

We all get manipulated by sales techniques. I guess different people are suckers for different pitches.

I go further and say (and then duck and run) that a lot of conspiracy theorists are either manipulating, or being manipulated.

That said, I've got urgent business elsewhere now, lest Jack Ruby find me and finish the job....

The Annoyed Man wrote: I go further and say (and then duck and run) that a lot of conspiracy theorists are either manipulating, or being manipulated.

pbwalker wrote:

The Annoyed Man wrote: I go further and say (and then duck and run) that a lot of conspiracy theorists are either manipulating, or being manipulated.

Mumble grumbledy mumble mumffum mumble Kennedy grobledymumb space aliens.

MechAg94 wrote:7075-T7's post above reminds me of the method of persuasion of trying to snow you with technical or smart sounding double speak that means very little, but sounds really intelligent if you don't think about too hard.

I'm an engineer and I occasionally see people get twisted around by techno-babble that means very little. I see it a lot on some of the history/science shows where guys are trying to sell their idea that there were ancient aliens or some other idea. They sometimes sound pretty good if you don't consider the assumptions they are making or the alternative questions or answers they are ignoring. The history channel has a lot of crazy stuff at times that can be fun to discuss.

We all get manipulated by sales techniques. I guess different people are suckers for different pitches.

I'm not sure if I should be insulted or not.

I was merely posing a thought excercise to wander outside our comfort zone of thinking and expand your mind. Things are not always what they seem, and if it sounds like I'm just spouting babble, then perhaps you are ignorant in the subject.

MechAg94 wrote: We all get manipulated by sales techniques. I guess different people are suckers for different pitches.

Everyone can be manipulated. Ever notice how a pretty girl can get a guy to do almost anything? Now that I am older my resistance is better, a pretty smile or well timed tears only work about 90% of the time.

7075-T7 wrote:

MechAg94 wrote:7075-T7's post above reminds me of the method of persuasion of trying to snow you with technical or smart sounding double speak that means very little, but sounds really intelligent if you don't think about too hard.

I'm an engineer and I occasionally see people get twisted around by techno-babble that means very little. I see it a lot on some of the history/science shows where guys are trying to sell their idea that there were ancient aliens or some other idea. They sometimes sound pretty good if you don't consider the assumptions they are making or the alternative questions or answers they are ignoring. The history channel has a lot of crazy stuff at times that can be fun to discuss.

We all get manipulated by sales techniques. I guess different people are suckers for different pitches.

I'm not sure if I should be insulted or not.

I was merely posing a thought excercise to wander outside our comfort zone of thinking and expand your mind. Things are not always what they seem, and if it sounds like I'm just spouting babble, then perhaps you are ignorant in the subject.

I wasn't sure what your point was either.


I also happen to be an engineer, and it's fairly common for people to simply nod their head and agree when someone talks, or appears to be talking, over their head. People don't want to appear to be less educated or intelligent. It can become a viable tool for manipulation.

Best example I've seen yet:
[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=rLDgQg6bq7o[/youtube]

Drewthetexan wrote:[I wasn't sure what your point was either.


I also happen to be an engineer, and it's fairly common for people to simply nod their head and agree when someone talks, or appears to be talking, over their head. People don't want to appear to be less educated or intelligent. It can become a viable tool for manipulation.

Gee, there's alot of Nerds in the crowd. I'm an engineer (hook-em horns) as well, so I sound probably be working now.

My point was not something that I can post (anymore), but the synopsis of it was: If something can be used to manipulate, then would it not stand to reason that in normal use it could also manipulate? Something can not be "not manipulative" and "used by others to manipulate" at the same time.

C-dub wrote:<X> cannot manipulate anyone, but there are many unscrupulous people that will use <X> to manipulate others.

You can't eat your cake and have it too, or have you cake and eat it too however the saying goes.

Edit: I honestly don't see where I was "speaking above peoples heads" or using overly-technical concepts. I guess you can just annoy people by doing anything these days.

wrong button

7075-T7 wrote:

Drewthetexan wrote:[I wasn't sure what your point was either.


I also happen to be an engineer, and it's fairly common for people to simply nod their head and agree when someone talks, or appears to be talking, over their head. People don't want to appear to be less educated or intelligent. It can become a viable tool for manipulation.

Gee, there's alot of Nerds in the crowd. I'm an engineer (hook-em horns) as well, so I sound probably be working now.

My point was not something that I can post (anymore), but the synopsis of it was: If something can be used to manipulate, then would it not stand to reason that in normal use it could also manipulate? Something can not be "not manipulative" and "used by others to manipulate" at the same time.

C-dub wrote:<X> cannot manipulate anyone, but there are many unscrupulous people that will use <X> to manipulate others.

You can't eat your cake and have it too, or have you cake and eat it too however the saying goes.

Edit: I honestly don't see where I was "speaking above peoples heads" or using overly-technical concepts. I guess you can just annoy people by doing anything these days.

Oh, I was only speaking in general about techno-babble; I didn't mean to imply that you had done this - although I wasn't sure what you meant either.

I reread what you posted a few more times, and, abstractly, I don't think that anything exists that cannot, in some form, be perverted or used in a manner that would influence another. Are you arguing that while something is an instrument in manipulation, it is itself not manipulative? That the first condition necessarily precludes the second?


And I suspected you were an engineer from your screen-name; but I'm one of those electrical guys...