The Touro Communication Club Notes - #127–November 10, 2010
Contents:
1. Ten Quotes about “Money”
2. UPCOMING CLUB PROGRAM: - “Money”
Wednesday, November 10, 2010 @ 2 pm in Room 223
3. Logical Fallacy of the Week # 17 – “The False Dilemma”
4. Professor Geo’s “Communication Thought of the Week”
5. Note to Communicators: “Money Issues”
6. .NEXT WEEK’S TOPIC Critical Listening Institute: Ravel’s “Bolero”
7. Upcoming Conversations - please add your topic to the list
8. What happened last week: ““Midterm Elections”
1. Ten Quotes about Money
“Money was never a big motivation for me, except as a way to keep score. The real excitement is playing the game.”
Donald Trump, author, “Trump: Art of the Deal,” American real estate developer
“My problem lies in reconciling my gross habits with my net income.”
Errol Flynn (1909-1959), Hollywood movie actor
“Lack of money is the root of all evil.”
George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950), Irish playwright and socialist
“For the love of money is the root of all evil.”
1 Timothy 6:10, New Testament, The Bible, King James’ version
“Money frees you from doing things you dislike. Since I dislike doing nearly everything,
money is handy.”
Groucho Marx (1890-1977), actor, comedian with the Marx Brothers
“Money can’t buy happiness, but neither can poverty.”
Leo Rosten (1908-1997), Jewish humorist and Yiddish lexicographer
“Money makes the world go round.”
Song lyric from 1966 musical “Cabaret”, book by Joe Masteroff, music and lyrics by
John Kander and Fred Ebb, later made into a film.
“Money is better than poverty, if only for financial reasons.”
Woody Allen, American comedian and filmmaker
“Money often costs too much.”
2. The Touro Communication Club
Wednesday, November 10, 2010 - 2 pm – Room 223 – Midtown
“Money”
Expect this topic to promote lots of heat. Although money is often invisible in many of our daily activities, its presence or lack of it can provoke the most extreme human behavior. Money can be a measure of self-esteem, a tool for measuring accomplishment, a springboard for greed, a sacrament of poverty, a replacement for love, and on and on. Everyone has a different relationship to money which may be conscious or not. Let’s start the discussion with “The love of money is the root of all evil.”
3. Logical Fallacy of the Week #17:
“False Dilemma”
You’ve no doubt heard this sneaky fallacy during the recent Midterm elections. You’ve probably heard it used in an argument where the emotions are so high that reason doesn’t have a chance to breathe.
“Am I right or wrong?” “I can either cheat or fail the exam.” “S/he didn’t treat me right so I stole his/her money.” “If I don’t leap a tall building at a single bound, I’m a failure.” “My way or the highway.”
The dichotomy derives from black and white thinking. For this person, there are only two options: yes/no, good/bad, success/failure; light/dark, on/off, beautiful/ugly, either/or. B&W thinking simplifies life: You don’t have to worry about grays. Everything is one way or the other. Nothing is nuanced.
As the media noise increases in American political elections, the politicians must try to break through the din to reach the voter. Simple wins. Complex loses. Bumper sticker thinking works because people remember “simple.’ Like students in class, voters zone out with complex ideas.
The False Dilemma is the perfect tool for creating instant voter response for or against an issue by reducing complex ideas to only two options which are often misrepresentations of the actual situation. Arguments about cutting Social Security, Medicare and the national debt are fraught with False Dilemmas to enhance one position over another.
The same fallacy is often used by parents to give their children a false choice: “Either you eat your dinner or you get smacked.” “Be quiet or I’ll give you something to cry about.” The child does not have the reasoning skills yet to neutralize parental authority and since parents are physically larger than children, the fear of unknown consequences forces the child to obey.
To allow more options than two forced by the False Dilemma, you need to be calm and understand that most of the time, life is about many options. It’s just that the person who uses this fallacy cannot think of them or is using it as an intimidation technique.
In one of the famous comedy sketches of radio comedian Jack Benny, a robber accosts him and says, “Your money or your life.” Benny would pause, look at the audience, put his right hand to his check and say, “Well…..”
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4. Professor Geo’s “Communication Thought of the Week #5:
American poet Adrienne Rich reminds us that “Lying is done with words and also with silence.”
5. .A Note to Communicators:
“Money Issues”
The quotations above are only a tiny fraction of the number of opinions about money from the dawn of time to the present moment. Both the lack of money and the excess of money can pose problems for many people. Money, like Mark Twain’s weather, is something people talk about, but do nothing about it.
Why is money talked about so much? We need to identify the several levels on which money operates.
- There’s the concrete level – the area which can be measured.
o How much is in your pocket now?
o Do you have enough money to pay your bills?
o How much is in your bank account?
o The amount of money has no connection to self-worth
- Then there’s the psychological level – the associations people bring to money.
o I am a failure when I have no money.
o I am a success when I have lots of money.
o I need more money because I am afraid of failure.
o I need more money because I have to prove I am superior to everyone else.
o I believe money buys happiness.
o When I have money, I feel powerful. Etc.
- Then there’s the symbolic level – what money represents to the individual and to society.
o Lots of money equals power and influence
o Little or no money equals poverty and indigence
There’s the billionaire’s view of money, quoted by Donald Trump above. “Money is a way of keeping score” in the win/lose game of money.
Wealth or the lack of it is, I believe, a state of mind. If one is focused on externals – things, position, power – then money is an important barometer of success. This person has an external locus of control. Objects and rank are markers for success. Society conditions us, like Pavlovian dogs, to go shopping. Or as one student told me the other day, “I just came back from shopping therapy.”
If one is focused on internal values – an internal locus of control – then money is unlikely to rule thoughts of external success. The internal measures of success are set by the individual’s goals, not society’s.
To identify and establish one’s own internal values - and act on them productively – is a constant challenge. For the most part, external values seem to be the norm while internal values are invisible and cannot be measured by external tools.
Someone like a religious ascetic or a nun or monk in a monastery withdraws from the external world to contemplate internal values. There are few distractions in an environment of reduced stimulation.
Most of us try to balance our internal with our external values in the street world of money and power. It is a difficult juggling act and sacrifices have to be made. Often someone is hurt.
From exploring what money represents to each of us we can learn much. Like any universal symbol – the bris, the bar/bas mitzvah, the wedding ring, the funeral – money carries many layers of meaning, different for each of us.
Next time you want to have an unpredictable conversation, ask, “What do you think about money?” Be prepared.
6. Next week’s Conversation:
Critical Listening Institute II – Maurice Ravel’s “Bolero”
In this second session of our effort to sharpen our listening skills, we turn to a famous piece of music, a one-movement orchestral piece by French composer Maurice Ravel, premiered in 1928. “Bolero” gained universal attention when it was commandeered for the 1979 Blake Edwards comedy, “10” starring Dudley Moore, Bo Derek and Julie Andrews. We are going to listen to the piece twice, once for a general impression followed by a discussion. Then we close with a second hearing. It should be fun to understand how the structure of this particular piece of music created such notoriety.
7. UPCOMING CONVERSATIONS:
What about one of these topics?
“Repetition”
“Meaning”
“Why Does History Repeat Itself?”
“Heroism”
“Concentration”
“Coping with Adversity”
Student Poetry showcase
“Empathy”
“Connecting the Dots”
Role play of Cynical people
“Cold Calling in Sales”
“He’s Just Not That into You”
Critical Listening Institute III: “Abbott & Costello’s ‘Who’s On First?’”
“Criticism – Giving and Receiving”
“Logical Fallacies”
“Freedom II”
Faculty Colloquy I: T.S. Eliot’s “The Waste Land”
presented by Professor Carlisle Yearwood
“Gender Communication II”
“SPAR Debate”
“Distraction II”
“Negotiation II”
“Imagination II”
“Rodney King: ‘Can’t We Just Get Along?’ II”
“Political Savvy”
“Emotions: Anger II”
“Capitalism and Socialism”
And dozens of others!
Compare the notice of the session with what really happened!
9. What happened on Wednesday, November 3, 2010?
“The 2010 Midterm Election Results”
We are changing this week’s topic to the most heated subject in the news these days. What will happen on Tuesday, November 2, 2010? By the time we have this discussion we’ll know the winners and losers. This year’s elections are remarkable for several reasons::*the emergence of a divisive Tea Party which has so many aspects it is hard to get a handle on its position(s); * the diminished power of the Republican party as it has been seemingly dominated by the Tea Party; *the dubious influence of President Obama on the Democratic candidates; *the timid nature of the Democrats to brag about their accomplishments in the last two years; * the importance of money and media in the election; * and the coarsening of the political dialogue between candidates where opinions become facts and facts are invented. For Communicators to cast an informed vote, you really have to sharpen your critical thinking and listening skills. There is so much to learn about Communication and the lack of it just a casual observer of what’s going on.
MAKE SURE YOU VOTE ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 2!
Two new faces, Moche Bengio and Matthew Nwozuzu, joined Steve Gradman and Ian Smith who hadn’t visited in a while. Familiar participants included Markus Vayndorf, Richard Green, Mathew Mattocks, Charles Mason, Hal Wicke and one young woman whose name I could not decipher on the sign in list.
As expected, there were many divided opinions about yesterday’s elections. Several thought Obama deserved to lose, but others reminded them that the election was not about Obama but about the House and Senate. Yet several people felt that what Obama did or did not do influenced the election.
Moche, born in France, felt that “politics is a game.” Demonstrating his extensive knowledge of British, French and European government, he felt that America’s legislative structure produces its own difficulties.
The success of British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, was that he was able to be all things to all people. People called him, “Bush’s Poodle.”
There was an extended discussion about capitalism and socialism and the roles both belief systems play in American government. The topic was so juicy that we will have a stand-alone conversation about both points of view.
Another extensive discussion focused on the Tea Party as a new force in American politics. We tried to define what it was.
We also noted how many Tea Partiers were women – Sarah Palin, Christine O’Donnell, Michele Bachman, Sharron Angle – versus more typical Republican women like Meg Whitman and Carly Fiorina.
Leadership is about the ordering of priorities. Was Obama tactically wrong to push for healthcare before jobs? Most people thought it was and that was a major cause of the Democrats losing the House.
Other topics were briefly touched on: Glenn Beck, Liberal media (MSNBC) vs Conservative media (Fox), Libertarianism, the impact of political advertising because of the Citizen’s United decision of the Supreme Court.
Finally, Hal asked, “What is the one trait you look for in a political candidate? The answers were revealing:
2 -One who keeps the people in mind.
1- One who is intelligent.
2 -One who has a plan.
1 -One who has poise – JFK’s “Grace under pressure.”
1 – Competence
1 - Pass
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We always have a great time exploring these issues. So often our daily life never focuses on these Communication issues. If you have something you want us to discuss please let us know and we’ll add it to the list.
Next time bring a friend. The Communication Club is always an open discussion, limited only by time. Everyone gets a chance to speak. All opinions are welcome. Here is an opportunity for students to challenge professors’ views outside the class without any homework or assignments. You just have to show up and listen and talk if you want.
Hal Wicke
Hal Wicke
