The Touro Communication Club Notes - #118–June 2, 2010 Tourocommunicationclub.blogspot.com

Contents:

1. Quotations about “Success Strategies”

2. Upcoming Club program: “Success Strategies” Wednesday, June 2, 2010 @ 2 pm in Room 223

3. Logical Fallacy of the Week # 9 – “The Hasty Generalization”

5. A Note to Communicators: “Success: The American Ideal”

6. Upcoming Conversations

7. Possible club topics

8. What happened last week: “Negotiation”

Eight Quotes about Success Strategies

“We were born to succeed, not to fail.”

Henry David Thoreau, 19^th century American poet and philosopher

“When you’re really trying to make serious change, you don’t want people to get caught up in emotion because change isn’t emotion. It is real work and organization and strategy. That’s just the truth of it. I mean, you pull people in with inspiration, but then you have to roll up your sleeves and you’ve got to make sacrifices and you have got to have structure.”

Michele Obama, the current First Lady

“A sly rabbit will have three openings to its den.”

Chinese proverb

“There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, learning from failure.”

Colin Powell, former U.S. Secretary of State and retired four-star general

“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.”

Robert Collier, 20^th century American motivational writer.

“I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.”

Bill Cosby. American comedian

“Seventy percent of success in life is showing up."

Woody Allen, American comedian and film maker

"Success is counted sweetest by those who ne'er succeed."

Emily Dickinson, 19^th century American poet

The Touro Communication Club

2 pm - Wednesday, June 2, 2010– Room 223

June 2, 2010 – Success Strategies – Are they different for men and women?

Dean Donne Kampel and Dr. Sabra Brock both research and publish about how women and men carve out pathways to success. They will compare notes on how men and women manage. They will share some of the secrets and tips they’ve uncovered. They will even discuss the perception of some as to whether or not the leadership/success “pipeline” continues to be more difficult for women than for men.

Logical Fallacy of the Week #9: “Hasty Generalization”

In light of the current oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, this week’s logical fallacy could not be more appropriate. Each week there is another new “quick fix,” none of which has solved the immediate problem of gushing oil, let alone the catastrophic environmental damage for decades to come.

[I wonder if the repair of the gusher a mile under water would be any quicker if the workers could see what they were doing.]

· When we – students and teachers alike – take limited information to be the sole criteria for a conclusion. The conclusions of term papers, speeches, lectures are supported with flimsy evidence.

· When one piece of unsubstantiated gossip defines a person or an activity. A woman has a bad experience with a male. She says, “All men are dogs.” And the reverse as well.

· The Hasty Generalization can be used strategic purposes. The Republicans deliberately label the President Obama’s health care program as “socialism.”

· Racial profiling and its current manifestation in the new Arizona law on immigration are egregious examples of the Hasty Generalization at work.

· All political and commercial advertising use the Hasty Generalization to persuade us. This is why bumper-sticker thinking is so effective.

The Hasty Generalization is a faulty short-cut of the mind. As humans, we desire to understand, but we are impatient and don’t want to put the work into a full understanding of a person, an idea or a point of view. So we take the short-cut of the Hasty Generalization. We want quick answers so we use Cliff Notes or Spark Notes or plagiarize from the Internet.

Strategies: The usual: Listen carefully Ask questions. Think the opposite. Carry the proposition beyond the immediate situation. Catch the fallacy as it is presented.

.

.A Note to Communicators:

Success – The American Ideal

Achieving “Success” seems to be part of the American Dream. The lady in New York harbor promises a future for all the huddled masses which come ashore. Horatio Alger is the prototypical American rags to riches success story. . Touro exclaims, “Join us on the road to success.”

For most people success is measured in external terms. We read and see about physical manifestations of success. The bigger toys, the most money, the bigger house, fame, fortune, the biggest title, the most handsome and most pretty – these are typical yardsticks for American success.

In a bus advertisement I saw last summer, Sean John has a new fragrance for men, “I am King.” When a guy splashes on the odor, he expects the world to bow down to him. His philosophy: “My way or the highway.” Then the flash of lightning: “I am successful,” the guy says to himself.

Sad. But it sells products.

These are the benchmarks for which many people strive. Why? Because any other measures are invisible. No one sees what went on in the mind of the successful person prior to their external success. No one saw the 10,000 hours that the Beatles put in practicing and playing in the Hamburg, Germany, strip joints before they burst on the American scene in 1964. (Thanks for Malcolm Gladwell’s “Outliers.”)

In New York City, we witness so many images of external success. “The Big Apple.” “New York is the world’s center of the arts, entertainment, finance, fashion, media, sports, education, etc.” We get so used to being in the “best” city in the world; we begin to think that it rubs off on us. It does – it’s the “New York attitude.” We are inside our own bubble talking to ourselves.

But attitude is not substance. It is arrogance covering up anxiety. The mask of superiority has nothing behind it. External success can be a void, empty. We are frauds and fearful of accepting that notion. As motivational speaker Zig Ziglar reminds us, “Attitude determines altitude.’

Preparation for success occurs in private – in one’s head first. How we think determines in large part the level of internal success we want for ourselves. Our brain sets goals. But our emotions have other ideas. Our best intentions are compromised by the conflict.

Regardless of Sean John’s idea of success, each of us writes our own definition of success. Nevertheless whatever we write, our behavior demonstrates what we’ve written. The two may not coincide. When the external matches the internal, then we arrive at our definition of success.

One thing is sure: any definition of success must include our ability to focus, to concentrate. If we are distracted, we become prisoners to a dream without a deadline. Aesop’s fable of the grasshopper and the ant is a warning. While we enjoy the summer sun, we cannot forget that winter follows too quickly. Pause, rest, continue the journey.

UPCOMING CONVERSATIONS:

June 9, 2010 – Imagination – Many people limit this human ability to the arts and artists, but everyone has an imagination which can be the springboard for all kinds of enterprises in business and the professions. We’ll talk about what imagination is and can do. If we’re lucky, we’ll even do some imagination exercises.

June 16, 2010 - “Rodney King: ‘Can’t We Just Get Along?” In 1991, Rodney King was the subject of a violent beating at the hands of the Los Angeles Police Department which was videoed and shown around the world We won’t recount here the details which led up to the beating, but the acquittal of the LAPD officers led to the 1992 LA riots. During the riots, King appeared on television, pleading with the rioters, “Can’t we just get along?” His question continues to reverberate in any discussion about peace. We’ll examine the many sides to King’s provocative question.

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”

“Money”

“Critical Listening Institute: Ravel’s ‘Bolero’”

“Criticism – Giving and Receiving”

“Freedom II”

“Gender Communication II”

“Anger”

“SPAR Debate”

“Distraction II”

“Getting Organized”

“Negotiation II”

And dozens of others!

Compare the notice of the session with what really happened!

What happened on Wednesday, May 28, 2010?

“Negotiation”

We know how to get into conflicts. But do we know how to negotiate ourselves out of one without fighting? Negotiation is an important skill that we forget exists when tempers rise. We’ll do an autopsy on the negotiation process with a couple of role plays.

Six familiar faces joined in the conversation. Richard Green, Markus Vayandorf, Michael Mattocks, Ahmet Foruk Colok, Chui Hing Yau and Hal Wicke participated with the three faculty members dominating the conversation – unfortunately. It was exam week and everyone seemed preoccupied.

Until Chui Hing Yau, Ahmet and Michael arrived, the three faculty members had a jolly good time exchanging views. The exchange at times bordered on a dialectical exchange of ideas, in a primitive Hegelian sense.

Hal wanted to broaden the definition of negotiation from the more formal process that politicians, diplomats, lawyers and business people use to one which is more personal. In the formal setting, the various parties usually have a third-party mediator, usually a lawyer, who shuttles between the different groups to arrive at a common conclusion – a treaty, a legislative bill, a business agreement or a divorce settlement.

But what about when you don’t have a disinterested third-party who will be dispassionate about each of the sides? You are forced to do negotiate with the other party or have the negotiation degenerate into a fight.

What about the negotiation you do in your head? Most people call that thinking or decision making.

· Should I take that piece of cake?

· Should I put a quarter in the parking meter and hope the cops don’t give me a ticket?

· Should I take that money that is lying on the ground?

· Shall I take something I found on the internet and put it in my term paper and not give it a footnote?

· I’m at a party with my fiancé. Should I flirt with that gorgeous guy?

· Should I use a cheaper piece of equipment in the Deepwater Horizon oil rig and save money?

The list goes on.

The exchange was so interesting that Hal forgot to take notes. Oh, well.

The only two notes Hal had were:

· You can’t negotiate with gravity.

· What about the Trojan horse? People use trickery in their negotiations.

A good discussion with a topic that needs to be recycled for more people.

---

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

The Touro Communication Club Notes - #117–May 26, 2010 Tourocommunicationclub.blogspot.com

Contents:

1. Quotations about “Negotiation”

2. Upcoming Club program, “Negotiation” Wednesday, May 12, 2010 @ 2 pm in Room 223

3. Touro English teacher uses Communication Club blogs in her classes.

4. Logical Fallacy of the Week # 8 – “Begging the Question” plus a listening strategy

5. A Note to Communicators: “Negotiation – A necessity for a Democracy”

6. Upcoming Conversations

7. Possible club topics

8. What happened last week: “Distraction”

Six Quotes about Negotiation

“Man is an animal that makes bargains: no other animal does this - no dog exchanges bones with another.”

Adam Smith, 18^th century Scottish moral philosopher and father of modern economics, best known for his work, “The Wealth of Nations.”

“Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate.”

John Fitzgerald Kennedy, 35^th President of the United States

“Jaw-jaw is better than war-war.”

Harold Macmillan, British conservative politician and Prime Minister (1957-1963)

“Start out with an ideal and end up with a deal.”

Karl Albrecht, German entrepreneur and one of the wealthiest men in the world (2010)

“The single most powerful tool for winning a negotiation is the ability to get up and walk away from the table without a deal.”

Anonymous

“There is no road map on how to raise a family: it’s always an enormous negotiation.”

Meryl Streep, American actor, nominated 16 times for an Academy Award, winning two.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010 – School is closed.

The Touro Communication Club

2 pm - Wednesday, May26, 2010– Room 223

“Negotiation”

We know how to get into conflicts. But do we know how to negotiate ourselves out of one without fighting? Negotiation is an important skill that we forget exists when tempers rise. We’ll do an autopsy on the negotiation process with a couple of role plays.

Touro English instructor Jan Garden Castro shares her unexpected response to receiving the Communication Club blogs. Ms. Castro is a poet and professional writer who formerly taught humanities at Lindenwood University, St. Louis, MO. Here are her comments.

A Note on Hal Wicke’s Blogs

I have been using Hal’s blogs as class starters for reading, vocabulary, and issues/ideas. Hal’s subjects range from happiness and leadership and the seven virtues to distractions and the seven deadly sins. How often, outside of religious services, do we dwell on the virtues? Hal’s essay reminds us that the ways we live and how we behave toward others have their own rewards. For one, we’ve all learned that our behavior and manners in the classroom have a direct effect on those of our students. At the same time, we can change a student’s use of language and courtesy only to the degree to which our lessons engage that individual.

Hal’s section on logical fallacies is a primer on mistakes we all make. It provides insights into reading between the lines – whether in conversation with a friend or while being bombarded with endless television commercials. We don’t have to “buy” what everyone else is buying or “behave” the way everyone behaves. At the same time, New Yorkers learn how to queue up to wait for a subway and how to let others exit before we enter by watching others. Learning from others in a city like New York does not necessarily lead us to becoming gullible consumers.

Jan Garden Castro, teacher of Asset Workshop at Sunset branch, Touro College

Logical Fallacy of the Week #8: “Begging the Question”

Many people use this device to avoid answering the question directly or at all. Since some people don’t like direct questions, there are many variations of this logical fallacy. When you discover that someone is not answering your question, listen carefully for the kind of response. Examples include:

· Sometimes it is a non-responsive response that changes the subject:

“What time is it?” “I love your hair.”

· Another type is a response that answers a question with a question:

“What do you mean?” “You mean you don’t understand?” Or “What do YOU mean?” (Psychologists love this one.)

· A third type is circular reasoning – the statements go in circles without a conclusion.

“He’s annoyed.” “How do you know?” “Because he is really angry.”

· A fourth type of begging the question is one that often begins with an argument. We never define our terms and disagree over details when a definition might have cleared up the argument. This is enthymemic reasoning or circular reasoning. Each statement is followed by a thought leap to another topic and both parties are often to the fights.

· A fifth example of begging the question is the tautology, occurring often in dictionaries. A tautology defines itself in terms of itself.

“Isn’t she beautiful?” “What do you mean?” “Well, I mean she’s gorgeous.”

Strategy: Discovering any logical fallacy requires careful listening. Call it “critical listening.” When you ask a question, you have the expectation that you will get a direct answer to your question. Teachers can often be guilty of this. If we are not listening carefully – and most of us don’t listen carefully, the response may beg your question. When this happens repeatedly your emotional hot buttons are pushed and who knows what can happen.

A Note to Communicators:

Negotiation – A Requirement for Democracy

Most of us are not taught how to negotiate in school or elsewhere. We are taught that third parties like the police and the courts resolve differences.

But what happens when a third party isn’t around? An argument ensues and often escalates into a yelling match and perhaps a physical altercation. In these situations, everyone loses. Some may be physically hurt. Others may be emotionally damaged. All are unhappy and upset.

You would think that if these behaviors continue, someone would stop and say, “This way isn’t working. Maybe there is another way.”

There is another way. It’s called negotiation. For people habituated to fighting out their differences, negotiation is quite foreign. For starters, negotiation without an intermediary requires at least one party to withdraw emotionally from what looks to be a fight waiting to happen. How is that possible?

When we face differences, we often get annoyed or angry. How are we able to control our emotions? We don’t have any training in disciplining our emotions. When our emotions get out of control, we are sent to “Anger Management School?” where they put on a temporary band aid on our anger.

How do we start? Let’s start at the beginning. Statement: “All people are different.”

Do you agree with the statement? If not, then we need to have another discussion. But if you do agree with the statement, try to follow my loose syllogism – a logical construct which begins a line of reasoning.

If “All people are different,” then John, Anzhella, Hiroshi, Abraham, Janira, Vadim, Shamecca, Oxana and Khalil are all different. These students are different in more than name only.

Yet we continually make the assumption that everyone is like we are. Our egocentrism is hard at work to support our ethnocentrism.

We quickly abandon our agreed upon principle that “All people are different.” We expect the other person to agree with us. When they don’t we get angry. We expect others to respect us while we blithely disrespect them. We expect others to have the same behavior patterns as we do and when they don’t, we get annoyed and angry.

If we accept the profound implications that “All people are different,” we may then realize that each time we meet a new person we are entering a foreign world. This world has different values, beliefs and attitudes that we need to acknowledge and respect at every turn in the relationship.

In the “best of all possible worlds,” Voltaire’s Candide would enter into a new world of worlds. The genders might even respect each other. Students and teachers might even acknowledge and respect each other. Politicians might step beyond differences to arrive at a common solution.

But, both you and I know this won’t happen – at least over night. Voltaire was writing a satire. We can preach and teach the bridging of differences, but the gulf is embedded within the DNA of each of us.

So, now what? Are we stuck in more Sisyphistic behavior? I am an incurable optimist. That rock of Sisyphus will stay at the top of Mount Tantalus, despite the curse.

A democracy like ours is structured to accommodate differences, although painfully at times. Differences are resolved by negotiation, by voting, and the court system.

As individuals, we have the power to choose to negotiate our differences. It takes just one party to begin the process. Only when one or both parties are intractable in their demands does the resolution go to a third party like a mediator or the court system.

At the personal level, if we can insert a pause between an outside stimulus and our response, we are well on the way to beginning a negotiation. If we operate on the Win/Win strategy, advocated by the Harvard Negotiation Project, we move another step toward negotiation.

The topic merits much more discussion, but if we can conceive that negotiation is the preferred strategy in all of our advocacy, we then allow for “All people are different” to be a viable concept that is appropriate for a democracy.

UPCOMING CONVERSATIONS:

June 2, 2010 – Success Strategies – Are they different for men and women?

Dean Donne Kampel and Dr. Sabra Brock both research and publish about how women and men carve out pathways to success. They will compare notes on how men and women manage. They will share some of the secrets and tips they’ve uncovered. They will even discuss the perception of some as to whether or not the leadership/success “pipeline” continues to be more difficult for women than for men.

June 9, 2010 – Imagination – Many people assign this human ability seems to the arts and artists, but everyone has an imagination which can be the springboard for all kinds of enterprises in business and the professions. We’ll talk about what imagination is and can do. If we’re lucky, we’ll even do some imagination exercises.

June 16, 2010 - “Rodney King: ‘Can’t We Just Get Along?” In 1991, Rodney King was the subject of a violent beating at the hands of the Los Angeles Police Department which was videoed and shown around the world We won’t recount here the details which led up to the beating, but the acquittal of the LAPD officers led to the 1992 LA riots. During the riots, King appeared on television, pleading with the rioters, “Can’t we just get along?” His question continues to reverberate in any discussion about peace. We’ll examine the many sides to King’s provocative question.

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”

“Money”

“Critical Listening Institute: Ravel’s ‘Bolero’”

“Criticizing – Giving and Receiving”

“Freedom II”

“Gender Communication II”

“Anger”

“SPAR Debate”

“Distraction II”

“Getting Organized”

And dozens of others!

Compare the notice of the session with what really happened!

What happened on Wednesday, May 5, 2010?

“Distraction”

We are bombarded with some 2 billion stimuli each day. Until recently, people seem to be able to juggle the external “noise” and the internal “noise.” But recently many of us are on stimulus overload. We cannot concentrate. We cannot focus. Our minds wander. We are glued to our BlackBerrys wherever we are. We seem to be reduced to Pavlovian dogs responding to stimuli that we cannot or choose not to control. We seem to have become a nation of ADD people. Lots of opinions here. Perhaps even a case or two of denial?

Newcomer Abiola Davis saw the signs about the topic and joined regulars Dean Donne Kampel, Al Walker, Carlisle Yearwood, Michael Mattocks, James Millner, Ronald Johnson and Hal Wicke

Quickly the group started listing the items which created distraction.

· Cellphones was the main culprit.

· Noise of all kinds is distracting.

· Students seem very distracted.

· Hal offered a style of debate called, “Off-Topic Debate” the goal of which was to get as far off the original topic as possible.

· “Some people distract me. They annoy me.”

· “My free associations distract me.”

· “Women putting on makeup in the subway.”

· People on bicycles create havoc in the streets.

· Hal told the story of a teacher asking if Romeo loved Juliet in the middle of his lecture on 20^th Century American drama.

· Thought leaps in paragraphs.

· People are on information overload and cannot concentrate.

· “Big words bore students.’

Although not directly related to the topic of distraction, Al Walker suddenly shared his reaction to a recent English assignment. His reaction to Kafka’s “Metamorphosis” was that the story was dumb. “It was ridiculous. In the story, Gregory, the protagonist, wakes up one day and discovers that he is a “big bug.”

Al’s statement sparked a number of reactions. Some felt it wasn’t “dumb” because it was a “classic.” Another said the story made perfect sense if you knew the autobiographical details of Kafka’s life.

· Ask the question, “What if?”

· Get the background on the story by Googling it.

· Carlisle – Vladimir Nabokov’s comment that the story is an allegory of how a totalitarian government crushes the individual.

· What about the title? It indicates social change.

Al reiterated his viewpoint, “I still think it’s dumb.”

Hal suggested that there at least two ways to look at a piece of literature using extrinsic sources (biographical, sociological, etc.) or using intrinsic sources (examining only the story itself.) Professor Yearwood was approaching the novel extrinsically. Al was reacting to the story itself as “dumb,” meaning that he got nothing from it.

Back to distraction.

· When things are too quiet.

· “I find that a dog-eared page is annoying. Books are to be honored.”

· “84 Charing Cross Road (novel, stage play, film) characterizes books as prized possessions to be kept in pristine condition.”

· Having too many things to do.

· Spend more time avoiding what I have to do.

· “I’m a clean freak. I can’t begin to work until everything is clean.”

· Incorrect English bothers me a lot.

· The “N” word bothers me.

· So does the “B” word directed at women

· You have a standard in your head and that standard gets violated.

How do you deal with distraction?

· Focus, concentrate

· Concentrate and study on the train when I can’t study at home

· Be goal oriented

· Ask questions

· But how do you do this without getting distracted?

This was an unusual session with the important but unexpected digression on Kafka. That raised other unexpected issues. But the central question of distraction needs further examination. More importantly, how do we find ways to avoid or control distraction? We’ll schedule another session on this very important topic.

In his graduation speech last week at Hampton University President Obama said that we were in an “age of distraction.” He urged the graduates to focus on their goals.

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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

The Touro Communication Club Notes - #116–May 12, 2010
Tourocommunicationclub.blogspot.com

Contents:
1. Quotations about “Distraction”

2. Upcoming Club program, “Distraction” Wednesday, May 12, 2010 @ 2 pm in Room 223

3. 9^th Speech Contest results

4. Logical Fallacy of the Week # 7 – “Everybody Does It.” plus 2 strategies

5. A Note to Communicators: “Distractions make us all become ADD”

6. Upcoming Conversations

7. Possible club topics

8. What happened last week: “The Seven Heavenly Virtues”

Five Quotes About Distraction

“America is addicted to wars of distraction.”

Barbara Ehrenreich, American author, feminist and political activist

"I don't want my body to be a distraction from my talent or my brain."
Shania Twain, Canadian country-pop singer and songwriter.

"I think the best thing I can do is to be a distraction. A husband lives and breathes his work all day long. If he comes home to more table thumping, how can the poor man ever relax?"
Jacqueline Kennedy, wife of the 35th President of the United States

“By prevailing over all obstacles and distractions, one may unfailingly arrive at his chosen goal or destination.”

Christopher Columbus, 15^th century Italian explorer

"Distracted by all sort of distractions, it wanders around aimlessly in the ten directions."
From Sri Guri Granth Sahib, a collection of 1430 hymns which describe the qualities of God composed between 1469 and 1708.

The Touro Communication Club

2 pm - Wednesday, May 12, 2010– Room 223

“Distractions”

We are bombarded with some 2 billion stimuli each day. Until recently, people seem to be able to juggle the external “noise” and the internal “noise.” But recently many of us are on stimulus overload. We cannot concentrate. We cannot focus. Our minds wander. We are glued to our BlackBerrys wherever we are. We seem to be reduced to Pavlovian dogs responding to stimuli that we cannot or choose not to control. We seem to have become a nation of ADD people. Lots of opinions here. Perhaps even a case or two of denial?

Here are the results of the latest Speech Contest, the largest number of finalists to date:

9^th Speech Contest – Spring 2010

April 27, 2010

Name	Title of Speech	Instructor	Course/Site	Rank
1.Reetha Groce	“Verbal Abuse”	Prof. Wicke	GCA 100 Midtown/SGS	1st Prize
2. Alex Matatov	“Science & the Bible”	Prof. Bardwell	GCA 101 Dov Revell/ SCAS	2nd Prize
3.Isaac Ortega	“Long Island Winery”	Prof . Bardwell	GCA 100 Midtown/SGS	3rd Prize
4. Leanne Poploff	“Awareness & Consequences from Bullying”	Prof. Bardwell	GCA 101 Dov Revell/ SCA	Honorable Mention
5. Edwin Ashe	“The Day Hip Hop Died”	Prof. Green	GCA 100/ Taino/SGS	Finalist
6. Angeli Berga	“Domestic Violence is Not Okay”	Prof . Nussbaum	GCA 100/ Midtown/SGS	Finalist
7. Rose Dubreuil	“Self Esteem”	Prof. Bardwell	GCA 100/ Midtown/SGS	Finalist
8. Deirdre Gonzalez	“Teenage Plastic Surgery”	Prof. Cline	GCA 100 Taino/SGS	Finalist
9. Jason Graham	“The Rise and Fall of Studio 54”	Prof. Green	GCA 100 Midtown/SGS	Finalist
10. Aidara Ismael	“The School System”	Prof. Nussbaum	GCA 100/ Midtown/SGS	Finalist
11.Paul Johnson	“Genetic Screening”	Prof. Backinoff	GCA 100 Midtown/SGS	Finalist
12. Sarah LeGoute	“Should Mothers Stay at Home or Work after Childbirth?”	Prof. Bardwell	GCA 100 Midtown/SGS	Finalist
13. Valine Mack	“The NAACP”	Prof. Backinoff	GCA 100 Midtown/SGS	Finalist
14. Michael Maya	“Love at the Movies”	Prof. Turney	GCA 100 Midtown/SGS	Finalist
15.Eva Millan	“How to Start a Non-Profit Organization”	Prof. Bardwell	GCA 100 Midtown/SGS	Finalist
16.Michael Quick	“This is what the Beacon Does”	Prof. Green	GCA 100 Taino/SGS	Finalist
17. Alan Sayegh	“Health Care Reform:”	Prof. Bardwell	GCA 100 Midtown/SGS	Finalist
18. Annette Victor	“Bullying”	Prof. Bardwell	GCA 100 Midtown/SGS	Finalist
19. Shawn Walker	“The Benefits of How to Cook”	Prof. Turney	GCA 100 Midtown/SGS	Finalist

Judges: Mr. Robert Babsky (IT), Ms. Sophia Volfson (Advisement), Mr. Javon Johnson (Financial Aid)

Logical Fallacy of the Week #7: “Everybody Does it”

The official name for this fallacy is an “Appeal to Common Practice.” As a persuasive device, this fallacy works because its “logic” is that if everybody is doing “it,” it must be okay.

“Everybody’s Does It” has both benign and dark aspects. Our nature is often split. We want to be individuals, yet we don’t want to be isolated. In our search for conformity we don’t like to be left out of the group. At the same time we want to feel we are individuals so we wear tattoos and face metal to distinguish ourselves from the group. I’ve often mused at how similar some people look when they are trying to be different

For a person who is looking for guidance, what everybody seems to be doing is a guide for behavior. Drani Gabu is from Sudan and one of the original members of the Communication Club. When he came to Touro, he said he didn’t know how to dress. He looked around for several days and noticed what people wore and then he knew how to dress appropriately for Touro. In his travels to Idaho and Oregon, he observed local dress and adjusted his costume.

The human tendency toward conformity is transformed into a logical fallacy when it becomes a specific business strategy to achieve a particular end.

This fallacy is important for directing group behavior. Advertisers use it to create a “buzz.” Movies and products are test marketed to create a buzz. “Everybody likes this movie. Let’s go see it.”

Microsoft bludgeoned early word processing programs to become the world standard for computers. With no competition, Microsoft has become our only choice of word processing. So, everybody is forced to use Microsoft.

This fallacy has its benign aspect, as with Drani’s observations, as well as a darker side. The fallacy is a common persuasive technique. “Everybody’s [having sex.] or [doing drugs] Let’s do it.”

Strategy #1: When this “Everybody’s Doing It” comes at you, you need to be pretty clear as to whom you are and what your values out. You notice your stomach tightening up. Your crap detector is at work. Something feels wrong. If it feels wrong to you, it probably is.

Strategy #2 – When your crap detector is working, you’ll feel like pulling away. Somebody’s invading your psychic space. Take a deep breath to compose your thoughts before replying. Don’t blurt out your response. Ask a question or two. “What do you mean?” or “I don’t understand.” These can be stalling tactics to allow your mind to do an appropriate response.

A Note to Communicators:

“Distractions make us all become ADD”

Can you focus? Can you concentrate? In New York City, we are smothered with visual and acoustic assaults. We are bombarded with some 2 billion stimuli each day. We try to screen them out by the aggressiveness of external stimuli penetrate the bubble of our being.

Some of us seem to be permanently distracted by cell phones which perform all manner of functions except wash and iron our laundry. We read and send texts in class and while we are driving. One student exclaimed, “I can’t turn off my Blackberry!” We must have the TV set going on in the background.

We have become so attached to our cell phones that even Deans and instructors are interrupted by messages that are too urgent to ignore in the middle of meetings, classes and funeral ceremonies. Don’t just blame just the students for being distracted. Distraction is a universal human issue.

We have become instruments of Pavlovian conditioning. Our senses are dulled from being in Times Square on New Year’s Eve all the time.

If external noise wasn’t distracting enough, what about the distractions inside your head and body? Headache, hunger, thirst, bathroom needs come to mind. Then there are the dozens of thoughts which skate through your brain –

· “Oh, I forgot to do this.”

· “Where are my keys?”

· “Oh, I’ve got to remember Mother’s Day.”

· “Why did Joe speak to me that way?”

· “I don’t like how Sasha dresses.”

· “I think I failed the exam.”

· “My boyfriend doesn’t like me.”

and on and on and on.

Your brain never stops running. Then someone swears at you. You are insulted. You swear back and juicy fight in on the way. Or another disrespects you. Your emotional temperature pops its thermometer. As one student revealed in a recent Communication Club meeting, “I turn off my mind when I’m drunk.”

Fighting distraction is an endless battle. The battle is inside your head, but the stimuli come from everywhere. You lose every time you get distracted because you can’t concentrate. And it’s likely that you don’t know how to concentrate – to minimize the distractions. I think some people don’t even know they get distracted.

But to a large degree, you can control what distracts you. This is a revolutionary thought to some. Yes, you can choose not to be in the clutches of your Blackberry. But when you’re so addicted,you no longer realize you have a choice.

But that’s hard.! Gosh, Gee Whillikers! I know it’s hard. Lots of things are hard. But you can do it. You can turn off that cellphone. You can change that thought pattern.

Look at something else. Change your focus. You choose what to focus on. That’s the first step toward concentration –. Ballet dancers find a point and return to that point with each pirouette. Search for the calm center inside you. Close your eyes and focus on a blank blackboard. Deep breathing will help.

Not only is “the mind a terrible thing to waste,” your mind is your only source of building the life you want. You are the only one who can choose to control you. Distractions can be pleasant if they don’t become a way of life.

UPCOMING CONVERSATIONS:

May 19, 2010 – School is closed.

May 28, 2010 – “Negotiation” We know how to get into conflicts. But do we know how to negotiate ourselves out of one without fighting? Negotiation is an important skill that we forget exists when tempers rise. We’ll do an autopsy on the negotiation process with a couple of role plays.

June 2, 2010 – Success Strategies – Are they different for men and women?

Dean Donne Kampel and Dr. Sabra Brock both research and publish about how women and men carve out pathways to success. They will compare notes on how men and women manage. They will share some of the secrets and tips they’ve uncovered. They will even discuss the perception of some as to whether or not the leadership/success “pipeline” continues to be more difficult for women than for men.

June 9, 2010 – Imagination – Many people assign this human ability seems to the arts and artists, but everyone has an imagination which can be the springboard for all kinds of enterprises in business and the professions. We’ll talk about what imagination is and can do. If we’re lucky, we’ll even do some imagination exercises.

What about one of these topics?

“Rodney King: ‘Why Can’t We Get Along?”

“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”

“Money”

“Criticizing – Giving and Receiving”

“Freedom II”

“Gender Communication II”

“Anger”

“SPAR Debate”

And dozens of others!

Compare the notice of the session with what really happened!

What happened on Wednesday, May 5, 2010?

“The Seven Heavenly Virtues”

Last October, we had a spirited discussion about “The Seven Deadly Sins.” Lest we forget what they are: Wrath, Greed, Sloth, Pride, Lust, Envy, and Gluttony.

This week we turn to the Seven Heavenly Virtues: Faith, Hope, Charity, Fortitude, Justice, Temperance, Prudence Originating with the Greeks and codified by the Roman Catholic Church in the Dark Ages, these seven virtues are designed to teach positive lessons about behavior in an unruly world. We’ll explore as many as time allows.”

Wow! This was a rip-roaring session! One newcomer, Whitney Taylor, said afterward, “That was really fun!” Familiar faces included Richard Green, Meggy Lindsay, Jean Missial, Markus Vayandorf,, Al Walker, Gary Sheinfeld, Pamela Sheppard, Ronald Johnson, Ruth Abromowitz and Hal Wicke/

Hal had put on the board parallel columns Seven Heavenly Virtues with the Seven Deadly Sins.

Seven HeavenlyVirtures Seven Deadly Sins Faith Wrath Hope Greed Charity Sloth Fortitutde Pride Justice Lust Temperance Envy Prudence Gluttony

The discussion began as a dutiful exchange of ideas about faith. The group tried to stay away from specific religious beliefs to focus on what “faith’ meant to them.

· You can’t get there directly.

· You need to have a passion for social justice.

· Gary mentions Jacques Derrida, the late 20^th century French philosopher, known for founding the literary theory of deconstruction. “Tolerate, but no!”

· Everyone needs something to follow – a group.

· “Faith by itself is nothing.”

· “Faith represents a workable idea.”

· Hal interjected that we need to exclude specific religious belief systems because we’re trying to find commonalities in our definitions.

· “Faith is a fact” “Like getting up in the morning.

· There are no rewards for virtues.

· Do the best you can.

Hope – the story of Pandora’s box [after all the ills of the world escaped, hope was remained.]

· We kept easily drifting over to the list of sins.

· We know the sins, but how to stop them at the root.

· Greed is a learned behavior.

· Where do you learn this.

· Markus –“Everything is trial and error.”

· Concept of giving up

· “I am a man of [Christian] faith.” “I learned it from my grandmother.”

· “It’s easy. All you have to do is put it together.”

· “Your God will do something.”

· Search for the “Kingdom of God” which is found in everything.

· “I had an epiphany.”

· “You’ll have one too when it’s time.”

· “Truth is truth.”

· What do you do when you contradict your faith?

· “Faith overcomes.”

· “Faith limits nothing; nothing exists out of faith.”

· “Other faiths do not exist.”

· “Faith = trial and error.”

· [Not much focus on hope; discussing faith was more interesting than “hope.”]

Charity

· Charity begins at home.

· Accept before you know you are doing the right thing.

· Accept for who you are.

· Markus – “This, too, is trial and error.”

· Put a label on things.

· Words explain experience.

· All religions speak of the same thing (re: charity)

· Practice these rules to the letter

· Jean Paul Sartre – “Hell is other people.”

· We are trapped in language.

Fortitude

· Cognitive dissonance

· Are you yourself 90% of the time when nobody is around?

· Meet your goals.

· Are you part of the problem or part of the solution?

· Al Walker asked Hal Wicke – “What do you believe?” Hal answered that his beliefs were irrelevant to the discussion because he was interested in everybody’s ideas, not his own. [I don’t think Al was satisfied.]

Justice

· Justice is limited.

· There will be a disagreement as to what is right and wrong.

· Is Justice blind?

· Life is not fair; Justice is not fair.

· Was killing Martin Luther King “fair”?

If you observe that the notes are sketchy and disjointed, you are quite perceptive. The exchanges were faster and faster and Hal could not referee the conversation and write notes. [He hasn’t yet learned to walk and chew gum.]

The atmosphere was exhilarating as the group broke up, exhausted despite not getting to the final two virtues of “temperance” and “prudence.” What started slowly ended on quite a high note, indicating that Virtues are a hot topic. Maybe we’ll bring them back.

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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