15 nov. 2017

Against rhetoric and persuasion in communication - Noam Chomsky


An excerpt from a long but great conversation with Noam Chomsky, in 2015
A true joy for me to see that big audience vividly applauding, like in ovation standing for a rock band :) Thrill and confidence in humanity - for good.

They speak - what else? - about language and its influence on developing - well - the good or bad in people. The interviewer quote Ghandi ”Persuasion is a form of violence”, and asked for Noam Chomsky opinion. Here it is: in front of an audience, ideally you don t try to persuade them - that is accept your position. Is no point in persuading people. (..) If people have the capacity to rouse an audience (through rhetoric, i.e. persuasion, appealing at their emotions, undermining their capacity for independent thought) they should try to suppress it. (...)

 



Richard Dawson state that ”teaching people is really seduction in a way.” So, to get people to critical thinking, you first have to motivate people to want to be interested enough in topic. - argued the interviewer.


”To motivate people is to bring up the issues, problems, puzzles that challenge them, and then ask them try to think,  get help them to think through ways of interpreting, and maybe solving these
problem.(...) To enlightment. There is some structure in teaching, but the real challenge is to investigate the structure, and maybe to modify it to be their own structure. (...) Discover for yourself, and then it should be internalized.
 

14 nov. 2017

A observa un rezultat e primul pas în a-l schimba - dacă vrei!



Buna ziua, societate civilă
@ cum am ajuns ”stupid people” (c) Brucan ( din interviul in Le Figaro, 22 ianua­rie 1990)
Aceasta nu e o imprecație (vorba profesorului Săndoiu)
Ci o afirmare a recunoașterii stării de fapt.
Interesant cum în 89, ceva-ceva a funcționat reflex: am ales imn ”Deșteaptă-te, române!”
Numai că, na ”barbarii de tirani” poate că mai mișună (barbar era unul din afara poporului, da?), dar ce te faci cu tiranul de proximitate care te menține stresat și deprimat!?
Totuși, ce-i de făcut?
A se observa că noul făcut ne va lua mai mult de trei zile, că nu, nu e un ”fermec”, șiiiii, mai ales, are o condiție necesară (deși nesuficientă): respectă-l pe stupid, altfel nu ai cum să vezi în el deșteptul cu care vrei să faci ăăăă chiar, ce vrei să faci, domn`e?
.....
”Nobody going on a awakening* trip would have been missed if he never arrived.”
(*citatul original e cu ”business trip”, ceea ce era destul de potrivit, chiar aci :) )

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