Comments Posted By Paul Hooson
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THE TOP FIVE TV GAME SHOWS OF ALL TIME
DEAL OR NO DEAL, WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE and THE PRICE IS RIGHT are all very effective programs with excellent hosts. DEAL OR NO DEAL is such a simple formula, but really works as entertainment. Howie Mandel is very effective as host that can alternate between being funny and having fun, and being supportive of the contestant as well as slightly taunting. But Bob Barker is a long favorite of mine, and I consider his love and respect for animals and his commitment to a vegetarian diet that respects the lives of animals a plus as well.
Comment Posted By Paul Hooson On 12.11.2006 @ 12:07
I have a wide educational background in both psychology and sociology. Many social psychology related studies with a similar style will be conducted by university students, psychology and sociology journals.
DATELINE merely conducted an interesting study to see if prejudice against Muslims exists in a social setting. I gather from the above information that nothing really happened, but yet until the story is aired, I don't know if that conclusion can really be taken as of yet.
NBC is indeed a sponsor of some NASCAR events on their network, so they had certainly had nothing to gain by the DATELINE social psychology experiment. On the other hand, FOX News ran a very critical look at this DATELINE experiment, and with weekly NASCAR telecasts that bring in millions in advertising revenue, you can't excuse the role that FOX has in their involvement in attacking the DATELINE social psychology experiment.
From merely my personal experience, I once had a Muslim friend from Pakistan who frequented a business I ran back in 1979. It was during the Iranian hostage crisis which raised real anger at MidEast culture in those days.
My friend Mohammad, had a father who ran a clothing factory and he had these great shirts that only sold for about a $1.00 each. They seemed like a terrific deal to possiby import and market in the U.S. I started wearing them, but unfortunately with a strange look and collar that had a foreign of even "MidEastern" looking culture, I started getting way too many dirty looks and funny attitude from persons as though I was part of some sort of role in the Iranian hostage crisis.
The NBC DATELINE social psychology experiment is interesting. Have Americans grown beyond generalizing all MidEastern and Muslim culture as the same? Do most Americans accept that there are good and bad persons in these cultures nowadays compared to the past or not?
Maybe the DATELINE social psychology experiment failed. But no doubt there are many places where a MidEast looking person could face a severe threat of a beating or violence such as many taverns, bars, or some small towns, where all MidEast looking persons may well still be generalized as terrorists or antiAmerican by many.
It was only in recent times that Southern juries have been finally brave enough to bring charges against Southern racists who shot and killed Jewish and Black civil rights volunteers who were merely involved in attempting to register Blacks to vote during the early 60's. In some cases, some of these racists are still of of jail because of foot dragging by judges or other things that prove that not that much has really changed since the early 60's.
And this Sunday, most Blacks and Whites will still worship God seperately in what Billy Graham once referred to as the nation's "most segregated hour" in churches largely seperated by racial divisions.
It is still interesting for social psychology studies to see how far social conditions have advanced or not. The DATELINE study would be interesting to see if any difference in airport security treatment based on a MUSLIM appearance exists. This may seem prudent based on the past role of a scant few MidEast elements who have given all from this region a cloud of suspicion by airport security, but still interesting to witness with a hidden camera investigation.
And it would be interesting to see to what extent that "driving while Black", is still a good reason for police stops in some White neighborhoods. I remember having dinner with a Black friend of my business in 1979, and we were stopped by a policeman who made up a phony traffic violation which never happened as a reason to stop us. It put me in an unfortunate position that I felt very badly about of having to defend my friend as almost to say, "It's alright officer, he's with me". That's not right. But has that changed very much nowadays or not?
I can't really fault DATELINE for conducting an interesting study to see how much racial or ethnic prejudices have changed or not. A curious mind should be interested in such a social psychology investigation, not try to intellectualize reasons to sweep such a study under the rug and pretend that society is race or ethnic blind, which of course it certainly is not as of yet.
Comment Posted By Paul Hooson On 7.04.2006 @ 07:42
WHY COOLER HEADS MUST PREVAIL ON IRAN
I'm deeply sorry if we got off on a bit of a bad foot over some differences I had about your blogs name and artwork, which I felt detracted from your often well-written meassage, Mr. Moran.
But, you make some excellent points in your well written analysis of the potential costs of any armed conflict with Iran.
Indeed another serious problem is that with Iranian nuclear research lab bunkers buried so deeply, the current U.S. military bunker buster technology weapons may well prove to be ineffective at destroying uranium enriching technology sold by the Pakistani nuclear weapons Khan labs to Iran.
After a 2001 military report, the Bush Administration sought to build a generation of nuclear bunker busters known as Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator(RNEP) bombs, but Congress has feared international treaty as well international community alarm or sanctions against the use of such bombs, so instead huge conventional bombs have been constructed or are being tested.
In the Vietnam War era, the huge 15,000 pound Daisy Cutter was the largest conventional bomb of the time. Now the 21,000 pound MOAB(Massive Ordnance Air Blast), Big Blu a 70,000 pound experimental bomb and a new 700 ton chemical bomb are under construction or being tested.
Both Osama Bin Laden potentially hiding deep in caves in either Pakistan or Afghanistan as well as the Iranian nuclear program are protected by their deep bunker nature, that current pentagon weapons may be totally ineffective at reaching. For this reason, military action against either one may be delayed for some time until the Pentagon can build a bigger and better bunker buster.
While it is difficult for elections to be a little more free like they once were in Iran, where the previous president was a moderate, who sought better relations with the U.S., as long as the Iranian situation does not spin out of control very soon, this possible future change in leadership to a more moderate leader may prove to be the most safe path given all the horrible possibilities that a war with Iran brings. No war works out perfect. There are always things that go wrong. And all caution needs to be taken with such serious conditions that could result.
Comment Posted By Paul Hooson On 5.04.2006 @ 10:43
