> Julia, everything I know about persuasion as a science > confirms that you are correct. Non-confrontational > persuasion works best. Outright attacks hardly work at all.
I think that's so true, in private communication. But what about when there's an audience? What if your point is not to persuade the person you are arguing with but to entertain and seduce--or warn--the audience? There have been times when I have blasted someone into dust in public just to let the other neanderthals know that it wasn't safe to throw rocks. There have been other times when I've done it to make the uncommitted crowd, enjoying the show, agree with me. Often, when it's in a public forum, outright attacks work best. John Kerry believes this. Of course, he's too dumb to do it right, and he might as well wear a "Bush for President" button, but that's why I love Kerry. _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
