Many years ago I attended a 3 day class on effective sales marketing and negotiating. The news today just reminded me of a story told to our class:
Years ago during the Cold War, the Russians put some preposterous idea on the table. The Americans said it was ludicrous, and walked out.
Fast forward one year: The Russians again put the same proposal on the table, and again the Americans walked out in disgust.
Next Meeting: the Russians once again put the same proposal on the table, and this time the Americans agreed.
Why? The theory is that when we hear the same untenable thing again and again and again, we become subconsciously accustomed to the idea, it has become familiar... making it more acceptable in our conscious minds.
I noticed a similar syndrome in the news tonight, in a story about the select congressional staffers who were among those who wrote the new health care bill and who will be exempt from mandated inclusion. By saying, "If I have to buy into it, then so should everyone" you are tacitly agreeing to and accepting the bill in your mind, even if you are really against the bill for all the included inequities.
Another item that caught me eye in the news tonight was public job approval ratings. We always hear numbers slung about regarding the President's Job Approval Rating, but tonight I saw a job approval rating for Congress. 77% of the public disapprove!
President Obama said today that Americans in November will not vote out the people who passed the health care bill. I wonder if he saw the public approval ratings for Congress?
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