sec 3 pt 4

Sociology 4-19-07 Trust No One We do wind up trusting people all the time Trust is personal, deeply held emotion, easy to lose Who do we trust? Whether we?re selling a political message or a packet of cereal, everyone is now faced with a fundamental decline in trust. You can have all the facts and figures, but if you lose trust its hard to get it back Ex. Poison in baby formula Trust is necessary Biotechnology boils down to a matter of trust Not a matter of science, but a matter of trust 70-80% of packaged goods in US contain genetically modified foods (ex. Soy, cotton, & corn) 73% of Americans agree that GM foods were created b/c scientists were able to make them, not b/c we wanted them 68% believe that profits are more important than safety Is trust social? Competence How will they can predict potential effects Social responsibility How honest they are How much they share my values Individualism & society Problem of responsibility Problem of power Individualism and social context Specific topics Risk perception: what people worry about and why Panic: idea that people are suddenly overwhelmed with emotion that makes them crazy usual view: collective effects of individual overreaction Myth that panic never happens! Some risk facts More die from appendicitis than floods (in most years) Mountain climbing is about as risky as glider flying or pro-football Common worry if something increases chance of dying by 1/1000000 More risk facts Increase risk of dying by 1/1000000 ½ liter of wine Flying 6k miles by jet 40 tbsp. of peanut butter 1 chest x-ray at a good hospital Going 10 miles by bicycle Objectivity and perception Do objects have an essence? (to make them risky) If so, what you think follows from what you see