Reply To: Where does the information come from?

[tcg]

I have to agree with Jamesr. The peace symbol, which originally was created by the Neuclear Disarmament movement — it is formed by superimposing the semaphore flag symbols for N and D within a circle — does not have universal appeal. I am unfortunate enough to live in a very conservative county ( Orange, California ) and this symbol is generally regarded as representing weakness, surrender, and stoned kooks with no guts. Personally, I like it and it fits the hB11 reaction perfectly, but it carries a lot of baggage with many folks.

Education of the masses about the DPF will be necessary, but no simple task. Most Americans are not well educated and are resentful of having this pointed out. To attempt to acquaint them with something new implies that they are ignorant, and they often have a characteristicly negative response. Since I work with a lot of these people, I have found that presentation is everything. If you want to express something, you have to use the language of the target audience, not your own. The message has to be simple, sugar coated, and have no words or images which could cause brain lockup. It won’t be enough to explain the nuances of the DPF to physicists because there are very few of them. You have to appeal to a much broader and more humble audience.