Beyond Feelings

CHAPTER 19 Persuading Others
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should follow the example of other countries and ban handguns. Which viewpoint
is more reasonable?
3. Some people argue that we would have better government if members
of Congress were limited to a certain number of terms, say two or three. Disagreement
over this issue continues to be sharp and spirited. Do the advantages
of term limits outweigh the disadvantages?
4. Reportedly, many people are ignoring the dangers of unprotected sex.
How can this casual attitude toward disease be explained in light of the spread
of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases? What is the best approach
for public health officials and educators to take in solving this problem?
5. From the 1960s to the mid-1970s, the time allotted for serious television
news coverage dropped dramatically. A typical analysis segment ran twenty-five
minutes in 1960 but only seven minutes in 1976, 2 and it has shrunk still further
since then. What caused the shrinking of analysis time? Was the time allotted for
analysis in the 1960s too long? Is the time now allotted too short? What, if anything,
should be done about this situation, and who should do it?
6. The TV rating system was designed to help parents distinguish shows
that are appropriate for their children from those that are not. Yet many parents
say that the system does not provide enough information about program content
for them to make an informed judgment. Are these parents mistaken, or is a
change in the rating system necessary? If a change is needed, what should it
consist of?
7. In 1982, in a 5–4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that current and
former presidents enjoy “absolute immunity” from lawsuits seeking monetary
damages for misconduct in office. Justice Byron White, one of the four justices
who opposed the decision, wrote this dissenting opinion: “[As a result of this
decision] a president acting within the outer boundaries of what presidents normally
do may, without liability, deliberately cause injury to any number of citizens
even though he knows his conduct violates a statute or tramples on the
constitutional rights of those who are injured.” Do you share Justice White’s
opposition to the decision?
8. National Basketball Association rules forbid players from wagering on
basketball games and discourage their wagering on other sports. Is this rule fair,
or should it be revised? If you believe it should be revised, specify the revision
you have in mind.
9. Over the years, television information programs have sent undercover
reporters to apply for jobs or purchase automobiles and other products to determine
whether women applicants/consumers are treated differently from men.
The general conclusion has been that many employers and salespeople harbor
negative stereotypes of women—for example, that they are less intelligent than
men, less able to understand complex matters, less interested in matters of substance,
and less qualified to perform work assignments that are more demanding
than answering a telephone or carrying out simple tasks. Is the behavior
depicted in such reports typical of society’s treatment of women, or is it a dramatic
exception to the rule?
10. In recent years debate has continued, sometimes heatedly, over “family
values.” The principal issues have been whether America has lost them, who has
been responsible for the loss (if, indeed, there has been one), and who can best