5 replies to this topic

[AdamSummerfield]

Cryonics enthusiasts and a physics professor were interviewed by ITV on This Morning:



Video responses tab gives the link to the second part.

[CerebralCortex]

I found that to be quite disappointing. Why do interviews like this always seem to miss the point? Instead trying to inform the viewer it seems like they're just looking for a sensation. The young mans demeanor made it seem like he had to be on the defensive. It is however good to see that topics of this nature are getting coverage.

[Luke Parrish]

Great link! I didn't get a defensive vibe from the cryos. It was surprisingly positive.

[David Styles]

Thanks all

With regards to defensiveness, I didn't feel defensive; I felt perfectly at ease. My only agenda that I had for that day was to get across that cryonics was a) available and b) affordable. Anything else I was quite happy to let slip by. Interested parties would be able to do their own research, if they first know there is something to research.

As for looking for a sensation instead of trying to inform the viewer, certainly this was the case with the interviewers - after all, they're paid to make entertaining television. For the part of myself and Ellen, the motivation was to inform, though chiefly about the above point. I wasn't interested in trying to get across anything remotely technical, and was content to simply answer questions posed, so long as I could get in there somewhere about the accessibility and affordability of cryonics.

I can't speak for Roger. He is an enthusiastic (if eccentric) fellow whom I hadn't met before that day, and I've no idea of his motivations.

As for the physicist, John, he was a pleasant enough fellow who seemed to simply have a mild passing interest in cryonics, and was happy to take a day off from his work at CERN to come and chat on air with us. I don't think he had any bias or agenda of any kind.

Edited by David Styles, 03 December 2009 - 09:11 PM.

[niner]

I thought it was a pretty good clip and not terribly sensationalistic. David and his girlfriend were excellent spokespersons for cryonics, and gave it a "normal people do this" appearance. Roger's haircut probably set the movement back a couple years, though otherwise he seemed pleasant. The short film they showed of a body being loaded into a wooden crate with dry ice blocks may have given the wrong impression of the technology. They should have shown a picture or clip from Alcor as well.

[Shannon Vyff]

I would have loved to see Ellan talk more--but, really the whole piece was very well done! A good amount of science was covered, the "detractor" or "realist" said that there was a small chance, you can't rule it out-but its so low he'd not sign up. I liked that David was able to get in that you can be preserved for less, it wasn't clear though I think that he was a CI member. With Roger Eyre's quoting Alcor figures, it seemed to be "only for rich people". All in all, the "fear" of waking up in a strange land was done well. I would have expounded on the religious angle a bit (not only atheists or secular humanists are cryonicists)-- if it is up to your higher power, then you will be given more time to do good works through your religion, spread the word-etc. Also, I personally, when younger at age 19 and first interested in Cryonics, it was for my own life extension, to see the future-in case I died young to get more time (I got paperwork notorized at age 21 with a high risk pregnancy, in case something happened to me I wanted the chance to see what had happened to my baby) --over time as I became more involved with social action and saw ways that the world can be helped, is being helped now and will be helped--I now feel that it is not as important for me to survive, but it is more important for me to give back to the world, through my support, through volunteering-for as long as I'm alive, including if I get extra time in the future. The proverbial question of whether you'd sacrifice yourself-for another, for five others, for a thousand, for 500 billion--etc. Do I sacrifice having luxury items for giving of my budget to non-profits? I don't think my longevity is effected by that, as our family is comfortable and has good food/health care/education etc. It is a long debate, whether one would sacrifice themselves to save a child from fire, or whether they give to feed, clothe and educate a starving child on the other side of the globe.

I just think that we need to focus on the actual possibility that cryonics might work, point out that the research helps those living now, point out that instead of over-population we'll get more intelligence overall-advance farther. Show that cryonics is affordable, is worthy effort to support--and that all sorts of people support it.

Pieces like the ITV interview will get more people to look up Cryonics, learn about it-and help the movement grow