What I find is amazing is not that people did not know the composition
of water. It is that so many people agreed to ban something without
knowing what is was.

Rich


______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Re: Enjoy: How gullible are we?
Author:  Chris Breemer <[log in to unmask]> at ~INTERNET
Date:    10/1/97 5:59 PM


David Largent wrote:
[snip]
> > In his project he urged people to sign a petition demanding
> > strict control or total elimination of the chemical "dihydrogen
> > monoxide."
[snip]
> > He asked 50 people if they supported a ban of the chemical.
> > Forty-three said yes, six were undecided, and only one knew that
> > the chemical was *WATER*.  The title of his prize winning project
> > was, "How Gullible Are We?"  He feels the conclusion is obvious.
>
I feel the obvious conclusion is that only one in 50 people knows
the basics of chemistry, _and_ listens well enough to spot the snag.
Seems pretty far-fetched to read anything more behind it.

--
Kind regards,

        Chris Breemer           [log in to unmask]
        Compuware Europe B.V.   http://www.compuware.com