Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with influence

Who can push me hardest?

aiificionado — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 23:24:13 -0800

Is there any research that says who or what influences one's political beliefs more than any other? 1) I'm not really looking for anything in particular, just want to know what past research has said influences one's leanings.

I was just thinking about it, and I assume there must be several but my (admittedly quick) search yielded nothing.

Some possible ideas: income, type or possession of employment, religion, family members' views, friends/specific relatives' views, major catastrophes, feelings of faith or fear, what have you.

2) For a bonus, I'd like the widest variety of things or people that can influence you, by how much sway they have.

3) I'm looking primarily for some kind of research or polling, but after that I'd like to hear what MeFites have seen (can you can back it up with examples of people you know?), just out of curiosity.

Should I remove my name from a project since I disagree with part of their approach?

Anonymous — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 08:05:22 -0800

This is a question about politicized business relationships and whether I should remain connected with a company that's doing things differently from industry "best practices" as I understand them. I used to work for Company A. They are a teeny tiny startup that is trying to figure out the industry. I worked there for my first six months out of school. I left as their funding faltered and went to work for big, well-established Company B. Company B is well connected and has a winning approach to the industry and the political relationships within it.

We're in a political industry that deals with the public. The public has a number of knee-jerk preconceptions that run counter to what our professionals consider to be the best way to do things. This common view makes it hard to do what needs to get done, so it's the subject of much eye rolling. (Don't worry, we're not a polluter or some corporate oppressor or anything. Our stance actually benefits the less wealthy. The smartest government agency officials and the public interest nonprofit groups side with us. Because of that, the prevailing regulatory trend is making our approach easier.) However, not all businesses take the same approach to this controversial issue. A solid 40% still take the old school stances that are more in line with the general public. In effect, they reinforce the harmful myths and preconceptions.

Recently, Company A hired me to advise them and help put together a publicly available strategic plan. About two weeks in, I was surprised to hear them take the Superstitious Stance, quite strongly.

Since then, I have tried to find different ways to shift them towards the other viewpoint. I'm not sure they see it the way we do, Old School vs. New School. I think they think that in this one unique situation, Old School is best. But the fact is that whenever some community member opposes the New School approach, they phrase it that way.

What I'd most like is for them to either reconsider their stance, or at least not say it in the plainest terms. Over the long run, I think this is better business and better politics. But my suggestions in this area have been sort of politely listened to and then set aside, with the draft remaining as it was. I have explained the facts, the reasons, and that I see this as the prevailing and up-and-coming view in the industry. I also tried setting aside the meta issue and instead just suggesting word edits that would present the same facts and the same calls to action, but in a less superstitious-sounding way. No dice. In the most recent draft, it is still written in the most extreme superstitious form.

I really like this group: they gave me my start, and they are good people, and well-meaning. Maybe in this one small instance, they're right? But after working for half a decade at a bigger, more established, more professional, and more connected group, I have knee-jerk reactions to the superstition (everything from "ignorant," "backwards," and "amateurish," to "over-privileged" and "almost immoral"). I'm to the point of wanting to say "I can't be affiliated with this new document if you're going to take that stance." This battle is all-pervasive in our industry, and all the allies and colleagues I've built over five years are on the non-superstitious side. I will feel embarrassed to be associated with it and am slightly worried about future political blowback (if anyone were to read this tiny document). Best case, people would give me joking hassles, worst case, those who don't know me would assume that my true views are the same as Company A's and not hire me.

What to do now? Part of me wants to stop trying to convince them and just get done with this work as soon as possible and not accept any work that might follow. I could even ask them to make sure my name isn't associated with the superstitious part of the report or the report altogether. On the other hand, am I missing something about being a consultant here? Ultimately, they have final say, and people must understand that, no? When asked, I could make clear that I lost that battle, and then focus the discussion on the parts that we did together that were good. This is a project that would have gone better if I'd had about four times as much time as I had to put into it, so that my influence on it would've been greater, but I did carry out the specific contribution I was asked to do well; I just didn't also manage to influence their political culture the way I had hoped I'd be able to.

I'm also not sure how strong a connection to keep with them over time. If there was the possibility for long-term internal change, it'd be great to stay involved. Right now, "consultant to Company A" is actually on my resume, and I'd like to use it to demonstrate that I am moving into a more managerial phase. Another question is referrals and introductions. As I meet others, sometimes I want to mention what's going on with Company B as an opportunity they might be interested in. But with this superstitious roadblock still in the way, I'm hesitant to refer anyone. But I'd otherwise like to: it's a cool sub-area that they're working on, and they could use the resources.

As you can see, my ability to analyze this situation is not at the level it needs to be at, so any thoughts you have will be much appreciated.

What are the great patterning works of literature?

jason's_planet — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 09:39:25 -0800

What are the great patterning works of literature? In Book by Book, Michael Dirda presents a list of what he calls “patterning works” which he describes as books that “. . later authors regularly build on, allude to, work against.” and which he says “ . . . ought to lie at the heart of any structured reading program.” I'm not entirely satisfied with his list, although I have to say that I don't have a rich enough background in the history of literature to be able to refute his claims effectively. Perhaps some of you all might be able to help me. Here it is:

The Bible (Old and New Testament)
Bullfinch's Mythology (or any other accounts of the Greek, Roman and Norse myths)
Iliad
Odyssey
Plutarch, Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans
Dante, Inferno
The Arabian Nights
Thomas Malory, Le Morte D'Arthur
Shakespeare, especially the major works such as Hamlet, Henry IV, part one, King Lear, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Tempest
Cervantes, Don Quixote
Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe
Jonathan Swift: Gulliver's Travels
Fairy Tales of Brothers Grimm
Any substantial collection of the world's major folktales
Jane Austen: Pride and Prejudice
Lewis Carroll: Alice in Wonderland
Arthur Conan Doyle: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

How would you change this list, if at all? Are there great patterning works that he's missed entirely? If so, what sort of influence did they have and on which authors? Are any of these works overrated and not as influential as he claims? Or is this actually a pretty good list, one that needs no change at all? As always, many thanks in advance.

P.S. If you know of any good folktale compilations, feel free to recommend them here. Thanks!

Can you prove what someone's blood alcohol level would have been two hours ago based on what it is now?

Anonymous — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 09:10:59 -0800

Can you prove what someone's blood alcohol level would have been two hours ago based on what it is now? Pulled over and arrested then charged with DUI in the State of Vermont. Refused the roadside breathalyzer test. Took the roadside evaluation for shits and giggles (I think I did okay).

After much processing, asked to talk to public defender on call. Advised to consent to breath test, so I did. After much more processing, I finally took the breath test. I didn't take the test until two hours after the time of the stop.

My test results: 0.059%

Point at which it is a DUI: 0.080%

Charges dropped right? Not in this case. They are trying the case and the arresting officer claims they will bring in a chemist/scientist/whatever to say that based on my test results my blood alcohol level would have been above 0.080% at the time of the stop.

You are innocent until proven guilty right? Can they possibly "prove" this?

Several civil citations were given as well. One for not stopping at a stop sign (I did stop) and one for going over the yellow line (I may have). Also, a third was mailed to me for being two months out of inspection.

And to preempt the lawyer up advice. Of course I will be hiring a lawyer to represent me in this case, but I would like to know as much as I can going in, while I have plenty of time to get myself informed.

Measuring influence: how do political lobbyists or similar groups measure their success?

StephenF — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 09:37:37 -0800

Measuring influence: how do political lobbyists or similar groups measure their success? The remit of a group I work with in our very large corporation is to represent the needs of the sales and support teams to the engineering and product teams. They don't have any power over eng and product as such, but their voices are listened to and their requirements taken into account. Essentially, their job is influencing people to take sales and support into account when making product decisions.

This leads to the tricky problem of how to measure their success, which I'm trying to find a good answer for. I haven't been able to turn up anything relevant on the Google, possibly because I'm really not sure what I'm searching for. Also, it occurred to me that political lobbyists face similar issues (or at least they do in my rather basic understanding of political lobbying), and there must be other professions I'm not aware of that have the same issue.

Do any of you charming MeFites have any insight into this kind of issue, experience with it, or resources you could point me to? Many thanks as ever.

Being Influenced By Negativity in Relationships

divabat — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 05:29:36 -0800

How do I stop myself from being affected by my friends' relationship problems? I am currently in a stable 3-months relationship - he's my first boyfriend, he's brilliant and caring, and we have a great connection together. It's been amazing so far.

Many of my friends have relationships and I often become their listening ear for their relationship issues. So far, during my 3 months, many of those friends have been in volatile, unhealthy, or just plain bad relationships - often breaking up or going through trouble. Sometimes I know both parties in their partnership, which usually ends up with me hearing the same complaints twice.

While I am honoured to be trusted enough with such personal matters, it is starting to take a toll on my own relationship. I tend to take in the worries of my friends and start overthinking my own relationship - "oh, what if he's doing this? or not doing that?" etc etc. Most of the time the worry is unwarranted; any concerns and issues we face, we discuss with each other calmly and honestly. I am however a bit of a paranoid person (always have been!) and those issues still affect me!

Also I think a big part of this is the fact that this is my first (I'm 21) and I'm still trying to work out what being a girlfriend entails - I don't think I quite processed the fact that I have a boyfriend yet! So all this is really a learning experience. I've lived through various relationships via my friends for many years and now it's my turn. (the fact that we're separated by miles for about 3 months - uni holidays - doesn't help much either!)

Reading up on more successful stories helps bring back the positivity; however, the ones with negative relationships are louder and more persistent, while those who are actually happy tend to be more quiet. I do stop and think properly about my concerns, which helps too - but I don't want to be so worried all the time.

My boy is a great guy; I'm so blessed to have known him and to be with him. I don't want this relationship to be ruined unnecessarily by paranoia and insecurity. At the same time, I can't tell my friends "hey, stop dumping your issues on me" because often I'm the only person they can trust. What can I do?

Any Anglo-Saxon influences in Lord of the Rings?

mattbucher — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 11:20:43 -0800

Help me find a well-written article explaining the Anglo-Saxon roots/influences found in The Lord of the Rings. I figured there would be some article in a smart source/magazine published around the time the first movie came out (something linking it to Beowulf or Tolkien's study of the Middle Ages), but I'm coming up with nothing. Can any LOTR-hardcores point me in the right direction?

Getting others to work for you.

Anonymous — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 23:53:51 -0800

How do you get people to do things you tell them to do? Pretty much in any situation, I feel like I have trouble asking people to do things for me. If I need a ride, I feel embarassed asking my friends. I'm also scared, scared of them saying no. I hate it when someone refuses a request. It happens at work all the time, and it frustrates me to no end.

My theory is that I don't know how to get people to do things I want them o do. I always feel like I'm coercing them, and I feel like they resent helping me out.

I've read How to Win Friends and Influence People, it's pretty good, but I want something more straightforward than influence. I want to be able to manage people and direct and make things happen, in addition to being able to ask my roommate to do the dishes tonight.

I don't want to boss people around, I don't want to control them. But is there a book or something that will help me get the right kind of ideas about getting people to do what you want them to do?

Are you ready for some foootballl?

zek — Mon, 26 Jun 2006 10:07:48 -0800

Are there any well-known songs that were (or might have been) recorded while the artist was stoned/wasted/tripping/etc? Not counting concert performances, unless the song charted. I realize the question's open to speculation, but I do know that a lot of musicians and band members don't hold back much about things like this and it might be common knowledge in the pages of Rolling Stone, etc.

If "terrorists are plotting to influence the US Presidential election", what outcome are they hoping for?

banished — Sun, 08 Aug 2004 23:55:32 -0800

Terrorism Question: I've heard repeatedly in the news and read in several news articles that terrorists are plotting against the United States in hopes of influencing the Presidential election. What does this mean, and how to they expect to influence it? [More Inside] It would seem obvious that if there was another terrorist attack, the country would rally around George W. Bush, as they did after September 11th when his approval rating was at an all time high of 90%. Assuming this is true, when the White House says Al Qaeda is planning to influence the outcome of the election, aren't they effectively saying that the terrorists want Bush to win? Are they admitting that his policies are helping Al Qaeda's cause, and increasing the threat of terrorism worldwide? If the terrorists are endorsing Bush... shouldn't voters know this, and shouldn't that be motivation to vote against him?

Or am I wrong? Is the news media and the White House assuming that another terrorist attack would make Bush look like he's not doing his job, and alienate voters?

United Nations

the fire you left me — Fri, 09 Apr 2004 12:47:08 -0800

Is the United Nations merely a guide for other nations to follow, or is their an innate burden of power within its charter?