X-Message-Number: 7687
From:  (Thomas Donaldson)
Subject: Re: posting suspension results
Date: Fri, 14 Feb 1997 13:13:59 -0800 (PST)

Hi!

I read Charles Platt's posting with interest; readers will know, of course,
that it was actually written by Mike Darwin.

I have believed for a long time that TRUST is a component of cryonics that
members may fail to see, if only because they have trust in their society
already. One major means to produce such trust in those who may not have
it is to be completely, brutally honest about your organization and its
activities. Making reports of suspensions public (without naming the patient)
is one way to do that.

One way to erode trust is to do the opposite: fail to tell of your society's
failures, problems, etc etc --- including suspension cases which did not 
work out as well as hoped. Another is to exude nothing but cheerfulness and
deny any problems with your society, its finances, or its suspension methods.

I put this message on Cryonet not to aim it at any particular society, but
to remind everyone of something important going on when Mike publishes 
results from a suspension. It is easy to fall down here: after all, YOU
know that your society is honest and upright and needs no special justification
of that. But almost above all else, someone may accept the idea of cryonics
but fail to join ANY society ---- because they still fail to trust any 
present society to deal well with them after they are suspended and cannot
speak or act for themselves.

Just a reminder.

			Long long life to all,

				Thomas Donaldson


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