X-Message-Number: 9666
Date: Sat, 9 May 1998 13:09:12 -0400 (EDT)
From: Charles Platt <>
Subject: Ineffective Incentives

To those who believe (as I used to) that more people will opt 
for cryonics if we give them an incentive, the case of James 
Baglivo provides salutary reorientation. The following 
amazing details are quoted with permission of Brian Shock, at 
Alcor. (Thanks, Brian.) 
 
James Baglivo won the Omni Immortality Contest. (I realize I 
keep coming back to that damned contest, but there's a reason 
for this: it's the only really large-scale PR initiative, 
following tried-and-true promotional techniques, that has 
ever been attempted in the history of cryonics. It remains 
the best available test of cryo-promotion.) 
 
Baglivo went to the trouble of writing a short essay 
describing his desire to be frozen after death. This alone 
placed him in a tiny minority of Omni readers. Plus, he had a 
motive: injuries from a car accident had left him in constant 
pain. He wanted to reawaken in a future where this could be 
alleviated. So, we can assume he did have a genuine interest 
in the _idea_ of cryonics.  
 
Alcor sent him the necessary signup documents. A couple 
_years_ later, when Brian Shock arrived at Alcor in August, 
1995, he was surprised to find that Baglivo hadn't completed 
the documents, even though he was being offered a TOTALLY 
FREE membership and eventual cryopreservation! 
 
Moreover, Brian found that Baglivo had moved without 
notifying Alcor. Through directory assistance, Brian located 
Baglivo and sent him a new set of documents. During the next 
six months, Brian had to send two more sets of documents 
before Baglivo finally returned one set properly completed. 
 
Next came the little problem of insurance. This, too, was 
ABSOLUTELY FREE (courtesy of Alcor) but Baglivo showed little 
interest in answering any of the necessary questions till 
Brian finally threatened to withdraw the prize. 
 
After many hours of work, the signup was completed. Since 
Baglivo didn't have to pay annual membership fees in Alcor, 
you'd think he would remain cheerfully signed up, especially 
bearing in mind the REALLY convincing essay he had written 
(which I chose as the winner out of almost 400). But, about a 
year later Baglivo moved without leaving Alcor a forwarding 
address, and no one has heard from him since. 
 
Now, of course, this is only one case. I tend to think, 
however, that there's an inverse corollary to the old adage, 
"you get what you pay for." The inverse would be, "if you 
don't pay, you don't value it very much." 
 
Currently, of course, most people don't ascribe any value to 
cryonics whether they have to pay for it or not--which 
renders any idea of a discount somewhat questionable. 
 
I believe it will take a long time (several decades) for this 
attitude to change, and special incentive schemes won't do 
much to hasten the process. In the meantime, even people who 
like the _idea_ of cryonics may get impatient or lose 
interest when they are confronted with the _reality_ of 
cryonics (all those documents and questions and details). 
 
Of course, I would like to be proven wrong. The only way of 
accomplishing this, though, would be by risking a large sum 
on a PR scheme--which might be better spent in areas where we 
have already proved that there is a reliable, high rate of 
return on money spent. 
 
I'm referring, of course, to research and development of 
better cryopreservation techniques. 
 
Charles Platt
CryoCare

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