From: hal@finney.org
Date: Sat Feb 10 2001 - 10:01:22 MST
Harvey writes, regarding the ABC news segment on cryonics,
> Peter Jennings had more than just a chuckle. I distinctly heard him
> say, "I know it's serious." and then "My producer was saying
> something in my ear." My guess is that he was laughing and was going
> to make a sarcastic comment when his producer specifically instructed
> him through his earphone not to say what he was about to say and that
> this segment was serious.
I think he said, "I know it's serious; I was going to, but my producer
is telling me in my ear that I should not." Then he went on to say that
it would be possible to chat with Robert Ettinger on-line when the show
was over. It was confusing, but I think he had been going to make a
joke about cryonics and was being advised not to by the producer.
I felt his reaction undercut what had been a very optimistic story
about the prospects of cryonics working, emphasizing the future role
of nanotech and concluding with the suggestion that the patients might
have a new life to return to after all. It was apparently part of a
week-long series of reports on "future medicine".
IMO it just goes to show how disreputable cryonics is, that after
following his script and dutifully giving the segment a respectful
lead-in, Jennings felt compelled to distance himself from the story by
his chuckle and almost-joke. Imagine if Jennings had reacted similarly
to a story on possible cures for cystic fibrosis or ALS. It's impossible.
We see from this how far cryonics remains from the mainstream.
Hal
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