On Wed, 09 Apr 2008 14:50:31 -0700, Matt W. Barrow wrote:

"Glenn" wrote in message
...
Curious. It's just a damn 'hot' water heater. Why all the passion?

Because it's a paradigm shift and those always bring discomfort.

My opinion is it's caused by a failing in the American educational system
(I'm sure other countries have similar failings, but I'm only an expert on
America). We don't learn analytical thinking, nor how to apply analytical
thinking to practical everyday problems. We aren't taught to be critical
consumers.

I studied physics, and TA'd freshman physics labs at Georgia Tech, a place
where reasonably bright, reasonably well educated types go. They all knew
the algebra necessary to solve the labs (it was 9'th grade level math),
but it was extremely rare to find someone who would, without walking them
through it, be able to take the simple physical problem and translate it
into the simple mathematical equation, and then solve that equation.

American consumers, just like American voters (same people after all) are
far more likely to make an emotional decision than a rational one,
although a goodly number of them go to a lot of effort to rationalize
their decisions afterward. Then they go to a lot of effort to justify
their rationalizations, instead of being flexible and changing their minds
about things as new information and technology arises (look at how much
mileage Bush got out calling Kerry a 'waffler').

Because their decision making is emotional, they get emotional about
justifying the decision, and it becomes next-to-impossible to argue with
them. The more thoroughly you can prove that they are mistaken, the more
****ed off they will get, and impossible to convince.

Additionally, as a culture want simple answers. We like to paint things
in terms of good and evil, right and wrong. The water heater thing isn't
so simple. Whether a tankless system is good for you depends on your use,
and it's worth going over the facts and making an intelligent decision.
On the other hand, the facts seem to indicate it is the right choice for
the majority of people, not to mention the environment.

Finally, we're a pretty prideful people. Humility is not taught as a
virtue in our culture. So we take it as a personal shortcoming, or a loss
of face, when we are proven wrong. The more passionately we argue for
something, the more face we lose if we change our mind. It's important to
struggle against that mode of being since it leads to really sub-optimal
solutions.

For my side,I would hope both this post and the previous one showed more a
passion for analytical thinking and reasonable decision making than they
do for tankless water heaters

glen
www.glenstark.net