Campus Poster Initiative

[Torpedo]

I am so glad that you see your poster initiative as the great savior of mankind. How wrong you are.  Quite frankly, I do not care if you think you are right because IMHO, you are not. Anyway, your excitement will no doubt be tempered as these same people whoa re allowing themselves to be led by you to performing countermeasures (after they read your "best-seller") and they do not get the job they seek...remember, they have to agree to take the examination...no one forces them to do it. These folks are going to sit down and try to get a job, and somehow your knowledge is going to dissaude thewm and they will lose that opportunity.  Will they blame you?...I certainly hope so.  Good luck on your campaign.

[beech trees]

I am so glad that you see your poster initiative as the great savior of mankind. How wrong you are.  Quite frankly, I do not care if you think you are right because IMHO, you are not. Anyway, your excitement will no doubt be tempered as these same people whoa re allowing themselves to be led by you to performing countermeasures (after they read your "best-seller") and they do not get the job they seek...remember, they have to agree to take the examination...no one forces them to do it. These folks are going to sit down and try to get a job, and somehow your knowledge is going to dissaude thewm and they will lose that opportunity.  Will they blame you?...I certainly hope so.  Good luck on your campaign.

A curious set of inferences that do not (at least to me) appear to make any sense whatsoever. Why would someone, having been 'led by you [George?]' not get the job they are seeking?

[George W. Maschke]

Poster-Boy,

Thank you for your progress report. Visits to AntiPolygraph.org have indeed been increasing recently. I think a lot of people are curious about polygraphy -- even those who are not contemplating a job that requires a polygraph interrogation. As the National Academy of Sciences noted in its report on the polygraph and lie detection, there is a certain "mystique" associated with polygraphy. Of course, once one realizes what's actually going on behind the polygraph curtain, the wonderful wizards of polygraphy don't seem so wonderful anymore.

Like you, I encourage all to take part in this poster initiative. I wouldn't go so far as to characterize it as a "revolution" though. Rather, I see it as a public awareness campaign aimed at debunking polygraphy -- and ultimately abolishing it.

Seeker,

Thank you also for your progress report! I agree with you that college camuses are not the only suitable venue for the poster campaign. Do you have any particular kinds of places in mind?

Your law enforcement friends are right that what we are doing is a difficult undertaking, but it is certainly not futile. Indeed, we have already succeeded in reaching tens of thousands of people. This poster initiative gives us the potential to reach many times more people, and there is nothing the polygraph community can do to stop us. (This seems to irritate our friend, Torpedo.)

If anyone would like to submit a poster design for possible inclusion on the new Campus Poster Initiative page, please send it to info@antipolygraph.org.

[Seeker]

George:
Several places I have considered posting Antipolygraph.org posters are:
Laundry facilities in towns and cities that house higher learning campuses.  There is nothing like having something to read while waiting on the dryers to finish.  
Public libraries.  This can also reach attorneys in my area, since a lot of them utilize the public libraries during breaks on court days.
Residential communities with community rooms wherein the residents are predominantly college students.
Citizen's Police Academies.  They offer bullitin boards for citizens to post informative sites.
Firing ranges - of which we here in the South have quite a few.  
This is just a few ideas that I have considered.  I am sure there are many many more out there that are readily avaiable.
Regards,

[George W. Maschke]

A new poster (No. 4), that succinctly explains the difference between relevant and "control" questions, as well as how to beat a polygraph "test," is now available (click on the image to download):



This poster does not include detachable tags and could alternatively be distributed as a flyer.

[Marty]

A few comments on the poster:

1. Spell check it please.  Spelling errors makes the poster seem amateurish and tends to devalue the message.

2. The font usage would be better if the poster had only the "hook" (first portion) in bold and spaced out the chars for clarity.

At least I would be more likely to read it closer.

-Marty

[George W. Maschke]

Marty,

Thank you very much for your comments! I've fixed the spelling mistake (how embarrassing!), and have removed the "bold" style from the font of the main text. The font that it is set in (Impact) is pretty heavy to begin with. What do you think now? Is it okay, or still too heavy?

George

[Marty]

George.

Better. Still pretty heavy but better.

On another vein, the thing that most offends me about polygraph screening is that it actually puts the most honest individuals at the highest risk for being falsely labeled deceptive. Since most people think the polygraph nearly infallible, the initial reaction to the current poster is likely to be along the lines of "gee, here's a poster trying to help criminals or druggies" and this tends to color everything read after that - if anything at all.

I would recommend an approach that headlines something like: "Why Honest People Sometimes Fail the Polygraph"  This then leads fewer people to dismiss the arguments out of hand and also generates less initial hostility to the information. I think this approach may also be key in getting this information more widely reported as it more effectively handles the "ethical question" strawman.

-Marty

[George W. Maschke]

Marty,

Thank you again for your thoughtful commentary. I have re-set the main text of Poster #4 in Helvetica (bold), which is less condensed than Impact. I've also set the title in initial caps instead of all caps, which will make it easier to read from a distance.

I'm not certain your premise that most people think the polygraph to be nearly infallible is correct. But clearly, too many do. The purpose of Poster No. 4 is to help shatter this public misperception of near infallibility by briefly explaining how a polygraph "test" can be beaten.

I agree that the title of this poster is likely to offend the sensibilities of some. But I believe that even more people will be intrigued by it, and pause to read further.

Your suggested title "Why Honest People Sometimes Fail the Polygraph" is excellent (perhaps "often" would be better than "sometimes"), and I may use it in a forthcoming poster that would focus more on explaining "control" questions.

[Marty]

I'm not certain your premise that most people think the polygraph to be nearly infallible is correct. But clearly, too many do.

Thanks for your kind words, George. I should clarify my presuppositions. By most, I mean in reference to the American Citizenry, rather than people who face a polygraph in the near term.  Many of them, by dint of self interest, will discover much about the polygraph.  My assumption, correct apparently, is that your goal is to elucidate the fraudulent components of the polygraph more broadly so as to increase the political pressure required to remove the polygraph from day to day application. In that regard one has to confront the widespread acceptance of the accuracy of polygraphy promulgated by the polygraphy industry. I have almost never found naive persons who did NOT believe that polygraphy was around 99% accurate.

In confronting this, my best advice is to understand the observations of Cialdini, PhD. (a compliance expert I keep running into who has focussed on mechanisms of influence). My suggestions were not meant to maximize the interest of someone who was trying to "beat" or even just feared the polygraph. They were to maximize the interest of  readers of the poster more broadly since that is more likely to change the political mileu.

-Marty

[George W. Maschke]

A new AntiPolygraph.org poster (No. 6) is now available. Click on the image below to download it:

[George W. Maschke]

With a new academic year upon us, now would be an opportune time to place posters in appropriate locations at a campus near you. All of the AntiPolygraph.org posters may now be downloaded in a single file here:

http://antipolygraph.org/publicity/campus-posters-all.pdf

[Saidme]

George

Your little poster campaign doesn't seem to be catching on.  I've yet to see one on any of the college campuses I've been to.  Same goes for your bumper sticker ideas.  Seems maybe you and a couple of your goof ball pals might have them and that's about it.  Maybe you should channel your energies on something a little more positive than trying to take down polygraph with support from a bunch of pedophiles and other fine citizens.  I'm sure you must cringe at some of the posters on this site.  Have a great weekend.

[Mr. Truth]

Thank you, Saidme, for that resounding vote of confidence. Yes, I committed a sexual offense. Funny thing, I lost more than you'll probably ever have, and what I've regained is probably more than what you have now. Unless you are SES, which I doubt. Of course, I always have to answer yes to that question about ever having been convicted of a felony, and I have to register, which, for anyone who thinks that actually accomplishes anything, you are sorely mistaken.

By "other fine citizens," do you mean all the false positives who were screwed over by the junk science of polygraphy? Could you, would you, oh please, inform us ignorant masses what qualifies us to be something more worthy than "fine citizen?"

[orolan]

Saidme,

I'm sure you must cringe at some of the posters on this site.

Yep. George shakes his head in dismay every time he sees your nic, wondering what sort of useless drivel  and lies you're posting this time.