Men’s Club: October Update

This month’s Men’s Club speakers led us into the realms of political persuasion, and Orange County Architecture; clearly two different ends of the intellectual spectrum.
On Aug 18, Dr. Carlos Vazquez, a behavioral psychologist and the host of the I Heart Radio Show, discussed how we are influenced by the media and political candidates.
In his presentation Whose Mind is it Anyway? he addressed the fascinating subject of perception versus reality and how our mind filters events based on our past experiences. This area of vulnerabilities allows us to be persuaded by the media, marketing schemes, and… politicians.
He demonstrated how we could be steered to focus on one thing, thus causing us to miss what is happening outside our narrow field of focus. Many of us have seen the film clip in which a guerilla walks through a basketball team unobserved because we are counting the basketball passes. Secondly, Dr. Vazquez demonstrated how we could be swayed to be in favor of an issue because the marketing material associates it with our fond memories. (The technique is call nostalgic association: an example is a billboard that advertises a bank over a background of the Lucy & Desi TV show). He suggests combating these perception vulnerabilities through education, being open, meditation on seeking multiple views, and avoiding yes or no logic traps. The presentation concluded with an interesting Q&A session that touched on political candidates and concluding that 99.9% of our politicians are giving the rest a bad name.
On Sept 1, CW Gruenig introduced our guest speaker, Alan Hess, who gave a most informative overview of, The Extraordinary Architecture of Orange County. Alan demonstrated that Orange County is a treasure chest of world-class architecture that speaks for itself in the harmony that it achieves with nature, the environment, seashore, winds, and history of the region. The Mission at San Juan is the classic example of some of the earliest architecture, but much of the 20th century great architecture goes unappreciated. Some examples include: the Tustin Hangers, Anaheim Sunkist packing house, and Lovell Beach House in Laguna. Preservation of these beautiful examples adds dimension to the community.
The tie to functional beauty, nature, and the environment is present in a wide range of OC architecture including government buildings, churches, commercial building, banks, service stations, restaurants, corporate structures, custom homes, tract homes, and universities.
Alan expressed concern that much of the architecture is being lost as a result of uninformed planning efforts in cities and other government bureaucracies. As an example, he pointed out the beautifully planned and constructed Dana Point Harbor, emphasizing the island and beautiful bridge.
Much of this character is being lost with current plans to rebuild the Harbor in a New England Fishing Village theme.
Upcoming Events:
Oct. 6: Carlos Olvera, Mayor of Dana Point presenting Old vs. New Dana Point
Oct 13: 5:00-8:00 p.m., A Men’s Club Fall Party—Bratwurst and beer!
Oct. 20: Sheriff Sandra Hutchens – State of Well Being for Our Area
—Jerry Allen