[lbo-talk] what's this economic choice theory again?

[Grace Loehr]

Hey all,
(I forget if this email goes to Kelley or the entire list -- I'd like it to 
go to the entire list) What's that "new" economic theory I read about in 
the recent past ... the one that proves that people don't make economic and 
purchasing choices based on rational choice, but on other, nonrational, 
emotional factors? I want to mention this in context of discussing women's 
reproductive rights in the context of having HIV infection for a 
presentation I have at school. (Which I'm petrified about as I have no 
public speaking experience)

The "official" CDC recommendation is that HIV infected women NOT have 
children or breastfeed, and health care providers telling pts this can be 
devastating and have the opposite effect, esp. with black pts, for whom 
memory of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study is still alive. White hcp's telling 
black pts these things are clueless about how their words are heard. There 
are conspiracy theories and genocide theories abounding in the black 
community about HIV (the gov't created it to decimate black people; the 
gov't is withholding treatment from blacks; &c) similar to other 
conspiracy/genocide theories vis a vis the public health system, health 
care system, and the black population.

Any suggestions on ethical or other ideas to use with this topic?

Grace