Psychology professor removed from his own keynote address following racist/sexist remarks

[futureapppsy2]

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Not sure if any other ABA people are following this, but at the California Applied Behavior Analysis conference (CalABA; pretty much the second biggest ABA conference each year and a national conference, despite the name), one of the keynote speakers, a professor of psychology at Western Michigan and a very prominent figure in ABA, Richard "Dick" Mallot, had his keynote ended 20 minutes into his address for making a bunch of blatantly misogynistic and racist comments (referring to the AV people as "those Mexicans in the back," referring to female students as "little bitches," etc). He's slated to receive a lifetime achievement award at ABAI in May, which ABAI is apparently now meeting about, per their FB page. There's been reports of ethics violations being filed, etc, in addition.

FWIW, I think CalABA handled the situation incredibly well--cutting off his mic, immediately issuing a public apology, having an impromptu forum on equity and diversity in ABA later that day, etc.

This was from their FB page:
"Dear CalABA Members, Conference Attendees, and the Behavior Analytic Community,

We are writing this morning with a brief follow-up to Dr. Malott's Keynote Address at this past weekend's conference. As you may have heard, the presentation included both a general tone and specific language that is not in line with CalABA's mission and values. In immediate response, the address was cut short, and an open meeting was later held for members to discuss their concerns, ask questions, offer recommendations, and discuss action items for handling this event as well as the greater issues at hand.

We want to thank you all for your openness and willingness to discuss these timely issues. Both the meeting and later communications via social media and direct messages have generated a list of action items. These items (in brief) include communications the CalABA Board is having with other behavior analytic professional organizations, universities, the generation of new policies and procedures, and additional CEU opportunities, to name a few.

We wanted to quickly reach out at this time to let you all know we are actively working on all of the commitments we discussed with all of you, and will be in touch shortly (and regularly) with more specific updates. Please rest assured knowing we take this very seriously, and look forward to partnering with all our members to ensure an environment that supports our diverse membership in achieving their academic, scientific, and professional goals.

Sincerely,
The CalABA Board of Directors"

 

[Fan_of_Meehl]

Not sure if any other ABA people are following this, but at the California Applied Behavior Analysis conference (CalABA; pretty much the second biggest ABA conference each year and a national conference, despite the name), one of the keynote speakers, a professor of psychology at Western Michigan and a very prominent figure in ABA, Richard "Dick" Mallot, had his keynote ended 20 minutes into his address for making a bunch of blatantly misogynistic and racist comments (referring to the AV people as "those Mexicans in the back," referring to female students as "little bitches," etc). He's slated to receive a lifetime achievement award at ABAI in May, which ABAI is apparently now meeting about, per their FB page. There's been reports of ethics violations being filed, etc, in addition.

FWIW, I think CalABA handled the situation incredibly well--cutting off his mic, immediately issuing a public apology, having an impromptu forum of equity and diversity in ABA later that day, etc.

This was from their FB page:
"Dear CalABA Members, Conference Attendees, and the Behavior Analytic Community,

We are writing this morning with a brief follow-up to Dr. Malott's Keynote Address at this past weekend's conference. As you may have heard, the presentation included both a general tone and specific language that is not in line with CalABA's mission and values. In immediate response, the address was cut short, and an open meeting was later held for members to discuss their concerns, ask questions, offer recommendations, and discuss action items for handling this event as well as the greater issues at hand.

We want to thank you all for your openness and willingness to discuss these timely issues. Both the meeting and later communications via social media and direct messages have generated a list of action items. These items (in brief) include communications the CalABA Board is having with other behavior analytic professional organizations, universities, the generation of new policies and procedures, and additional CEU opportunities, to name a few.

We wanted to quickly reach out at this time to let you all know we are actively working on all of the commitments we discussed with all of you, and will be in touch shortly (and regularly) with more specific updates. Please rest assured knowing we take this very seriously, and look forward to partnering with all our members to ensure an environment that supports our diverse membership in achieving their academic, scientific, and professional goals.

Sincerely,
The CalABA Board of Directors"

Drugs? Alcohol? Reminds me of Michael Douglas' character in the movie 'Falling Down.' Sad situation all around.

 

[futureapppsy2]

Drugs? Alcohol? Reminds me of Michael Douglas' character in the movie 'Falling Down.' Sad situation all around.

Honestly, this is in line with a lot of this person's previous public behavior and with the blatant sexism from a lot of (though not all, of course) prominent male professors in ABA as a whole, sadly. Sexism is kind of laughed at by a lot of big names in ABA, and racism is often discounted because the principles of behavior are universally applicable, so race and racism are not seen as things to even bother reporting or discussing.

 

[Fan_of_Meehl]

Honestly, this is in line with a lot of this person's previous public behavior and with the blatant sexism from a lot of (though not all, of course) prominent male professors in ABA as a whole, sadly. Sexism is kind of laughed at by a lot of big names in ABA, and racism is often discounted because the principles of behavior are universally applicable, so race and racism are not seen as things to even bother reporting or discussing.

Got it. This was basically what I was wondering. Thank you.

 

[msgeorgeeliot]

Time's up, Dick.

--Alumna of the Little Bitch Society

 

[psych.meout]

Sounds like he was being a real Richard Mallot at that conference, if you know what I mean.

 

[wtfook]

Honestly, this is in line with a lot of this person's previous public behavior and with the blatant sexism from a lot of (though not all, of course) prominent male professors in ABA as a whole, sadly. Sexism is kind of laughed at by a lot of big names in ABA, and racism is often discounted because the principles of behavior are universally applicable, so race and racism are not seen as things to even bother reporting or discussing.

Do you think Malott's speech is something that would always have been cut off? Or do you think we've evolved to have lower tolerance for such behaviors? I think your comment about established male professors is interesting as I think of it as the old guard of psychology. I wonder if perhaps Malott thought the speech would be fine because in the past it was fine, or if that sort of thing was never ok and he just decided for some reason to do away with any feigning of professionalism.

 

[ClinicalABA]

At least it looks like he’s pulling out from the ABAI award- https://www.abainternational.org/media/141737/dickmalott_saba_board-3-15-2018.pdf

Hopefully that doesn’t stop the discussion...

 

[bcliff]

He’s ~82 -- One (tentative) hypothesis is that this level of disinhibition might be symptomatic of neurodegeneration.

 

[psych.meout]

He’s ~82 -- One (tentative) hypothesis is that this level of disinhibition might be symptomatic of neurodegeneration.

Or he's a product of his time when that kind of casual racism and misogyny was socially acceptable and thinks he can get away with it because of his age and stature in the community. Let's not infer neurological problems as excuses or explanations for behavior like this, especially when there is no evidence of it outside of his age. It's an easy out for bad behavior and unfairly maligns and stigmatizes people who actually do have these neurological problems, but who don't exhibit these behaviors or hold these beliefs.

 

[bcliff]

Or he's a product of his time when that kind of casual racism and misogyny was socially acceptable and thinks he can get away with it because of his age and stature in the community. Let's not infer neurological problems as excuses or explanations for behavior like this, especially wen there is no evidence of it outside of his age. It's an easy out for bad behavior and unfairly maligns and stigmatizes people who actually do have these neurological problems, but who don't exhibit these behaviors or hold these beliefs.

you’re right, i could be wrong (that’s kind of the point of a hypothesis) -- age is the biggest risk factor for neurodegeneration though (i.e., risk doubles every 5 years after age 65), and this level of socially inappropriate disinhibition is also a big red flag -- disinhibition meaning failure to withhold an overlearned (i.e., racist, misogynistic) response (i.e., the fact that he didn’t just think it but actually said it). you could also make the case that, because this interfered with his ability to complete his address (i.e., work), we have some evidence of functional impairment too.

 

[psych.meout]

you’re right, i could be wrong (that’s kind of the point of a hypothesis) -- age is the biggest risk factor for neurodegeneration though (i.e., risk doubles every 5 years after age 65), and this level of socially inappropriate disinhibition is also a big red flag -- disinhibition meaning failure to withhold an overlearned (i.e., racist, misogynistic) response (i.e., the fact that he didn’t just think it but actually said it). you could also make the case that, because this interfered with his ability to complete his address (i.e., work), we have some evidence of functional impairment too.

Again, you're speculating simply based on his age and are making inferences and interpretations that conform to your clinical perspective (i.e., neuropsych). Is it possible? Sure, but some people are just old bigots and it has nothing to with any neurodegeneration. I'm not sure if you've been around many healthy older adults around his age, but they often say things abhorrent to younger generations and it has nothing to do with mental status issues. And lots of people of various age groups say and do things that might be harmful to their interests in the long-term, but it has nothing to do with mental illness or other neuropsychological issues.

Furthermore, futureapppsy2 offered us more insight to this person:

Honestly, this is in line with a lot of this person's previous public behavior and with the blatant sexism from a lot of (though not all, of course) prominent male professors in ABA as a whole, sadly. Sexism is kind of laughed at by a lot of big names in ABA, and racism is often discounted because the principles of behavior are universally applicable, so race and racism are not seen as things to even bother reporting or discussing.

So, not only is this not a recent development for this particular individual, it's also sadly common in this specific field.

 

[ClinicalABA]

Are sexism and racism more prevalent in ABA than in other areas of psychology (or higher academics in general)? I don’t know, but that’s a pretty big accusation that would benefit from more evidence than “futureappsy2 said so”. Appeal to authority is a weak way of knowing. That said, based on years of reading her/his posts, if s/he says it, I’d take it seriously.

There are definite some “creepers” amongst the ranks of the old guard in ABA. People who have hooked up with/married their students, act innapropriately around younger conference goers, seem to enjoy being seen in their sweaty workout clothes at the conference hotel, etc. I’ve never met the man in question here, but anecdotal evidence suggests that this behavior may not necessarily be out of character and unrelated to cognitive decline.

There’s been a big shift in ABA over the past 10-15 years, where the field has grown dramatically, and primarily outside the academy. Go to the big Association for Behavior Analysis conference 20+ years ago, and the presenters and attendees were predominantly male. Go to the conference today, and there will be a lot more female presenters (but the old guys are still around- the good, the bad, and the ugly), but the attendees have totally changed. Nowadays the modal attendee is a masters level credentialed women in her twenties, vs. a 30-60 year old guy walking around with a briefcase full of cumulative records.

In the past 2 weeks, I’ve presented at a regional ABA conference where the audience of ~150 contained about 10 men, a staff training at my work where the audience of ~50 non-licensed behavior therapy staff contained 3 males, and taught my ABA graduate class of 11 students (and one TA) where all were females (I’m male, btw). Despite the increasingly (and always present, if you paid attention) female presence at the top of the field, there’s still this situation where you have a bunch of middle aged guys with the power and influence, literally standing in front of and above large groups young females. This is a situation that propagates bad behavior.

(Just as important an observation- in all those groups of attendees, there were maybe half a dozen who were obviously non-white)

Again- I don’t know what things are like in other fields or if it’s worse in ABA, and these are just my observations, s take them for what they are. It’s also my observation that Dr. Mallot’s behavior, while not the norm either in my public or private dealings with ABA higher ups, is not unique.

 

[futureapppsy2]

Are sexism and racism more prevalent in ABA than in other areas of psychology (or higher academics in general)? I don’t know, but that’s a pretty big accusation that would benefit from more evidence than “futureappsy2 said so”. Appeal to authority is a weak way of knowing. That said, based on years of reading her/his posts, if s/he says it, I’d take it seriously.

More common than academia as a whole or other fields of psychology? I'm not sure--I'd say "probably not," but we need data. Is it too common, in ABA and in other fields/subfields? Yes. There's a reason that female BCBAs started the Women in Behavior Analysis conference two years ago, and it's not because of a lack of overt sexism from some prominent people in the field. I think a lot of it may be generational--a lot of the older individuals in the field developed extensive learning histories in fields where behavior that would now by considered sexist would have been seen as acceptable or even progressive. Again, this isn't a blanket tarring of ABA--there are many wonderful ABA faculty (including one of the all-around best human beings I have ever met, who is a male ABA faculty), but there are also strong undercurrents of sexist behavior among more than a few very prominent people in the field, and they are basically reinforced for it because they are "[insert big name here]" and so no one ever says anything publicly and just continues to say how great they are. The conversations female behavior analysts have behind closed doors are different than those they have around male colleagues in general. One reaction I heard to the CalABA incident from female BCBAs was "I wish this had happened years ago with [other big name ABA person]."

 

[ClinicalABA]

but there are also strong undercurrents of sexist behavior among more than a few very prominent people in the field, and they are basically reinforced for it because they are "[insert big name here]" and so no one ever says anything publicly and just continues to say how great they are.

Definitely- I think you could argue that they’re not even “undercurrents”- much more overt and obvious. To see these guys sign books like they’re Rock Stars is just weird. Dude- maybe10 people outside this room can even spell “ABA” let alone know of or are impressed by your treatise on transitive motivating operations. Get over yourselves.

The conversations female behavior analysts have behind closed doors are different than those they have around male colleagues in general. One reaction I heard to the CalABA incident from female BCBAs was "I wish this had happened years ago with [other big name ABA person]."

Of course. In reference to this situation, however, my closed door discussions with male colleagues result in identical almost identical reactions, as well as those along the lines of incredulous “THIS is what’s got this guy in trouble? Don’t people know about him?.”

Hope you didn’t take any offense to my earlier post. While I think I agree with you, it’s a big claim. Regardless, it’s an important discussion. As graduate trainingbspots become more competitive (or require huge financial investments), the power differential between trainees and faculty/supervisors just grows, setting the stage for escalating nasty business.

 

[smalltownpsych]

A really old guy said inappropriate things? I'm shocked. Almost as shocked as when my mother-in-law was walking around my house in her underwear. 😱You should see what my mom says to her grandkids. I can attest to the fact that she would never have said stuff like that ten years ago. It would be interesting to do a study on normal aging and tendency to be more inappropriate. Is it "I'm old so I can get away with it" or is it some more subtle cognitive change? Important to know since we will all be there someday. When I'm in the nursing home, will I be that guy who keeps grabbing at the nurses and making the rude jokes? At least I probably won't be famous enough that they give me a mic and put me up on stage at that point.

 

[temppsych123]

Whatever the cause of this person's behavior, the impact on attendees is the same in terms of feeling put down, excluded, mocked - and so it seems like the response (cut off the mic, get the person off stage) is the right one regardless of the "why".

 

[Fan_of_Meehl]

A really old guy said inappropriate things? I'm shocked. Almost as shocked as when my mother-in-law was walking around my house in her underwear. 😱You should see what my mom says to her grandkids. I can attest to the fact that she would never have said stuff like that ten years ago. It would be interesting to do a study on normal aging and tendency to be more inappropriate. Is it "I'm old so I can get away with it" or is it some more subtle cognitive change? Important to know since we will all be there someday. When I'm in the nursing home, will I be that guy who keeps grabbing at the nurses and making the rude jokes? At least I probably won't be famous enough that they give me a mic and put me up on stage at that point.

True anecdotal hypothetical: If a female supervisor in a clinical psychology graduate program were to (hypothetically) make a comment during group supervision (in relationship to describing behavior of a male client--and attributing the bad behavior to his 'maleness' or 'toxic masculinity'), "Well, we all know that testosterone IS the root of all evil (laughing and encouraging supervisees to laugh)..." should the male supervisees be offended? Start a #METOO movement? Are jokes only funny/harmless when they target specific groups or is there some justifiable (non-arbitrary) asymmetry to these sorts of things?

 

[smalltownpsych]

True anecdotal hypothetical: If a female supervisor in a clinical psychology graduate program were to (hypothetically) make a comment during group supervision (in relationship to describing behavior of a male client--and attributing the bad behavior to his 'maleness' or 'toxic masculinity'), "Well, we all know that testosterone IS the root of all evil (laughing and encouraging supervisees to laugh)..." should the male supervisees be offended? Start a #METOO movement? Are jokes only funny/harmless when they target specific groups or is there some justifiable (non-arbitrary) asymmetry to these sorts of things?

Don't worry, as the professional women in leadership in psychology get older I am thinking they are going to say stupid stuff too. I really don't think that old people saying inappropriate things is solely a function of our patriarchal society. I have run into a few crotchety, know-it-all old men in this field. It would be a joy to delude myself into thinking that it will be so much better when the old leaders are mostly women, but I try to live in the real world where women and men are very similar from a psychological standpoint aside from those 15 to 25 year old males who are dangerous to everyone. Just give Marsha Linehan a mic in twenty years and who knows what she will say.

Although i am having a bit of fun with this, I do want to make it clear that they did the right thing by taking the mic away. I just don't think that it is that relevant or reflective of the field or even any specialty that our really old people say really stupid things.

 

[Fan_of_Meehl]

Don't worry, as the professional women in leadership in psychology get older I am thinking they are going to say stupid stuff too. I really don't think that old people saying inappropriate things is solely a function of our patriarchal society. I have run into a few crotchety, know-it-all old men in this field. It would be a joy to delude myself into thinking that it will be so much better when the old leaders are mostly women, but I try to live in the real world where women and men are very similar from a psychological standpoint aside from those 15 to 25 year old males who are dangerous to everyone. Just give Marsha Linehan a mic in twenty years and who knows what she will say.

Although i am having a bit of fun with this, I do want to make it clear that they did the right thing by taking the mic away. I just don't think that it is that relevant or reflective of the field or even any specialty that our really old people say really stupid things.

Completely agree. Remarks sound like they were highly inappropriate and the best thing to do was to cut the mike. I just think that we're creating a new religion of 'not offending' anyone to the point of absurdity. Probably the most cruel thing you can do to a person who has to live in the real world with all of its arbitrariness, pain, malevolence, and tragedy is to teach them that they have a right 'not to be offended' based on their group membership and that they should never be laughed at or made the point of any joke by anyone. In all other areas, we are a profession that teaches resilience of the individual, not transformation of societies. I think insensitive remarks are inappropriate, but I don't consider them blasphemous or criminal. I admire the heck out of Marsha Linehan and her brilliant work...she has pioneered theoretical approaches to therapy that are immensely practical and sophisticated, even for non-BPD clientele.

 

[WisNeuro]

Completely agree. Remarks sound like they were highly inappropriate and the best thing to do was to cut the mike. I just think that we're creating a new religion of 'not offending' anyone to the point of absurdity. Probably the most cruel thing you can do to a person who has to live in the real world with all of its arbitrariness, pain, malevolence, and tragedy is to teach them that they have a right 'not to be offended' based on their group membership and that they should never be laughed at or made the point of any joke by anyone. In all other areas, we are a profession that teaches resilience of the individual, not transformation of societies. I think insensitive remarks are inappropriate, but I don't consider them blasphemous or criminal. I admire the heck out of Marsha Linehan and her brilliant work...she has pioneered theoretical approaches to therapy that are immensely practical and sophisticated, even for non-BPD clientele.

Not necessarily in this particular case, but somewhere along the way, people started equating feeling offended to being oppressed/repressed.

 

[LM02]

So...this is not my area at all, and had never heard of this person. I was curious if there was video of his address, but instead found this. Umm....wow. I see what the above commenters were referring to when they said that his behavior was perhaps part of a larger culture of misogyny.

 

[msgeorgeeliot]

True anecdotal hypothetical: If a female supervisor in a clinical psychology graduate program were to (hypothetically) make a comment during group supervision (in relationship to describing behavior of a male client--and attributing the bad behavior to his 'maleness' or 'toxic masculinity'), "Well, we all know that testosterone IS the root of all evil (laughing and encouraging supervisees to laugh)..." should the male supervisees be offended? Start a #METOO movement? Are jokes only funny/harmless when they target specific groups or is there some justifiable (non-arbitrary) asymmetry to these sorts of things?

I am a @Fan_of_Meehl, but I gotta say, I’m not a fan of this post. To me, it feels conceptual/at best anecdotal and not an actual pragmatic issue. But you know what is a widespread issue? Men in power who control the careers of women who are up and coming in the field. Cognitive degeneration doesn’t invent sexism or racism in the mind. Dick, you did this to yourself. Must suck.

 

[msgeorgeeliot]

Yeah, that's what I was thinking... poor dude.

“Poor dude”

 

[Fan_of_Meehl]

I am a @Fan_of_Meehl, but I gotta say, I’m not a fan of this post. To me, it feels conceptual/at best anecdotal and not an actual pragmatic issue. But you know what is a widespread issue? Men in power who control the careers of women who are up and coming in the field. Cognitive degeneration doesn’t invent sexism or racism in the mind. Dick, you did this to yourself. Must suck.

It is an anecdote from my training experiences in the mid-late 1990's. I was in the group supervision session. Wasn't a 'big deal' but I've always wondered how it would play in this day and age if the sexes were reversed and it was a male supervisor making a comment to the effect of 'estrogen' being the 'root of all evil' in relation to disturbing behavior of a female client.

 

[msgeorgeeliot]

OOPS... I thought I quoted a homie above me who was talking about how it might be cog. issues/dementia...

It’s just very interesting to me how rapidly defenses/excuses/explanations get made for male lions in the field who think a perk of their intelligence is to treat less powerful people however they want. Why should I feel sorry for this Dick person for making it harder for me to make an impact in my field? My bad, “homie.”

 

[msgeorgeeliot]

It is an anecdote from my training experiences in the mid-late 1990's. I was in the group supervision session. Wasn't a 'big deal' but I've always wondered how it would play in this day and age if the sexes were reversed and it was a male supervisor making a comment to the effect of 'estrogen' being the 'root of all evil' in relation to disturbing behavior of a female client.

No one should make such offensive generalizations about anyone, no matter what their gender expression. I’m sorry that you were on the receiving end of such a crappy comment.

Until quite recently, men and women (and all gender expressions in between) rarely could afford to speak up about being treated so poorly by (mostly) high-powered white men who controlled the more vulnerable person’s quest to be of service to humanity in some way through the practice of psychology.

So many continue to stay silent within the culture of male-dominated higher education, where letters or rec get traded for unspeakably bad behavior. I value the truth of your experience of a female leader denigrating you. Such behavior is never ok, but let’s remember where the vast majority of the damage takes place, and not attempt to leverage it into conceptual intellectual play.

 

[mlwg1]

Such behavior is never ok, but let’s remember where the vast majority of the damage takes place, and not attempt to leverage it into conceptual intellectual play.

I just wanted to say that I love the term “conceptual intellectual play.” So often there’s a pull to respond to these types of situations by distracting from the words that were actually said, and the actions that were actually done, via intellectualizing and tangential hypotheticals.

 

[PsyDr]

1) if this was over learned behavior, one would expect less modern language.

2) @Fan_of_Meehl we call that sexism. Unless you are one of these people who uses structuralism for the vast majority of your arguments and then claim post structuralism when it’s convenient.

3) any explanation for his behavior, and he’s still being a jerk who has to live with being a jerk. I’m assuming the people who professionally alter behavior can handle this.

 

[Fan_of_Meehl]

1) if this was over learned behavior, one would expect less modern language.

2) @Fan_of_Meehl we call that sexism. Unless you are one of these people who uses structuralism for the vast majority of your arguments and then claim post structuralism when it’s convenient.

3) any explanation for his behavior, and he’s still being a jerk who has to live with being a jerk. I’m assuming the people who professionally alter behavior can handle this.

You seem to be attacking a straw man here. I never claimed that it wasn't sexism, wasn't wrong, or shouldn't be punished. Back off, buddy.

 

[smalltownpsych]

So...this is not my area at all, and had never heard of this person. I was curious if there was video of his address, but instead found this. Umm....wow. I see what the above commenters were referring to when they said that his behavior was perhaps part of a larger culture of misogyny.

Now that was a disturbing video and I would have had a difficult time sitting through that. I have never been a big fan of 12 year old males' humor though. "Haha. His name is Dick. Hehe".

 

[PsyDr]

You seem to be attacking a straw man here. I never claimed that it wasn't sexism, wasn't wrong, or shouldn't be punished. Back off, buddy.

Not attacking you at all. Sorry if it was taken that way.

 

[ClinicalABA]

Now that was a disturbing video and I would have had a difficult time sitting through that. I have never been a big fan of 12 year old males' humor though. "Haha. His name is Dick. Hehe".

Right? From the looks of that video (and the sounds of the laughing), it was made for and played at the "Behavior Bash." That's the big Satruday night party at the annual ABAI conference. Assuming that's the case, this one joke video (based on a pun, at that) was played to a room full of hundreds of conference attendees, most of who are female new professionals or students. It seems rather innappropriate and risky on several levels- 1) sexual pun presented to a group of strangers who history of reaction to or experience with such materials is unknown; 2) Double entendre (e.g., "dick is his name and his personality, hah hah) that is potentially denigrating to a fellow professional when presented in such a public forum (vs. private joke amongst friends; and, 3) The whole weird "truth behind the humor" thing, either known, rumored, suspected, with a HUGE likelihood that, if true, a past victim of his behavior was in the room (or at least at the conference).

I regularly attend the ABAI conference, but I don't go to this party (why would you spend a Saturday night in new city stuck in a generic hotel ballroom paying 12 bucks for a Heineken?). I do remember going to such things at AABT (now ABCT), and they would have these type of events, with some kind of slide show/skit "comedic" presentation that always seemed like a lot of inside jokes. Some were amusing, but many missed the mark. I'm suprised to see this kind of thing still going on.

 

[ClinicalABA]

1) ... I’m assuming the people who professionally alter behavior can handle this.

I don't know about that- I find that us behavior analyst often are not great at analyzing the behavior of other behavior analysts!

 

[erg923]

Right? From the looks of that video (and the sounds of the laughing), it was made for and played at the "Behavior Bash." That's the big Satruday night party at the annual ABAI conference. Assuming that's the case, this one joke video (based on a pun, at that) was played to a room full of hundreds of conference attendees, most of who are female new professionals or students. It seems rather innappropriate and risky on several levels- 1) sexual pun presented to a group of strangers who history of reaction to or experience with such materials is unknown; 2) Double entendre (e.g., "dick is his name and his personality, hah hah) that is potentially denigrating to a fellow professional when presented in such a public forum (vs. private joke amongst friends; and, 3) The whole weird "truth behind the humor" thing, either known, rumored, suspected, with a HUGE likelihood that, if true, a past victim of his behavior was in the room (or at least at the conference).

I regularly attend the ABAI conference, but I don't go to this party (why would you spend a Saturday night in new city stuck in a generic hotel ballroom paying 12 bucks for a Heineken?). I do remember going to such things at AABT (now ABCT), and they would have these type of events, with some kind of slide show/skit "comedic" presentation that always seemed like a lot of inside jokes. Some were amusing, but many missed the mark. I'm suprised to see this kind of thing still going on.

Haven't followed until now (don't know, don't care who this guy is), but cripes on that video!!

This is like bachelor party stuff, no? A blending of joking, silly, and inappropriate for some kind of personally acquainted audience/guests. The fact that an established academic (or any mature/grown man for that matter) would put this on in a public forum, whatever the intent, is simply bizarre to me. Not to make excuses, but are we sure he's not dementing?

Did he do actually do (or approved of) this? Or perhaps a ill-minded underlying of his? WTF is going on here?? Academia, in my experience is left leaning, but pretty conservative in terms of what is 'appropriate" humor and fun.

 

[ClinicalABA]

Haven't followed until now (don't know, don't care who this guy is), but cripes on that video!!

This is like bachelor party stuff, no? A blending of joking, silly, and inappropriate for some kind of personally acquainted audience/guests. The fact that an established academic (or any mature/grown man for that matter) would put this on in a public forum, whatever the intent, is simply bizarre to me. Not to make excuses, but are we sure he's not dementing?

Did he do actually do (or approved of) this? Or perhaps a ill-minded underlying of his? WTF is going on here?? Academia, in my experience is left leaning, but pretty conservative in terms of what is 'appropriate" humor and fun.

Honestly don’t know his level of involvement. In the intro of the video, it’s identified as an “entry.” Could there have been more like this?

Incidently, he’s a pretty big name in the field, from arguably the biggest name program (Western Michigan). Co-author of one of the standard texts. This is equivalent to someone like a Barlow or Linehan.

 

[MCParent]

Academia, in my experience is left leaning, but pretty conservative in terms of what is 'appropriate" humor and fun.

I'd say it's totally consistent with my experience of old white men in academia. I heard another story form last year of basically the same thing as the video being presented for a biologist, cake shaped like breasts, jokes about female undergrads, etc. Barf.

 

[bcliff]

Following this thread has been interesting. When I heard hooves (e.g., age > 80, disinhibition), I thought horse (e.g., NCD), but after following this thread, I’m thinking that maybe what I thought had been a zebra -- this guy *actually* thinks he can say these things at a keynote address without adverse consequences -- is actually just a horse with stripes. Even though I’ve observed faculty members from many disciplines say and do egregious things, I guess I still continue to be surprised?

 

[msgeorgeeliot]

Haven't followed until now (don't know, don't care who this guy is), but cripes on that video!!

This is like bachelor party stuff, no? A blending of joking, silly, and inappropriate for some kind of personally acquainted audience/guests. The fact that an established academic (or any mature/grown man for that matter) would put this on in a public forum, whatever the intent, is simply bizarre to me. Not to make excuses, but are we sure he's not dementing?

Did he do actually do (or approved of) this? Or perhaps a ill-minded underlying of his? WTF is going on here?? Academia, in my experience is left leaning, but pretty conservative in terms of what is 'appropriate" humor and fun.

Among actually good men, in my experience, there is no such thing as locker room talk, or “bachelor party stuff,” whether it denigrates women in private, or in public on a professional stage.

Erg, you are a senior member of this community. I challenge you to do something radical. Stand up for women, versus pontificate on the nuances of the horrible behavior of men who have a stranglehold on female scholars.

Seriously, you must do better. Every senior man on this forum has to help. If you don’t, I will haunt every single thread on SDN for the rest of your days. Do better.

 

[msgeorgeeliot]

Don't worry, as the professional women in leadership in psychology get older I am thinking they are going to say stupid stuff too. I really don't think that old people saying inappropriate things is solely a function of our patriarchal society. I have run into a few crotchety, know-it-all old men in this field. It would be a joy to delude myself into thinking that it will be so much better when the old leaders are mostly women, but I try to live in the real world where women and men are very similar from a psychological standpoint aside from those 15 to 25 year old males who are dangerous to everyone. Just give Marsha Linehan a mic in twenty years and who knows what she will say.

Although i am having a bit of fun with this, I do want to make it clear that they did the right thing by taking the mic away. I just don't think that it is that relevant or reflective of the field or even any specialty that our really old people say really stupid things.

Ok, I’ll bite. “Just give Marsha Linehan a mic in twenty years and who knows what she will say.”

Are you serious?

I’m amazed that, in the absence of any actual evidence, and for the sake of “having a bit of fun,” you casually denigrate one of the most impressive women in our field, whose accomplishments are centered in changing the male-defined conceptualization of female “hysteria.”

Seriously, do better.

 

[msgeorgeeliot]

Not necessarily in this particular case, but somewhere along the way, people started equating feeling offended to being oppressed/repressed.

All is relative. This intellectual POV is so boring to me. I respect @WisNeuro, yet wonder if he, or some other senior men in this community, really grasp what it’s like to be raped in your pursuit of intellectual excellence. I am frequently offended by men who think that they’re entitled to do what they want to those who have less power. In my experience, this has indeed oppressed and repressed my ability to live fully according to my abilities. I think that this sucks. Do you?

 

[ClinicalABA]

Seriously, you must do better. Every senior man on this forum has to help. If you don’t, I will haunt every single thread on SDN for the rest of your days. Do better.

As a male on this forum (not sure I’m “senior” or not) I welcome your feedback (though do not expect it, as it’s not your responsibility to make make me a better human).

I think it’s important, at least for me, to consistently be aware that I was brought up in a time and place that promoted certain behaviors, including thoughts, that reflected and maintained the white male dominance of most areas of social, professional, and academic life. As a result, my initial thoughts are reflective of this bias. Without additional work, any overt behaviors following these thoughts are likely to reflect that bias as well. Rather than use this learning history as an excuse for being a jerk sometimes, I think we need to use it to continuously question our immediate reactions and change our behaviors so that we are less of a jerk with each subsequent interaction. At the times when I inevitably fail at this, i certainly appreciate being called out on it.

Thanks for your input on this post, msgeorgeeliot. Because I am what I am, I can’t understand how exhausting and damaging it must be to deal with this kind of garbage. I can only imagine that really sucks, and I’m humbly apologize if I’ve ever made it suck more.

 

[WisNeuro]

All is relative. This intellectual POV is so boring to me. I respect @WisNeuro, yet wonder if he, or some other senior men in this community, really grasp what it’s like to be raped in your pursuit of intellectual excellence. I am frequently offended by men who think they’re smarter/sexier/more powerful than me. This oppresses and represses my ability to live fully according to my abilities. I think that this sucks. Do you?

I imagine that must indeed, suck.

 

[msgeorgeeliot]

As a male on this forum (not sure I’m “senior” or not) I welcome your feedback (though do not expect it, as it’s not your responsibility to make make me a better human).

I think it’s important, at least for me, to consistently be aware that I was brought up in a time and place that promoted certain behaviors, including thoughts, that reflected and maintained the white male dominance of most areas of social, professional, and academic life. As a result, my initial thoughts are reflective of this bias. Without additional work, any overt behaviors following these thoughts are likely to reflect that bias as well. Rather than use this learning history as an excuse for being a jerk sometimes, I think we need to use it to continuously question our immediate reactions and change our behaviors so that we are less of a jerk with each subsequent interaction. At the times when I inevitably fail at this, i certainly appreciate being called out on it.

Thanks for your input on this post, msgeorgeeliot. Because I am what I am, I can’t understand how exhausting and damaging it must be to deal with this kind of garbage. I can only imagine that really sucks, and I’m humbly apologize if I’ve ever made it suck more.

To the contrary, you make it suck less! Thanks for your thoughtful post.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

Quick thought: Speaking generally, I can understand there are situations where someone is just being a jerk (based on what's been said, though, the specific situation in this thread appears to me to be more than that). However, as supervisors, I think we should appreciate and understand A) how the inherent power differential could make it more difficult for trainees to speak up/talk back, which I think many of us make efforts to keep in mind, and B) how certain characteristics of the supervisor and trainee could further exacerbate the divide from point A.

 

[ClinicalABA]

... engage in locker room talk

This term is funny to me. I have found myself in an actual locker room on a weekly basis over the past 15 year as a participate in adult hockey. The talk in the locker room is pretty dull stuff- typical about are kids/families, work, occasional pop-culture stuff. If someone started to engage in sexist, racist, misogynist talk, the rest of us would be pretty visably and vocally uncomfortable. I should also point out that occasionally there have been females in the locker room, and the talk has pretty much been the same. I'll admit that ice hockey tends to be a white, middle-to-upper class endeavor, and I'm in the progressive "happy valley" area of Massachusetts, so ymmv in other areas or in other locker rooms.

I remember this topic of "locker room talk" coming up aroung the Trump/Billy Bush tape, and us actually talking about that in the real locker room, somewhat shocked that people think that's how we talk to each other!

 

[MCParent]

This term is funny to me. I have found myself in an actual locker room on a weekly basis over the past 15 year as a participate in adult hockey. The talk in the locker room is pretty dull stuff- typical about are kids/families, work, occasional pop-culture stuff. If someone started to engage in sexist, racist, misogynist talk, the rest of us would be pretty visably and vocally uncomfortable. I should also point out that occasionally there have been females in the locker room, and the talk has pretty much been the same. I'll admit that ice hockey tends to be a white, middle-to-upper class endeavor, and I'm in the progressive "happy valley" area of Massachusetts, so ymmv in other areas or in other locker rooms.

I remember this topic of "locker room talk" coming up aroung the Trump/Billy Bush tape, and us actually talking about that in the real locker room, somewhat shocked that people think that's how we talk to each other!

I was just about to post on this.

There is a "locker room talk" that consists mostly of bragging about one's sexual appeal ("she was all over me man, she couldn't keep her hands off me!"). What's currently being referred to as "locker room talk" was the president of the United States saying that because he's a celebrity he can sexually assault women who are clearly not into him and they don't complain about it.

 

[MCParent]

But, there was an assumption of sexism when it wasn't that. It was simply poor social skills and aggression on the part of the old guy and poor social skills/meek personality on the part of the young professor, a bad interaction. I think we can have a thicker skin in some contexts and teach people to punch back a little, if you know what I mean. With the same professor, I ran into similar issues in meetings, but I was able to diffuse it by basically firing back at him; I have a bit of a sarcastic wit and I am quick on my feet. This allowed me to be heard. Allowed me to develop a good relationship with the professor. And, averted any sort of escalation to complaints or other supports of HR/administrative involvement.

Are you sure that "firing back" from a woman would be seen the same way as the same behavior from you? I wouldn't be, if I were a woman student in the program.

 

[MCParent]

 

[MCParent]

Maybe a different tactic would work. People that have good social skills are often able to figure that out. My point being that many of these situations are simply poor social skills on one or more than one person's part and don't reflect any particular malevolence.

Look at the gradient of the learning though. The people in less power have to learn the social interaction style of the people in power. Probably never occurred to the person who perceives themselves to have more power to think about the other person's interaction style.
It would be less of a problem if power reflected actual knowledge and skill.