Poll on 'ratting.' Question 3 of 3

Question 3.

 

If the person is practicing as an engineer it too is a licensed profession in most states. In Florida professional engineers are required to be licensed. If false credentials were used to obtain that license that is again a crime.

Bridge building, nuclear power plant safety, sky scraper construction- the illegal practice of engineering can have terrible consequences.

However they call the guy that fixed my oven an appliance engineer. If he wants a fake PhD thats OK with me. I have a fake PhD that I got for $20 many years ago from an ad in Popular Mechanics.

 

With real accredited Masters degree and taking / passing all the exams one can become licensed.

Fake Ph.D points to unethical and most likely criminal actions.

The license should be revoked because of unethical condact, the person should be let go from the job.

Even if the requirement for the job was accredited Masters.

Public safety is compromised, can this person be trusted?

One of the requirements for such duty is ethical conduct.
Fake degree, whats next fake parts and disaster?
fake reports etc?

Learner

 

I hope only as an experiment or a joke or something. And there's the whole point: You're not claiming it anywhere... putting it on your resume, or using it to get higher pay. So, except for wondering what the heck you were thinking at the time, I'm not sure I have a problem with your fake PhD either.

 

Wow. I can't believe it. I think I wanna' hug Lerner. Quick... someone make sure I haven't had a stroke or something.

But seriously, I basically agree... that is, if the fake PhD holder is claiming it on his resume and elsewhere as a legit credential.

Though I've never done so myself, and never will, I'm not sure that a person's having purchased a "novelty" PhD as some kind of joke or something; or to demonstrate to someone how easy it is (as part of condemning it); and who never, ever tries to pass it off as the real thing -- either by commission or omission -- has really done anything wrong.

Of course, I think that maybe even purchasing such a thing is suspect... no matter what the reason. But maybe I'm being too rigid about it.

 

You paid too much. I have many fake PhDs that I bestowed upon myself for $0.0 dollars. As a matter of fact I think I'll give myself another one for Doctor of Pseudo Doctoring.

 

If this guy is already a licensed engineer, has a Masters, and still sees the need to claim a fake Phd he is too stupid to run a nuclear power plant.

 

Well we know its a fake Ph.D but what is the clear definition for a fake Ph.D.
Some people call unaccredited as fake, milled etc.
If its one from unaccredited CA Approved DBA degree, some will calll it fake.
Is one from SRU or Concordia with bogus liberian accreditation?
Is it fake.
Can a person beleave that they have real Ph.D wile we know its a fake?
So there maybe small % that the person was a victom of a mill that looked like a real school and he is not a regular visitor to DL forums or reads Bear guides.

 

When public safety is an issue, rat 'em out.

When public safety is not an issue, tread very carefully. There's a thing called tortious interference, when you mess with someone's livelihood. I don't believe the truth alone is an effective defense in such matters.

The sex therapist, nuclear engineer, teacher, etc., should not be protected. But I'm not going to write some real estate agent's boss because the agent claims a fake MBA.

 

Truthfully, I don't have a fake PhD, a hamster I had that has moved on to the great treadmill in the sky has the fake PhD. It was $19.95 plus 4.95 shipping and handling from some ad in the back of Popular Mechanics. This was also about 15 years ago. I can't use it on my résumé because the name on the diploma is Tscherskia Triton.

 

My nomination for the best 'resume in one line' yet posted here:

mdoneil: "RN, librarian, holder of 3 completely unrelated MS degrees, working on 4th. IQ 8 1/2 EE Shoe Size 146 on the easy test. Mensa member but only to meet chicks."

John Bear
Quite possibly the only person who
consulted with the FBI and The
Grateful Dead, albeit not at the same time

 

I guess that my principle is one of 'least harm'.

Before I would be motivated to barge into somebody else's life, I'd have to be convinced that there's more harm in remaining silent than in speaking up.

 

I've often thought of ordering a fake degree, just to see for myself how easy it is. But, with my luck, the place would get raided, the FBI would get the customer lists, and I'd get a knock on my door.

 

I'll make you a real deal, Bruce. Order one from me. I won't charge you a dime and I promise that I won't be raided by the FBI and even if I was raided, I promise not to put your name on any list anywhere. Just tell me what you want and I'll make intsvr (sp?) responsible for both writing and evaluating your PLA (prior learning application). Since I promise to ignore everything that he says, does, or doesn't do, I promise that it couldn't be easier for you.

 

Well I guess you could be right. But just in case, if you happen to run into this kind "doctor" could you please tell him or her that I own a bridge in Brooklin that I'm selling. Thank You!!!

 

The above quote sums up my feelings exactly. Although I have absolutely zero respect for diploma mills or their customers, I am also uncomfortable with the whole business of "ratting" especially for its own sake. There would have to be a very good reason for such an action, and "because I can" is not good enough. For example, I would not hesitate to expose an unqualified medical doctor with a diploma mill degree but would not expose a similarly diploma-milled news anchor. One is a public safety issue in a field that has always required proper education and licensing, the other is a field that used to be called "news reader" and until fairly recently did not require any degree at all.

Perhaps it's better to focus on educating people regarding proper accreditation, and to focus efforts on fighting for more effective legislation that will end diploma mills altogether.

Kit