Poor Bruce

Boy!!! I go away for a while and come back to find Poor Bruce being attacked!!


All I can say is that they are jealous. Very Jealous of you Bruce. Who wouldn't be jealous of an educated man in a uniform???? They probably think that you get all the ladies, and I would be surprised if some of them haven't had a "lady" in a while!!!! ;-)


Ok...I feel better now....

 

I did okay with the ladies in my time, but that all ended when I met the future Mrs. Tait.

 

For every one thread we have about another forum, there must be 25 that they have about us. Why are they so obsessed? Some forums use the majority of threads to bash DI or DI posters. Astonishing.

You'd think there'd be more to life than obsessing because your degree isn't RA, then hating all who possess such a degree or endorse them. Covetousness? Jealousy? They just need to come to terms with it and move on--it's not that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things.

Life's too short. In fact, I'll end my diatribe here--the controversy isn't worth any more of my time.

 

They are obsessed because, in my experience, people who are living a lie will go to any length to defend that lie, and will actually spend more energy doing so than they would have to spend to do it "the right way".....

And as for Bruce, whether I agree or disagree with him politically or his decisions on discussion on this board, he is a person of high integrity as is pretty much everyone else who gets trashed on the "low life/scoundrel" boards that get their jollies from beating up on DegreeInfo every chance they find....

 

This is the first time I have ever looked at that Board.

What strikes me is the almost complete lack of any useful INFORMATION in their threads.

People can check in HERE and get solid answers about distance learning degree programs, based on OUR experiences or OUR research. THERE I see nothing but endlessly repeated invective.

Doubtless this post will be posted THERE for rock throwing...

 

People like to suggest that "non-traditional" schools are doing new and exciting things, freed as they are from the dead hand of the accreditors and from 'RA or no way' orthodoxies.

But nobody ever says what those new and exciting things are.

There's actually more substantive positive talk about credible non-traditional and sometimes non-accredited alternatives right here on Degreeinfo.

I think that a lot of the invective comes from people that have this simultaneous sense of self-doubt and entitlement. So they are prone to acquiring some very doubtful credentials as ego builders, which they parade around in expectation of universal applause. When they encounter criticism instead, it hits them precisely where they hurt the most. They immediately turn into victims and Degreeinfo becomes the focus for all of their bitterness.

I don't know... I guess that if people really had what they believed were sound and convincing reasons to pursue a particular program, whatever its accreditation happens to be, and if they weren't just doing the program in hopes of receiving applause from strangers, then it wouldn't matter so terribly much to them if everyone else wasn't absolutely impressed.

People pursuing non-accredited higher education probably should concentrate most on whether or not their education is of value to them personally. They need to place less emphasis on diplomas and on their perhaps unrealistic expectations of how other people will respond to their degrees.

 

They aren't telling the truth about us

You are right when you say we speak positively of SOME, PARTICULAR unaccredited programs, especially where the program is some how externally validated.

I am forever talking up unaccredited law schools, for instance.

Well, I doubt if I will bother to look and see if my post gets translated to that Board. I really can't be bothered to wade through their rubbish.

 

I didn't even know of that board until today.

So, let me get this straight...If you are educated but working as say...a detective...then you are unsuccessful because people with similar educations are making 6 digits?

Hmmm.....

 

What's more, THEY don't have any saxaphone girls!

 

For the past few years, I have been visiting the "other" fora and, like you, have been consistently disappointed. Distance learning constitutes a significant chunk of my profession. Degreeinfo provides a nice balance to the information that I receive via conferences, scholarly journals and my other academic sources. There are many people who keep tabs on up-to-the-minute developments in several areas. This has proven to be a good source of information for me and I contrubute here and there when I can.

If I could find other fora that provide information useful to my university and me, I would frequent them as well. Unfortunately, what I tend to see are numerous threads about how terrible Degreeinfo is and endless personal attacks on John Bear, Rich Douglas, Uncle Janko, Bruce Tait and other Degreeinfo regulars (my posts here tend to be pretty harmless, so no one wastes their time attacking me). Personal attacks may be interesting to some, but they are useless to me.

 

True... but if we pretended that what they do have is sirens, then maybe we'd finally all stop looking... as I keep saying we should all be doing around here.

And I believe that's how Alan Contreras sees it, too. He doesn't rely on anyone here to do his research for him, as the despicable John Dovelos and others over in the Crabby Forum so often accuse him. But, once having researched in all the right places -- the places that would impress Dovelos, et al -- Alan knows that only a fool would not also ask here as long as he's at it... just to see what turns up.

John Bear does essentially the same thing. We are not the research department for any of his books, but he's certainly smart enough to know that asking around here just in case someone knows about something he missed is the right move.

Well, having said that, you've probably jinxed it now. Brace yourself for them starting to call you "Tony Pinata" and/or just about any other hurtful, hateful, disrespectful name or thing they can think of. It won't be witty or intelligent, mind you... but you can count on it to be childish and thoughtless.

Still... I just wish we could all stop even looking; or talking about it; or even thinking about it... or them. This, that we're doing right now, is only marginally better than what they do. We're better than that... and them!

You know, it's just not that difficult to stop looking altogether. As has been pointed-out here many times, there's not a bit of information in any of those places that's actually worth anything; so just not paying attention is easy! Honestly, I had done it for months and months and felt much the better for it. It was only relatively recently that I got sucked-in briefly; and then I stopped again. I haven't looked for weeks and I don't miss it one single bit. The worst thing we can do is react. The second worst thing we can do is even look... or even read any of that stuff. The hell with them! They're not worth it.

See, here's the thing: The Internet is a great equalizer. In its finiest hour, in primary and secondary education, it equalizes kids in impoverished school systems that can't afford textbooks so they can access the very same high-quality online information as the kids in rich school systems that can. At its worst, however, the Internet equalizes how all persons appear to all other persons. Any low-life with ten bucks a month to pay an ISP, and an old computer with a modem in it, can dial-in, get an email address, and begin depositing written words onto web sites and into forums right alongside everyone else. And inexperienced web users who don't know how to separate the wheat from the chaff get misled by these idiots because their words look the same as everyone else's. There's no "be careful, this guy's an idiot" label attached to what they post in forums or place onto web sites. That's basically why diploma/degree mills are flourishing since the the advent of the Worldwide Web in '94. The web can make anyone look good.

The trashmouths in places like AED and the Crabby Forum are the low-lifes. In real, three-dimensional, non-cyber life, none of us would give 'em the time-o-day. We'd be able to tell how creepy and dysfunctional they were from a half mile out. But the lack of subtle cues (and clues) on the Internet that would be equivalent to those upon which we've come to rely in the real world should not let us deceive ourselves into believing that the same creepy people with whom we would never associate or take seriously in real life are not on the Web, too. They are! And they hang-out on AED, the Crabby Forum. and numerous other places.

Why we're giving them so much undeserved attention here is a complete mystery to me.

 

I can tell anyway....

I can still tell they are creepy dysfunctional low-lifes even without body language present......

The complete massacre of the English language and lack of any semblence of syntax and formal education betrays them.

Same can be said of "Lerner"......

 

Better read page 10 of his new one again.

 

Re: I can tell anyway....

You mean Rector... at least over there.

There is a decided difference between commissioning those at DegreeInfo to provide informal -- ne, even anecdotal -- input, as those in other fora suggest the likes of Contreras and Bear do; and merely appreciating the occasionally-good work that someone here might do which Contreras or Bear might find useful. From the words on page 10 of Bear's "new one" to which you refer:

• "For their general support and helpful writing on degree mills, in print, on news forums, and in personal communications, thanks to..."

it's clear that DI involvement amounts to little more than the latter. Others who post here that really were asked to contribute in a more formal way and are, therefore, also listed on that page, were not asked to do so merely because they're contributors at DI.

So, then, sunshine... just curious: You're trying to give credence to that which the aforementioned low-lifes contend... um... why, again?

 

Re: Re: I can tell anyway....

You seem to have (or think you have) a lot of insight into Bear's intended meaning. Did you ask him before you posted? Or did you just answer based on your speculation as to what, in the context of your embarrassment, you wish he might have meant? Does it bother you at all that your feigned insightfulness is contrary to Dr. Bear's plain language?

You seem to have a real problem with reality. Once again, there is a divergence between what you say and what undeniably is. Or to say it in a way you can understand, you make up stuff to suit your purposes. Most people call this "lying," by the way.

Prefacing a lie with the words "it is clear" does not make it any less a lie.

When done with the frequency and transparency that you do it, it is also the sign of a disturbed personality. You've probably heard this many times before, but you really ought to seek professional help.

Now you admit that DI people were asked to contribute, and even "in a more formal way" at that. You are admitting the very thing you denied in the previous paragraph. So is there some meaningful distinction between "contributing in a more formal way" and being the "research department" for the book?

Let's see, what other feeble little word games can you play? How about this: DI isn't really the "research department" because Bear hasn't put a sign on anyone's door that says "research department." That's almost as stupid as your statements.

You might as well admit it, genius, since everyone else can see it plainly: You said something stupid that wasn't true, you got caught, you tried to cover your first lie with another lie, and you got caught at that one too. Let's see if you can make it three in one thread (which, unfortunately, would not be a record for you, but would be another highly entertaining example of sociopathic behavior.)

Everybody, quickly tear page 10 out of your new Bear book, so Greggy won't look like such a putz. Again.

 

I've thought it was clear that Mariah and I hired the 3 guys then running DegreeInfo, in 2003, to update the current entries, and add new ones, all in a draft form for our inspection, modification, and final decision.

I wonder why I'm more annoyed at things I generally agree with said with incivility, than things I generally disagree with said with civility. One reason I don't listen to Air America as much as I probably should.

Is it possible that some people don't use their real names because you can't make a stupid insulting diminutive (Billy, Johnny, Georgie) out of names like Moonlight, Potato Head, or Prune Whip.

 

I view this as a challenge.

"Diminutive" as an adjective can mean "very small," so we see that "Moonlight" already holds its own diminutive, thanks to the contained pun: "Moon Lite."

"Potato Head" is harder, but switching to Frenglish (franglais) affords an opportunity: Potato Head => Pomme de terre-tête => Pomme de terre tette. Better would be "Pommette" (but that really means "cheekbone") or "Pommie." But that last one is often followed by the word "bastard" so perhaps it's too PG-13.

"Prune Whip" drops us into scatology, so enough is enough.

 

"Pommie bastard" is primarily an Australian term.

We used to have more direct terms of endearment (?) for our English friends.

 

Actually, some time ago, a new poster showed up who claimed to be a doctoral candidate at an unnamed "Big Ten School" and who made a series of outrageous claims. When I politely asked "her" (this person claimed to be a woman) to provide evidence to back up "her" statements, "she" fired off a series of racial slurs against my Hispanic last name and demeaned the state university for which I work for having the gall not to be Harvard. As I continued to solicit ANY type of evidence from "her", "she" just kept getting more obviously imbalanced until "she" finally disappeared.

 

Is that why you don't use your real name, John Andrew Klempner?