That Clown Douglas and His "Book Report"

Okay, not really. But I wanted to post something about all the recent discussion over my little piece of work.

As faithful readers know, some internet trolls were making hay over the unavailability of my dissertation. Without reading it, several resorted to name-calling and suggestions that it was inferior and biased work. (Suggesting bias on their accounts, but who cares?) I sent an e-mail to the moderator(s) at CollegeHints, offering to send it to anyone who would provide a verifiable name and physical address. Of course, the trolls went nuts with that, suggesting all sorts of conspiracy theories about why I wanted physical addresses. (Because UPS doesn't ship to P.O. boxes, and because I wanted some assurance regarding whom I was dealing with.) Then I waited in silence for a couple of weeks.

During the weeks after the moderators posted my offer, the trolls went to work. They claimed it was a bogus offer that it was made by someone pretending to be me, that I was disingenuous for refusing Hayes (who stole a copy of another document of mine, and who didn't fulfill the conditions of the offer anyway), etc. It was a riot to read. (The best was the suggestion that someone pretending to be me posted the offer because I misused the word "inavailability." I misused it because it's been something I've done incorrectly my whole life. I did it again when drafting this post.) Finally, I created a .pdf file of the dissertation and e-mailed it to those who requested it. How many? Exactly seven. That's it. Seven. And five of those were to people who post here, not at CollegeHints. (They'd read about it, and then either e-mailed me or sent an IM on this board.)

There were great promises of evaluating, deconstructing, and destroying my research. (Even Hayes, to whom I didn't send a copy, but who claims to have purchased it from an unnamed source.) But none of the people making the biggest fuss even requested it. Not Marianus, James Crabb, Dennis Ruhl, nor even the a.e.d. spammer (alive and still-not-well on Online-College.info). Just two nice people who received it and one (Hayes) who did not. As I said before, I also sent it to five people at Degreeinfo who also requested it.

And what has been said? Nothing. Zip. It shut them right up. A couple of weeks ago, I was the topic du jour. Now, quite pleasingly, they've nothing to talk about. They asked for it, I offered it, they didn't accept it. But over at Online-College.info? No comments on the dissertation or the research it contains. But the name-calling, distortions, lying, etc. go on unabated. I've given them every piece of ammunition possible to post real and substantive comments about the research. You can see what they do instead.

Is there any reason to take seriously those who make CollegeHints and Online-College.info their "home"?

(I'm done sending the dissertation out. Perhaps UMI will post it some day.)

 

Bravo.

 

Rich, you sure have some patience. Whomever is doing that to you should be prosecuted to he fullest extent of the law.

 

I can only guess how screwed up the laws are in the Netherlands but criticizing someone's term paper isn't illegal on this sideof the pond.

 

I received a copy (thank you), honestly I have not read it yet, but it looks like it will be VERY interesting. I need a few hours, a glass of wine, and a night (or two), with no disturbances - these seem to be happening less and less!!!

Thanks Rich, as usual, you have lived up to your word and been very professional about the entire situation!

 

I didn't think I was knowledgable enough in the area to comment on it.

I don't think I spent much time criticizing it, only it's seemingly convenient unavailability.

 

Rich,

Good luck to you and your future endeavors. You might want to think about publishing a journal article on your journey. I am sure many would want to read it. Or how about the Chronicle of Higher Education. They LOVE stories like yours. Good luck to you sir.

 

Re: Re: That Clown Douglas and His "Book Report"

Which demonstrates an utter lack of understanding about these things. And the unavailability has hardly been "convenient." It's been a pain.

 

Dennis, I have seen some of the vicious personal attacks this man had to endure, and I wouldn't call that criticizing someone's term paper. Furthermore, wouldn't it be more than a term paper? Isn't that pejorative since we are talking about a doctoral dissertation?

Here in The Netherlands and anywhere in Europe for that matter laws are definitely softer than in the US (if that's where you live). But that virtual harassment many of us have witnessed *could* definitely be ilegal here. That's why I earlier expressed my solidarity to Rich.

Greetings

 

Re: Re: That Clown Douglas and His "Book Report"

"Convenient"? I guess that means convenient for you to have another excuse to launch your personal attacks against Rich?

 

Re: Re: Re: That Clown Douglas and His "Book Report"

What personal attack?

 

Bravo indeed, Rich. Now they have lesser targets...

 

Hey, that worked for Lincoln.

 

6 April 2004
User "theaceman_16" on CollegeHints acknowledges having received and read Rich's dissertation.

7 April 2004
User "KC Dutton" on CollegeHints quotes the message in which user "theaceman_16" on CollegeHints acknowledges having received and read Rich's dissertation. User "KC Dutton" makes no mention of himself having requested the dissertation:

8 April 2004 to 15 April 2004
Total silence on CollegeHints regarding Rich's dissertation.

15 April 2004
Rich announces here, "I'm done sending the dissertation out."

16 April 2004
User "KC Dutton" on CollegeHints writes:

Hmm...

 

"Hmm..." indeed. No one going by the name "KC Dutton" ever asked for the dissertation, which should come as no surprise to anyone. I offered it as a stop-gap because of the Union/UMI fumble (I'm sure fixing this matter is hardly high on either's task list.) and to clam up the faux critics. Declaring victory has been sweet.

 

Let me guess. There was no request from a "Don Taylor" either, right?

 

Of course not. The rest of that is a lie as well. Not only are his lies weak, but his timing is utterly obvious.

Funny how the people who've stepped up to say they've asked for--and received--their copies are also the ones who are most civil. But the flaming trolls? Hardly. They'd blow their cover, which was the point.

 

I really enjoy when these academic frauds try to lambast Dr. Douglas' dissertation based on it not being available. It is very common for degree mills to not provide any listing of dissertations completed at the degree mill. Take the degree mill Knightsbridge University as an example, the owner of this apparent scam thought that he had a bullet proof facade of legitimacy put up around the operation. Apparently visiting here in part to test his facade. He was professional until it was discovered that no listing of all the KU dissertations was available when he got evasive and belligerent. Has any of these people that lambasted Dr. Douglas because Union sent the wrong document to UMI ever questioned fnhayes' dissertation because it will NEVER be made available through any academic research list? I don't visit those other forums but I feel secure in saying that I really doubt it.

It means that the fnhayes dissertation and similar unaccredited dissertations are arguably not part of the grand total of academic knowledge. It is just another indication that fnhayes and those of his ilk have not earned a real Ph.D..

 

The current troll position on Hayes is: Unless our academic publication record is more extensive than Hayes's, how dare we call him a fake doctor? It's rather like saying that only a world-class sprinter has the right to criticize Ben Johson for using steroids.

 

Bill Huffman writes:

> I don't visit those other forums

Bill, did anything even resembling this phone call ever occur?
http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=c2bc0a9f.0403042212.7931de51%40posting.google.com