Glenn on the John Gray thing

5 thoughts on “Glenn on the John Gray thing”

1. I like the Jarvis idea as well. I’d kick in a few bucks for that.

2. I’m still shocked and disappointed, Gavin, to see all the (sometimes detailed) advice you received from people telling you, basically, that “You made a mistake and you better apologize.”

   Truly bizarre and, frankly, pathetic.

   It will be with great pleasure that I watch John Gray’s legacy as a huckster of bogus credentials and pseudoscientific sociological GARBAGE AND LIES grow to immense proportions. Hopefully DR PHIL and JOHN EDWARDS will join him in the cesspool where together they can all enjoy sniffing Ann Coulter’s soiled panties, along with those weak-kneed apologists who posted to your website.

3. Constructive, Johnnie C, highly constructive.

   Read my comment on Gavin’s post of March 18 – we’re not pathetic apologists (I say we should rip Gray’s reputation to shreds), but the fact remains that Gavin erred with the post in question. It was poor journalism – although I doubt Gavin views himself as a journalist, occasionally you have to play by their rules.

4. Mr. Yerbody

   I read your comments. To paraphrase the man in Easy Rider: you blew it.

   You wrote:

   “The guy DOES have the degrees he claims; all the bullshit above about whether or not they are credible degrees is missing the point by quite a large margin.”

   No, it’s not missing the point at all. If I tell you I have supernatural powers and you say I’m a fraud can I successfully sue you for libel because I have a piece of paper signed by five rabbis that says “Johnnie C has supernatural powers” ?

   Gray’s degrees are SHIT. The difference between “Ph.D. from Columbia Pacific” and “No Ph.D.” is NOT a “wide margin,” not in the eyes of a person who knows the FACTS (that Columbia Pacific is and was a piece of shit degree mill) and not in the eyes of the law. Gavin has every right to say that a Ph.D. from Columbia Pacific is SHIT WORTHLESS and, therefore, a graduate of Columbia Pacific who goes around claiming to have a high degree is a BULLSHIT ARTIST and a FRAUD.

   Mr. Yerbody, might I interest you in a pair of X-ray glasses? Only $1000. X-ray glasses. You can see your bones with them. $1000!!!! Impress your friends!!!!! X-ray glasses.

   Mr. Yerbody, you also wrote:

   “From my reading of it, you are prima facie guilty of repeating a libel and are thus fucked. Do yourself a favour and retract your post …”

   Again, where’s the libel??? “Doctor” John Gray’s degrees are PIECES OF SHIT and he travels the world pretending they are not. Gavin called him on it. Others called him on it. I’m calling him on it. If you believe that a piece of paper that says “Ph.D.” gives you immunity to charges that you don’t really have a Ph.D. and shouldn’t be advertising yourself as a “doctor” when, let’s face it, you just went to a CRAPPY BULLSHIT DEGREE MILL THAT WAS SUBSEQUENTLY CLOSED DOWN BY THE STATE, in that case, Mr. Yerbody, you have every right to keep your mouth shut.

   But if everyone took your advice, we’d all be scared poopless about venting our anger at charlatans like Mr. Gray. Geez, I mean, maybe he’s NOT a charlatan.

   Except that he is. And a LYING FRAUD TO BOOT. Have you read his book? What a bunch of FUCKING GARBAGE. The book alone is filled with enough crap to justify calling the Mr. Dorkass Gray a fraud. Mr. Gray should be apologizing to the world and the millions of relationships he FUCKED UP with his stupid ass book. George Bush read Mr. Gray’s book on the toilet in Air Force one and he decided to attack Iraq.

5. I love people with imagination enough to paraphrase a three word quote…

   I have read Gray’s book, and I agree that it’s a pile of cack. I do agree that his degrees are worthless, and worthy of criticism of precisely that point. In fact, I concur with ninety nine percent of what you wrote above. But that isnt the issue…

   Once more – Gray received “degrees” that match the ones he claimed to have. To say that he doesnt have the “degrees” is just factually inaccurate, indeed libellous. Other bloggers have chosen to attack the credibility of these degrees, rather than a blanket denial of his holding them.

   Look at it this way. Which is more powerful? Arguing that Gray never received any of these degrees (as Gavin did), which technically isn’t the case; or arguing that Gray’s credentials are bogus in that they came from unaccredited universities. I realise that the distinction is a fine, semantic, one.

   “Gavin has every right to say that a Ph.D. from Columbia Pacific is SHIT WORTHLESS and, therefore, a graduate of Columbia Pacific who goes around claiming to have a high degree is a BULLSHIT ARTIST and a FRAUD.”

   I agree. But Gavin DIDN’T say that – he said that it appeared Gray didn’t HAVE the degrees he claimed to…

   ” “Doctor” John Gray’s degrees are PIECES OF SHIT and he travels the world pretending they are not. Gavin called him on it. Others called him on it. I’m calling him on it. If you believe that a piece of paper that says “Ph.D.” gives you immunity to charges that you don’t really have a Ph.D. and shouldn’t be advertising yourself as a “doctor” when, let’s face it, you just went to a CRAPPY BULLSHIT DEGREE MILL THAT WAS SUBSEQUENTLY CLOSED DOWN BY THE STATE, in that case, Mr. Yerbody, you have every right to keep your mouth shut.”

   Again, I agree that having a piece of paper with Ph.D. on it doesn’t necessarily make you a doctor. But two points need reiteration: firstly, Gavin didnt call him on it, he asserted that Gray didn’t have the degrees he claimed and linked to another site (that stated the case rather better, I might add); and secondly, Gray claims to possess a PhD and has documentation to back up his claim, thus the appropriate mode of attack would be to challenge the value, reliability and merit of that piece of paper, and the institution from whence it came.

   Mate, I work in journalism and I hold my hands up tot he fact that my argument with you is based solely on notions of accuracy and fairness, and what I would have done when presented with the information about Gray’s degrees (let’s be honest, having read his polemic it didn’t come as much of a surprise). I also admit that the distinction I’m making between what Gavin did and should have done is incredibly fine.

   “But if everyone took your advice, we’d all be scared poopless about venting our anger at charlatans like Mr. Gray”

   Your opinion. But if you want to criticise an establishment figure, and avoid criticism of your own position as far as is possible, you might as well strive to be as accurate as possible.

   Gray IS a fraud. Johnny, I hope you understand my position.

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