In the Case of Bruno Bettelheim [Obama's U of C failed to verify Bettelheim's claims)

First Things ^ | June/July 1997 | Molly Finn

[syriacus]

"This is surely not the first time audacity has propelled someone into a place or profession for which he is not qualified. But I cannot think of another case in which so many prominent people connived in the deception.

Nowhere along the way did anyone publicly question, much less expose, Bettelheim's self-promoting claims.

Had these claims served only to massage his ego or accelerate the development of his career, they would have done little harm. But Bettelheim used his growing reputation and authority to strike out at large groups of people, causing serious harm and anguish."

[syriacus]

Bettelheim was a charlatan who lied about his academic qualifications and experience in order to obtain positions of power (eg, over students, mentally ill children, and his staff) at the University of Chicago.

His best selling books popularized hurtful ideas which received far less scrutiny than they should have.

He unjustly accused people of things they were not responsible for (eg, He blamed parents for causing autism in their children.)

He micromanaged the lives of patients and staff at the Orthogenic school (a live-in clinic).

Bettelheim had obtained a PhD in philosophical aesthetics (without honors) but claimed he had 3 PhDs summa cum laude.

[IronJack]

For a group that claims to shun elitism, the Left seems awfully prone to hero worship.

[syriacus]

For a group that claims to shun elitism, the Left seems awfully prone to hero worship.

I agree.

[achilles2000]

Long, but an amazingly informative article. All I knew was his work on fairy tales. The most interesting aspect of the article, though, was that this charlatan was made and sustained by leftist “public intellectuals”, even though scholars had serious questions about his work. The Univ. of Chicago doesn’t come off well either.

[syriacus]

Finn says: "There was an almost universal failure to look behind the facade, to ask even the simplest and most obvious questions that would uncover the shoddiness of the structure Bettelheim created."

To me, Obama has a lot in common with Bettelheim.

Finn says that Bettelheim

1. was a "gifted liar" who duped a "gullible press which had suspended their critical faculties"
2. made ludicrous claims of success
3. unjustly accused innocent people of harboring nasty emotions and causing harm to others
4. misdiagnosed problems
5. claimed to have unique insights based on (fabricated) experiences
6. invented accomplishments, academic degrees, connections with people in high places, and professional training and experience that either had no basis in reality or else were gross exaggerations.
7. felt the need to rearrange his past
8. managed to get money to bribe the [concentration camp] guards and secure himself relatively safe and sheltered job assignments
9. used the influence of prominent people
10. blamed Jews for anti-Semitism
11. could be "charming, scintillating, extraordinarily [empathic]"
12. could say horrible things.

[savagesusie]

Such an example of Postmodern German philosophy—no Objective Truth allowed. No surprise that Ford Foundation supported “this agenda” to demonize mothers and jews as early as the 50’s. Cultural Marxists hate mothers and Jews equally with the Christian God. Use the culture and education to take down all three—to destroy the culture. Ayn Rand states about this philosophical movement: .....such dedication to the destruction of values..”

....as described in article about one writing on Bettelheim: “...displays so little regard for the truth that her book is not worthy of serious consideration.” This is why all postmodernism should be dumped or regarded as evil fairy tales. Our children’s textbooks are rife with Postmodern philosophy and need to be dumped...It is why our children are becoming self-absorbed, hedonist, pagans/atheists. It is intended—read Eakmans, Cloning of the American Mind.

[Chickensoup]

His work on fairy tales, however, was spot-on.

[syriacus]

I remember only one thing clearly from reading The Uses of Enchantment.

I was shocked to learn that birds pecked out the eyes of Cinderella's step-sisters at the end of the Grimm Brothers' version of the story.

[syriacus]

His work on fairy tales, however, was spot-on.

I can't argue with that.

I wish Bettelheim would have stuck with what he was good at, writing about literature.

I'd like him better if he had merely written about stories of witches.

He wrecked a lot of lives by using his pen to transform mothers of autistic children into witches.

[syriacus]

Eakmans, Cloning of the American Mind.

Thanks for the tip. I'll look into this.

[savagesusie]

It is the most disturbing book I have ever read....adults designing a system to condition and indoctrinate children using Skinner/Pavlov techniques to undermine loving and trusting parents is so inherently evil—Eakman documents her case.

http://www.amazon.com/Cloning-American-Mind-Eradicating-Education/dp/1563841479

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks syriacus.

[syriacus]

My pleasure, SunkenCiv.

[syriacus]

I ordered a copy today. Thanks, again, for the tip.