Re: Lois: Try Harder

R. A. Neimeyer, U of Memphis ( neimeyerra@MSUVX1.MEMPHIS.EDU )
Mon, 18 Mar 1996 19:03:37 -0600

In his most recent posting to Lois Shawver, Bill Chambers questions her
sincerity in "trying to understand him," and continues:

If the
>bandwagon tells you that you are not you,
>will you believe them? Probably not. You will
>just find a net on Wittgenstein to discuss
>your views with similar people. That would
>be a way of cheating philosophically. The
>poor mentally ill and dying people who have
>endured the incompetence and abuse of
>some personal construct psychologists can
>not so easily run away.
>
>
>You insist that you simply do not understand
>me on mere details like polarization. And I
>agree, you do not understand me. I do not
>believe you are trying to understand me.
>You want to appear to be trying to understand
>me, but if you really were trying, you would carefully
>read my postings. You use loose constructs
>in order to avoid being pinned down to logic....

Sophists have always used loose
>constructs, basing their claims to authority
>on their social connections and elite
>understanding. It keeps things vague, so
>that insinuating impressions can be turned
>to, in a pinch, if a gadfly comes along and
>insists on being understood. This is typical
>of the bandwagon. Bob Neimeyer did the
>same thing when he dismissed my objections
>to death threat theory, saying simply that I did
>not understand construct theory (and he, the
>master, did). This kind of rudeness is common
>among construct theorists. It is why most of the
>PCP folks are still not addressing my points.
>Almost all refuse even to address me personally.
>What do you think of the fact that someone like
>me gives them a taste of their own medicine,
>using loose images...

I had thought and hoped we had left behind these kinds of character
aspersions, whether directed at me, Lois, or personal construct theorists
in general. Can we return to a mutually respectful way of talking about
and to one another before sliding back into the kinds of communications
that were posted on this mailbase a couple of weeks ago?

Bob Neimeyer

Robert A. Neimeyer, Ph.D.
Department of Psychology
University of Memphis
Memphis, TN 38152
(901) 678-4680
FAX (901) 678-2579
neimeyerra@MSUVX1.MEMPHIS.EDU

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