Men are from Mars, John Gray is from Uranus

[Jeff Corey]

According to the NY Post Online, Nov. 13th of this year, "Dr." John Gray has a Ph. D. awarded by Columbia Pacific University, an online operation which sells various degrees .
Well, it used to. On Jan. 13th 2000, a California court ordered CPU to cease awarding degrees and to refund tuition to all students who "attended" since 1997.
Thanks to Agent 13's Skeptical Newssearch for the lead on this.
Lucky 13, indeed.

 

[CFLarsen]

No.

You gotta be kidding.

This needs verification.

 

[Goshawk]

Court Orders Columbia Pacific University to Cease Operating Illegally in California

In December 1999, the Marin County Superior Court ordered Columbia Pacific University (CPU), of Novato, California, to cease operations within the State [1,2]. On February 21, 2001, the judge denied further appeals and entered a final judgment ordering CPU to:

Pay a civil penalty of $10,000 to the Bureau for Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education for violating Sections 17200 et seq. and Sections 17500 et seq. of the California Business and Professions Code

Permanently stop operating or offering any educational programs in California.

Notify all students enrolled from June 25, 1997 to December 1, 2000 of the injunction and of their right to a refund.

Provide refunds to all students within 30 days of their request.

Provide a status report to the Court by June 30, 2001.

Failure to comply with the above order constitutes contempt of court, which is punishable by a fine and/or imprisonment [3]. However, CPU has moved to Missoula, Montana, changed its name to Commonwealth Pacific University, and remains in business. It's Web site does not mention the California order...

 

[Jeff Corey]

And he does claim another degree, which was honorary.
What gets me is that his "training centers" charge big bucks to certify people in Mars Venus Counseling. Check http://www.marsvenus.com
And I used the Jan. 13th Marin County decision because I'm obsessed with 13.

 

[Jeff Corey]

No.
You gotta be kidding.
This needs verification.

Claus, you should be a member of the Board of the New York Area Skeptics, you're so skeptical.
Wait a sec.
You are on the Board.
Our Euro member.

 

[CFLarsen]

Claus, you should be a member of the Board of the New York Area Skeptics, you're so skeptical.
Wait a sec.
You are on the Board.
Our Euro member.

And the euro is worth more than the dollar

 

[CFLarsen]

Jeff,

You can't mean that.

Gray only has a paper-mill degree?

No, no, no, no, no, no.

Oh, ◊◊◊◊. And he has been on Oprah!

 

[apoger]

Many are those that have impressive "wallpaper" and who spout nonsense.

Many are those that lack honors, but are wise.

John Gray, like anyone else, should be judged by the merit of his works and not by the paper on his wall.

 

[Mercutio]

John Gray's work sucks worse than the paper on his wall.

I have been trying to find a book I used in a class on love and sex, which compared Gray and a real researcher (whose name, of course, I cannot recall, which may be why I'm unable to find the book...). How many subjects does each base their work on? JG: 0. RR (real researcher): hundreds (perhaps thousands, memory does not serve). How many peer-reviewed papers published? JG: 0. RR: dozens. ....it went on.... and then, finally, how much money has each made in the field?


*sigh*

 

[roger]

I think I recall seeing a comparison like that between Gray and Gottmann.

 

[The Don]

Many are those that lack honors, but are wise.

John Gray, like anyone else, should be judged by the merit of his works and not by the paper on his wall.

If he didn't think that a Ph.D was a pre-requisite for being taken seriously in this field then he wouldn't have forked out for one.

His work should be considered thusly:

- Not informed by large scale study
- Not subject to peer review

So long as this is made clear (together with the fact that hsi doctorate is bought or honourary) then he is free to write, publish and sell whatever he wishes

 

[Bikewer]

As I recall, about a year before Herr Gray went on his Venus and Marsing expeditions, there was a rather obscure book published by a psychologist called (something to the effect of) "You're Just Not Listening"; a rather academic examinations of the different communication patterns used by males and females, and how this led to numerous cases of friction between the sexes.

As I recall, the brunt of the academic work was furthering the different strategies evolved by females and males during our formative hunter-gatherer period. Females being cooperative and rather democratic, males being hierarchical and oriented to hunting strategies......a line of thought that's pretty much standard in anthropology.

Perhaps Gray just took the ball and ran with it?

 

[Jeff Corey]

If he didn't think that a Ph.D was a pre-requisite for being taken seriously in this field then he wouldn't have forked out for one.

His work should be considered thusly:

- Not informed by large scale study
- Not subject to peer review

So long as this is made clear (together with the fact that hsi doctorate is bought or honourary) then he is free to write, publish and sell whatever he wishes

True enough, but when his books, website and other sources prominently feature John Gray, Ph. D., then that would appear to be false advertizing designed to mislead the gullible into believing that he has a certain level of training that he apparent does not have.
Of course, an advanced degree doesn't confer any special wisdom. Look at Doctors Schwartz and Mack.

 

[Darat]

True enough, but when his books, website and other sources prominently feature John Gray, Ph. D., then that would appear to be false advertizing designed to mislead the gullible into believing that he has a certain level of training that he apparent does not have.
Of course, an advanced degree doesn't confer any special wisdom. Look at Doctors Schwartz and Mack.

Perhaps the Ph D stood for "Phoney Doctorate?"

 

[Dragon]

"Men are from Earth. Women are from Earth. Deal with it."

(Source: Text message from Mrs Dragon, last week. Don't know where she heard it.)

 

[Jeff Corey]

Perhaps the Ph D stood for "Phoney Doctorate?"

Or as the old joke has it:
B.S. = B.S., M.S.= More of the Same, Ph.D.= Piled Higher and Deeper.