Share:
Jesse Singal on fad psychology
Freddie Sayers spoke to the science journalist about his new book
Jesse Singal is a far cry from the trans-hating monster that parts of the Internet portray him to be. In person, he is a softly-spoken, amiable Obama liberal whose politics, in a pre-social media world, might even be described as boring. But we do not live in such a world anymore, and since he published two trans-related articles for The Atlantic and New Yorker, the transphobic cloud has hung over Jesse for years. Though Jesse is frustrated by the persistent misrepresentations of his work (he says he’s fighting ‘ghost versions’ of his pieces), it has not deterred him from writing about topics that might land him in hot water with the hyper-liberal Left.
A key theme in all of Jesse’s work is challenging groupthink and tribalism, which is reflected in his new book, ‘The Quick Fix: Why Fad Psychology Can’t Cure Our Social Ills’. There’s a full-length review of the book by Sarah Ditum and a podcast interview with Jesse in UnHerd today, which you can listen to above. One of the fads he discusses in his book, implicit bias training, may stand out to readers for the way in which it has taken hold in the US (and much for the Western world) over the years. Politicians, employees and sports clubs subjected themselves to versions of the training, but the science behind it, Singal says, is dubious:
Hopefully books like these will add a much-needed dose of realism to the public debate. We really enjoyed meeting Jesse and thanks to him for his time.
“Hopefully books like these will add a much-needed dose of realism to the public debate. “
Not a cat’s chance in hell.
The ultimate irony is the very people who worry about everybody else’s bias, unconscious or otherwise, don’t have a mirror handy. Hell, if the hyper aware can’t see or confront their own prejudices, how an earth is the average joe supposed to ?
It’s true that there’s not much chance of the “average joe” becoming a paragon of rationality, and even the “hyper aware” will sometimes err, but let’s not be too pessimistic. There’s plenty of scope for substantial improvement.
OK, so you make this anti-implicit bias training mandatory from kindergarten to pension, and even after, by it being in every TV show and MSM output.
Now in 2 more generations no one is Racist, or biased, But… still the races still stratify in trends in achievement, still the bell curve remains stubbornly, What Then?
There is no leveling up, but there can be leveling down, is this what implicit bias means we must do?
PS, took the African American/European test, showed moderate bias towards White, which is correct. I have worked a great deal with Black people on my crews (construction) and because I fish a lot very many of my fishing friends were Black men, and I live in a half Black town, my neighbor is Black, I get along with Black people, and like them, I also get along with muslims and like them, and other groups.
But then I am White, I have seen a very great amount of the world and people, and know a very great deal of history. I believe the Europeans created most of the best parts of the world, from science, philosophy, politics, freedoms and rights, rule of law, justice, charity, industry, suffrage, ending of slavery and servitude, arts, medicine, literature, education, intellectualism, The extrodinairally enlightened and Intellectual Christianity as it formed us, and we it, in the West, I like the European people a lot for all this.
Is it desirable for people to be trained into defying the ability of personal discernment based on one’s life and personal experiences and thought and understanding if it does not fallow the correct way of thinking?
Today on UnHerd:
Join the discussion
To join the discussion in the comments, become a paid subscriber.
Join like minded readers that support our journalism, read unlimited articles and enjoy other subscriber-only benefits.
Subscribe