When Anti-Racism Becomes Racism | Lee Jussim | EP 506

Coming up (0s)

• A project produced an analysis finding that far-left groups were exploiting the commitment to anti-racism and social justice of people upset about George Floyd's murder, in order to mobilize supporters and capture protests (9s).
• The exploitation by far-left groups was occurring on social media, where they aimed to ratchet up and inspire more aggressive violence at protests (38s).
• The groups were taking advantage of people's earnest commitment to anti-racism and social justice, who were justifiably upset about George Floyd's murder and its implications for racism (21s).
• The analysis suggests that the far-left groups were using the situation to gin up supporters and to mobilize online, ultimately leading to more aggressive violence at protests (34s).

Intro (50s)

• The topic of discussion is a shift back to the psychological, which is considered an improvement over the political, and it has more long-lasting significance.
• Lee Jussim, a distinguished professor of psychology at Rutgers, is the guest, and he has been the chair of the Department of Psychology and separately of Anthropology.
• There are issues in the field of social psychology, with many claims not being true, which is expected in scientific inquiry as it aims to correct falsehoods.
• Lee Jussim is one of the rarer social psychologists who is actually a scientist, and he has done interesting and controversial work.
• One of Lee's key findings is that our perceptions of other people are not mostly biased, contrary to the claim that all categories used to structure interactions with others are based on the power distortion of our perceptions.
• Lee's work shows that our perceptions, or stereotypes, are mostly accurate, with sources of bias entering into the process, but this is different from the claim that the foundations of our perceptions are indistinguishable from the bias we hold.
• Lee's work is extremely important and core to the culture war, and it deals with the definition of perception, the relationship between perception and reality, and the analysis of bias in a credible manner.

The 50-year denial of Left-wing authoritarianism (4m1s)

• There was a 50-year denial of the existence of left-wing authoritarianism, with social psychologists refusing to acknowledge its concept until 2016 (4m2s).
• The denial of left-wing authoritarianism was considered "insane" and it was known to exist in societies, but it was not recognized by social psychologists (4m28s).
• In 2016, papers were published on left-wing authoritarianism in the Soviet Union, marking the first recognition of its existence (4m35s).
• A master's thesis supervised around that time found statistical evidence of reliably characterizable left-wing authoritarian beliefs that associated with identifiable groups of people and temperamental proclivities (4m47s).
• The research on left-wing authoritarianism had rich potential for new information, but it was not further pursued due to an academic career disruption (5m11s).
• Despite this, others have continued the research, building on the initial findings and exploring the concept of left-wing authoritarianism (5m21s).
• A discussion on definitions of left-wing authoritarianism was proposed as a starting point to understand the concept (5m28s).

Left-wing and Right-wing markers of authoritarianism (5m29s)

• Left-wing and right-wing authoritarianism are measured using different questionnaires that assess attitudes towards one's opponents, as authoritarianism is a political construct that involves a motivation to crush, deprive of humanity, and human rights of one's political opponents (5m30s).
• The core of authoritarianism is not just a psychological construct, but rather a political one, and it is precisely the attitude towards those who don't agree with you (7m1s).
• Researchers have tried to develop a nonpartisan authoritarianism scale, but it has been challenging, and one current approach is to develop scales that adequately survey left or right-wing authoritarianism and correlate them with measures of narcissism or sadism (7m52s).
• Studies have found correlations between left-wing authoritarianism and narcissism, but it is unclear if similar correlations exist between right-wing authoritarianism and narcissism (8m4s).
• The dark tetrad traits, which include narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and sadism, have been found to be associated with authoritarianism, and this association may be independent of whether it is left or right-wing authoritarianism (10m42s).
• The concept of authoritarianism is complex and multifaceted, and it is influenced by various psychological and political factors, including personality traits and ideological beliefs (6m18s).
• The discussion touches on the idea that authoritarianism can manifest in different ways, including in the context of religious or ideological beliefs, and that it is essential to approach these topics with a nuanced and open-minded perspective (9m28s).

How to measure for authoritarian tendencies (11m11s)

• A measure of left-wing authoritarianism was developed by taking a large sample of political opinions, factor analyzing them, and identifying clumps of left-wing and right-wing beliefs, with the biggest predictor of left-wing authoritarianism being low verbal IQ (11m11s).
• Low verbal IQ was found to be a significant predictor of left-wing authoritarianism, suggesting that people with lower verbal IQ may be more likely to be swayed by apparently moral ideas that appeal to them, such as "don't be mean to people who aren't like you" (11m38s).
• Research on left-wing authoritarianism is more recent than on right-wing authoritarianism, but there are now adequate scales for measuring both, with two teams led by Luke Conway and Tom Costello having done significant work on developing and validating left-wing authoritarianism scales (12m52s).
• The development of these scales involved statistical and psychometric assessments, as well as validity assessments, to identify patterns of beliefs and distinguish left-wing authoritarianism from other ideologies (13m14s).
• The lack of research on left-wing authoritarianism from the end of World War II until 2016 is considered a significant blind spot in the history of political analysis within the psychological community (14m1s).
• One study involved administering political cartoons, similar to social media memes, to an online sample of about a thousand people to assess their reactions and identify patterns of authoritarian beliefs (15m5s).
• A study was conducted where participants were shown cartoons and memes and asked to vote for their favorite, with the understanding that the most voted option would be posted on social media, although this was a deception (15m22s).
• The goal was to observe a real-world, quasi-behavioral response, rather than just self-reported opinions or likes/dislikes (15m58s).
• Two contrasting cartoons were presented: one was a Soviet Union anti-American propaganda cartoon from the 1930s/1940s, showing the Statue of Liberty with KKK members in her crown, and the other depicted a diverse group of people from different racial and ethnic backgrounds, wearing different professional attire, under an American flag (16m19s).
• The participants were asked which cartoon they liked the most and wanted to share on social media (17m45s).
• The study found that there are two types of left-leaning individuals: the liberal left and the authoritarian left, with the liberal left not partaking in the radical attitudes of the authoritarian left, but also being oblivious to the issues (18m3s).
• The liberal left was found to be oblivious to the problems caused by the radical authoritarian left, according to the study's findings (18m25s).

Using AI to map concepts and speed up testing (18m30s)

• Large language models, such as ChatGPT, can be used to map concepts and speed up testing by generating new items based on existing questionnaire sets, which can improve the statistical reliability of measures (18m36s).
• By using ChatGPT to generate new items, researchers can expand existing measures to hundreds of items, administer them to a large sample, and distill the results to create more reliable and valid measures (19m2s).
• This approach can be used to verify questionnaires on both the left and right sides of the political spectrum, and it can be done quickly, taking only 10 minutes instead of two years (19m28s).
• ChatGPT can also be used to identify central items in a questionnaire and generate new items that are better markers of a particular concept, such as narcissism (19m50s).
• The factor structures of linguistic representations are already built into ChatGPT systems, making it possible to use the tool to generate new items that are conceptually similar to existing ones (20m5s).
• Researchers can use this approach to pursue new studies and speed up the research process, making it more reliable and valid (20m23s).
• A study using statistical regression found that liberalism predicted endorsement of a humanistic diversity image, while left-wing authoritarianism predicted endorsement of a Soviet propaganda image (20m58s).
• Researchers can use item analysis to rank order items in terms of their predictive validity in relation to a particular outcome, such as preference for a cartoon (21m31s).
• By analyzing the results across multiple cartoons, researchers may be able to identify central items that are most predictive of a particular outcome (21m42s).

Trying to prevent something from the top down often amplifies it (21m50s)

• Research on left-wing authoritarianism is extensive, and it is often included in studies alongside right-wing authoritarianism (21m51s).
• Three experimental studies were conducted to assess the psychological impacts of common Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) rhetoric, using three different types of DEI programs (22m18s).
• The studies found that DEI programs may have the opposite effect of their intended purpose, which is a common issue with well-meaning interventions (22m49s).
• This phenomenon is not unique to DEI programs, as other initiatives, such as government-run Suicide Prevention programs, have been found to potentially increase suicide rates by advertising and normalizing the behavior (22m56s).
• Clinically trained researchers have become sensitive to the potential for well-meaning interventions to make things worse, as it is often the case that changing something that works can have unintended negative consequences (23m33s).
• The probability of a well-meaning intervention making things worse is high, with many potential ways for it to go wrong and only a few ways for it to succeed (23m47s).

The woke mind virus is real, engaging with DEI preps you to see racism everywhere (23m59s)

• A study examined the rhetoric common to many Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) interventions, using sources such as anti-racism, anti-Islamophobia, and anti-caste system rhetoric, as well as passages from books like Kendi's "How To Be An Anti-Racist" and D'Angelo's "White Fragility" (24m1s).
• The study found that the materials used in DEI trainings are often not publicly available, making it difficult to evaluate their effectiveness, and instead focused on the intellectual ideas from various sources (24m16s).
• The researchers used a large language model to analyze the extent to which certain types of rhetoric were common throughout the training materials they had access to, finding that it was very common (25m46s).
• An example from the study involved participants reading an anti-racist passage or a control passage, and then being presented with a scenario in which a college admissions officer interviews an applicant and ultimately rejects them (26m5s).
• The participants who read the anti-racist passage were more likely to claim that the admissions officer committed microaggressions, treated the applicant unfairly, and was biased (27m31s).
• The study used passages from Kendi and D'Angelo, which were widely required reading in colleges, and sometimes used in training sessions for which the authors were paid thousands of dollars (25m22s).
• The researchers also used a control passage that was unrelated to the topic, such as a passage about growing corn on a farm (26m22s).
• The study found that the anti-racist passage led participants to perceive more racism and bias in the scenario, even though the scenario itself was neutral (27m21s).
• The concept of institutional racism is discussed, with the idea that its effects are so pervasive they can influence experimental material and the perceptions of those exposed to it, potentially leading to the identification of racism where none exists (29m6s).
• Robin D'Angelo's potential argument is presented, suggesting that exposure to certain content can open people's eyes to racism they couldn't perceive before, but this argument is countered by the idea that implicit bias could prevent people from seeing the actual bias in the scenario (29m21s).
• The experimental scenario is described, where participants were exposed to a single paragraph of material before evaluating a situation, and it is noted that the participants did not have racial information about the admissions officer and the applicant (30m1s).
• The duration and permanence of the effects of exposure to this material are discussed, with the study not providing a clear answer, but raising the possibility that constant exposure to similar rhetoric in a cultural or organizational context could lead to more enduring effects (31m4s).
• The idea that the effects of exposure to this type of rhetoric could be more powerful when combined with social rewards, such as the recognition of microaggressions, is discussed, suggesting that the study's intervention may have been too weak to fully demonstrate the power of the rhetoric (32m14s).
• The study's limitations are acknowledged, including the lack of a dose-response study to examine the decay of the effects over time, and the potential for the effects to be more enduring in a real-world context (30m41s).

Ibram X. Kendi and the mainstream media: rejecting reality (32m35s)

• Ibram X. Kendi described a group as "racist pseudo-scientists," but did not provide a reason for this description, which is seen as unnecessary and a waste of university money, with most of his funding coming from private sources, such as a $10 million donation from Jack Dorsey, the CEO of Twitter (32m36s).
• A study on the effects of anti-racism interventions was conducted in collaboration with the Network Contagion Research Institute (NCI), a freestanding research institute that analyzes social media and radicalism, and found similar results across three studies, although the studies have not been published (33m28s).
• The NCI has conducted research on various topics, including conspiracy theories, hate groups, and radicalism, and was the first group to study online mobilization during the George Floyd social justice protests in the summer of 2020 (33m50s).
• The protests were largely peaceful, but a small minority of individuals engaged in violent and destructive behavior, such as firebombing police stations and looting, which was often downplayed or denied by those on the left (34m42s).
• The response to discussions about the violent behavior of some protesters was often dismissed as a right-wing conspiracy theory, with some moderate Democrats even claiming that antifa was a figment of the right-wing imagination (35m34s).
• It is argued that a small minority of organized individuals can have a significant impact on destabilizing society, citing the example of the Bolsheviks in Russia after World War I, and that underestimating the effect of this minority can be a serious mistake (35m52s).

Criminal exploitation of civil unrest (36m37s)

• In the summer of 2020, a project analyzed the role of far-left groups in exploiting the anti-racism movement and social justice following George Floyd's murder, finding that these groups were using social media to mobilize supporters, capture protests, and inspire more aggressive violence (36m38s).
• The analysis discovered that far-left groups were using social media to coordinate violent protest activities, including using memes like "ACAB" (All Cops Are Bastards) and providing tactical instructions to protesters in real-time (38m11s).
• The far-left groups were found to be seeking to ignite an actual revolution, and their actions were compared to those of far-right groups, which also use social media to mobilize online and gain adherence (39m6s).
• The project's findings were published in a report by the NCI, which was covered by mainstream media outlets such as The New York Times and The Washington Post, marking the first time that the level of violence and danger in the protests was acknowledged in the mainstream media (40m16s).
• The report was not published in a peer-reviewed journal but is available on the NCI website, and was written by a team including the author, two graduate students, and analysts at the NCI, including their head researcher (40m45s).
• The author notes that the far-left groups' actions were similar to those of criminal psychopaths and narcissists, who thrive in chaos and seek to exploit social movements for their own gain (39m44s).
• The co-authors of a study have different areas of expertise, with some focusing on online social media, large language models, and conspiracy theories, while others have a background in conventional social science, creating a nice overlap and synergy in their work (41m15s).
• The study's findings were initially disseminated through a non-traditional approach, posting the information as a white paper or report on the NCI site, allowing for public vetting and feedback before scaling up for peer review (41m59s).
• This approach is similar to a preprint, but with some key differences, and has been referred to as a "Homespun preprint" because it is written in a way that is comprehensible to a lay intelligent audience, stripping down technical jargon (42m20s).
• The decision to use this approach was motivated by the problems with traditional peer review, including the lengthy time it takes for publication, which can be up to two years, and the fact that it can be inaccessible to a wider audience (43m4s).
• The current system of peer review is seen as being in need of an overhaul, with the time spent on writing grant applications and waiting for publication being seen as inefficient and unsustainable (43m22s).
• The traditional publication process is viewed as being out of touch with the modern era, with the two-year lag between submission and publication being seen as particularly problematic (43m30s).

Attempted cancellation: there is no racist mule trope (43m46s)

• The discussion revolves around the concept of anti-racism and how it can sometimes become racism, specifically in the context of academia and psychology. (43m46s)
• The topic of cancel culture is also touched upon, with the speaker noting that they have been the target of multiple attempts to cancel them, but have managed to avoid it. (43m50s)
• The speaker mentions a specific example of a controversy in the field of psychology, involving a journal called Perspectives on Psychological Science (PoPS) and a paper by psychologist Hmel Bernard. (45m15s)
• Hmel Bernard's paper was critical of the way diversity is often advocated for in psychology, arguing that the rhetoric is too narrowly focused on underrepresented minority groups. (45m47s)
• The speaker notes that Bernard's critique was that diversity is not always relevant for certain types of scientific tests, and that it matters for scientific purposes, but not just for underrepresented groups. (46m39s)
• The speaker uses the example of a study comparing undergraduate psychology students to a nationally representative sample to illustrate Bernard's point that diversity can be important for scientific purposes, but not just for underrepresented groups. (47m1s)
• The speaker also draws a distinction between the importance of having a representative sample for generalizable conclusions, and the idea of preferentially hiring or promoting underrepresented groups. (47m34s)
• The speaker was invited to write a commentary on Bernard's paper, and notes that this is an example of the kinds of issues that can arise in academia when it comes to discussions of diversity and racism. (45m32s)
• A commentary was published on an exchange, titled "Is Diversity Diverse," arguing that diversity encompasses various kinds and should be representative of different participants, topics, and more, going beyond just oppression (48m16s).
• The commentary critiqued progressive academic rhetoric around diversity as disingenuous and hypocritical, using a quote from Fiddler on the Roof to frame the discussion (49m0s).
• The critique argued that progressive rhetoric around diversity sounds good superficially but can be problematic, as it may not always be inclusive or representative of all groups (50m12s).
• The social sciences and humanities in academia are predominantly left of center, with a range from center left to far left, and a study found that 40% of faculty self-identified as radicals, activists, Marxists, or socialists (50m52s).
• A study by Nate Honeycutt, a research scientist at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, surveyed almost 2,000 faculty nationwide and found that 40% self-identified as radicals, activists, Marxists, or socialists (51m12s).
• The study's findings suggest that nearly half of the faculty in top colleges and universities are on the far left, which can have implications for the diversity of ideas and perspectives in academia (51m45s).
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Academic activists at large, why intersectionality fails (53m5s)

• There are approximately 200,000 colleges and universities in the United States, which could employ around 880,000 academic activists full-time, although this number might be lower when considering community colleges and other institutions (53m21s).
• Despite advocating for diversity, academia has not made an effort to bring in professors and researchers from across the political spectrum, instead, it has moved in the opposite direction, with a slow purge of conservatives, centrists, and libertarians from its ranks over the past 50-60 years (54m28s).
• The concept of diversity in academia is often disingenuous, as it does not truly aim for diversity in the broadest sense, but rather a narrow, progressive view of diversity (54m45s).
• Intersectionality is flawed due to its tendency to devolve into a combinatorial explosion, where the number of possible combinations of oppressed groups becomes infinite and impossible to measure or ensure (54m58s).
• The insistence on certain privileged categories of oppressed people, such as race, sex, and gender, is problematic, as it is unclear why these categories are prioritized over others (55m50s).
• The concept of gender is considered to be a warped and misconceptualized idea that could be more accurately captured by the concept of temperament (56m18s).
• The lack of diversity in intellectual views, particularly in terms of political or ethical perspectives, is a significant issue in academia, as it is often rejected or ignored (56m52s).
• A paper criticizing the oppression framing of diversity was met with an open letter signed by almost 1,400 academics, mostly psychologists, denouncing the commentary (57m18s).

How scientific journals work — and how they have been subverted (57m39s)

• Scientists typically publish their research in journals, which can be categorized into three types: research studies, reviews, and commentaries, with the less specialized journals generally being more prestigious (57m44s).
• Journals like Science and Nature are considered top-tier, but have become "woke institutions" over time, while specialized journals focus on specific fields such as psychology (58m12s).
• The American Psychological Society (APS) was established as an alternative to the American Psychological Association (APA), which had become ideologically dominated, particularly in a leftist and progressive direction (58m52s).
• The APS was initially formed as a response to the APA's focus on clinical practice and practitioner issues, which was seen as unscientific, but also had an underlying political ethos that was skeptical of science (1h0m7s).
• The APS later changed its name to the Association for Psychological Science in an attempt to be broader (59m48s).
• The clinical psychology field has taken a significant turn towards a "woke" direction in the last decade, which has been devastating, and social psychology may be even worse in terms of politics, but not necessarily in practical terms (1h1m9s).
• Social psychologists are not typically responsible for helping people with their lives, but rather focus on teaching and research (1h1m28s).
• A letter signed by 1,400 people declared the commentators, including the speaker, as racists and demanded the editor's firing and the removal of their articles (1h1m48s).
• The 1,400 signatories were likely a subset of 50,000 activists, and it is unclear who these individuals were, with the speaker recognizing only a few names, mostly well-established psychologists and social psychologists (1h2m41s).
• The backlash against the speaker was partly due to their use of a quote from Fiddler on the Roof, which was misinterpreted as comparing black people to mules, despite the speaker's intention to frame progressive disingenuousness around diversity (1h3m7s).
• The controversy occurred in 2022 and created an immediate firestorm, with the editor of the journal, Clous Fedler, overseeing the publication of the commentaries (1h3m40s).
• The commentaries, including the speaker's, started as simple reviews of a paper submitted by HL and were later scaled up to full-length articles at the request of editor Clous Fedler (1h4m10s).
• The paper was subjected to peer review, with the speaker being one of the peer reviewers (1h4m17s).
• Scientific journals play a crucial role in vetting the quality of research articles through the peer-review process, where manuscripts are reviewed by editors and experts before publication (1h5m26s).
• The peer review process involves sending research to multiple experts in the area for analysis as part of the quality control process, which has generally worked well until around 2015 (1h5m53s).
• The peer reviews of a particular article were of sufficient quality, leading the editor to consider them as standalone pieces with some development, but a warning was given that accepting the critique of diversity in psychology could lead to demands for paper retraction and job loss (1h6m31s).
• The Association for Psychological Science (APS) executive director and committee put an immediate halt on the publication of a discussion forum about diversity issues, which was going to include the article in question (1h7m28s).
• The APS officers generally don't have editorial say, but the editor is beholden to them, and they decided not to proceed with the publication (1h7m57s).
• An open letter made two main demands: that the editor, Feedler, be fired and the papers be retracted, and a kangaroo court-like investigation concluded that Feedler had violated editorial ethics and norms (1h8m42s).
• The accusation against Feedler was serious and potentially career-ending, but he was able to successfully navigate the situation and continue his career (1h9m10s).
• The papers, including one mentioned, were accepted but not published, and it's unclear how the complainants got access to them, possibly through the online editorial process (1h9m40s).
• The papers in question were accessible through the online editorial process, and people could have asked for the papers if they wanted to, but they weren't secret as people generally want their work to be published (1h10m4s).
• A controversy emerged prior to the publication of the papers, which is unusual, and the editor was almost immediately removed from their position (1h10m20s).
• Two special editors, Seine Vazir and EJ Wagenmakers, were brought in to figure out what to do with the papers, which were accepted as part of a discussion forum (1h10m30s).
• Seine Vazir and EJ Wagenmakers were chosen for their long careers advocating for upgrading the quality, credibility, and rigor of psychological science, and their important contributions to the field (1h10m54s).
• The investigation into the papers was not justified, as there is no established precedent in the scientific community for re-evaluating an editorial decision based on political objections (1h11m33s).
• The progression of the investigation was not based on any established rule, principle, or tradition, and re-evaluating an editorial decision based on a petition is not a common practice in the scientific community (1h11m46s).

Being denounced as racist and the strength of white guilt (1h11m55s)

• A petition with 1400 signatures was raised in response to complaints, which may not be an ethical statement of profundity unless the signers are activists, and the reason behind this reaction is unclear (1h11m55s).
• The main object of Hummel's critique was Stephen Roberts, a black or biracial social psychologist at Stanford, who publicly denounced the process as racist (1h12m28s).
• Roberts had three main grounds for denouncing the critique as racist: questioning the diversity agenda, comparing blacks to mules, and the back-and-forth between Roberts and the editor, Feedler, about publishing Roberts' response (1h12m36s).
• The critique was about diversity in general, with a prior paper by Roberts as its jumping-off point, and Feedler offered Roberts the opportunity to respond to the full set of papers supporting Hummel's critique (1h13m34s).
• The grounds for denouncing the critique as racist included Feedler making Roberts' life difficult, the critique being a testament to white supremacy pervasive in psychology, and the comparison of black people to mules (1h14m34s).
• It is speculated that liberals, especially white liberals, are racked with guilt and shame over the history of white supremacy and discrimination, making them vulnerable to believing anything a person from an oppressed group says, and denouncing others as a way to signify they are not part of the oppressor camp (1h15m1s).
• This vulnerability may be a mechanism of gaming the reputation domain, where making claims of reputational virtue is risk-free, broad, immediate, and cost-free (1h15m56s).
• The act of denouncing others can be a way to signify one's moral valor, especially when it comes at no personal cost, which can be a significant problem in today's society (1h16m38s).
• The consequences of making a false denunciation have plummeted to zero, creating a culture where denunciations can spread quickly without repercussions (1h17m9s).
• Engaging in denunciatory behavior may have no personal consequences in the short term, but it can erode credibility, trust, and faith in institutions like academia in the long run (1h17m34s).
• This behavior can be seen as an impulsive moral error, where short-term benefits outweigh long-term consequences, a characteristic often associated with impulsive individuals (1h18m4s).
• The concept of reputation is a long-term game, and research suggests that people high in left-wing authoritarianism, which is correlated with narcissism, may be more likely to engage in cancel culture (1h18m47s).
• Narcissists can infiltrate any group and use whatever political stance gains them immediate credibility, regardless of the validity of the ideological stance (1h19m23s).
• Cancel culture, which emerged primarily on the left, can be susceptible to narcissistic influence, and the right is not immune to similar activities (1h19m12s).
• The decline of trust and faith in academia has been a long-standing issue, and the current culture of denunciation can exacerbate this problem (1h17m40s).

All criminals are not victims, narcissism shades into sadism (1h19m31s)

• Observations have been made that moderate progressives and genuine liberals often deny the existence of pathological radicals on the left, which may be due to an unwillingness or inability to imagine evil (1h20m12s).
• A tilt towards empathy and agreeableness can lead individuals in a liberal or progressive direction, but this can also make them more vulnerable to exploitation by those who take advantage of their cooperative nature (1h19m55s).
• Most criminals can be seen as victims due to their upbringing and circumstances, but a small subset of about 1% of criminals, who commit around 65% of crimes, are not victims and can be considered "monsters" (1h21m0s).
• The compassionate left often fails to acknowledge the existence of these "monsters" and instead views all criminals as victims, regardless of the severity of their crimes (1h21m11s).
• Research has shown that networks of cooperators can be mutually beneficial, but the presence of a "shark" or exploiter can disrupt this dynamic and take advantage of the cooperators (1h21m29s).
• Being temperamentally inclined to deny the existence of "monsters" can make individuals more vulnerable to exploitation, especially in online environments where denunciation can be used as a tool for manipulation (1h21m52s).
• Narcissism can shade into sadism, and this can be a significant problem, particularly in the context of online denunciation and left-wing authoritarianism (1h22m0s).

Escaping cancellation with a promotion and a raise (1h22m11s)

• A debate occurred in 2022 regarding the publication of certain papers, with allegations of racism made against the authors and the editor, resulting in the editor losing their position and two special editors being brought in to negotiate the publication process (1h22m14s).
• Robert's public denunciation of the authors included posting a draft of his commentary and emails exchanged with the editor, Feedler, which are typically private communications (1h22m45s).
• The special editors had difficulty deciding what to do due to Robert's refusal to agree to the publication of the correspondence and Feedler's refusal to grant permission to publish the emails (1h23m21s).
• Smith had an outsized say in the process, which is unusual in the scientific community, and the journal's editorial board was affected, with about two-thirds of the members resigning in protest after Feedler was ousted (1h23m44s).
• The editors and contributors, including the speaker, had an exchange about whether and when to publish the papers, which went on for almost two years due to various obstacles (1h25m30s).
• The journal was in a state of disarray for a long time, and the editors had to navigate the challenges of publishing the papers while dealing with the controversy and potential reputational risks (1h25m20s).
• The speaker's department chair, Dean, was their immediate associate during the time of the controversy, and the speaker was the chair of the psychology department at Rutgers (1h26m18s).
• The School of Arts and Sciences at Rutgers is a large institution with a Dean and multiple Associate Deans, each overseeing different departments such as math, social sciences, and humanities (1h26m24s).
• The individual had limited direct contact with the Dean but worked closely with the Associate Dean for social sciences, who was a psychologist from the psychology department (1h26m58s).
• The individual served as department chair until 2022 and then went on sabbatical, during which time they were approached by the Associate Dean with an offer to chair the anthropology department (1h27m34s).
• The offer was unusual due to an internal political issue that prevented the appointment of an internal chair, and the Dean's office had confidence in the individual's ability to handle the situation (1h27m52s).
• The individual was warned that the department might not be happy about having an outside chair imposed on them, but they were able to negotiate a large raise as a result of the offer (1h28m10s).
• The experience taught the individual that even in difficult situations, there can be opportunities for growth and improvement, and that having a "thick skin" can be beneficial in navigating challenging circumstances (1h28m21s).
• The individual reflects on the idea that every challenge or "dragon" has a corresponding "treasure" or opportunity, and that being able to find the positive in a difficult situation can be a valuable skill (1h28m46s).
• The individual suggests that when faced with a challenging situation, it's possible to ask oneself if there's something positive to be gained from the experience, and that having the capacity for transformation can be necessary to allow the challenge to bring about positive change (1h29m45s).

“Hundreds have been fired for what should be protected speech” (1h30m4s)

• The experience of being targeted by a mob can be horrible, but it can also make a person stronger and better in hindsight (1h30m6s).
• The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) keeps a database called Faculty Under Fire, which documents faculty members who have been subject to mob or administrative investigations for what should be considered legitimate academic speech or free speech (1h30m35s).
• Hundreds of faculty members have been fired for what should have been protected speech, and this highlights the risk of losing one's livelihood when speaking out (1h31m0s).
• When in serious trouble, it is essential to be cautious and tell the truth, rather than lying or trying to strategize and manipulate one's way out of the situation (1h31m28s).
• Apologizing can also be counterproductive, as it may attract a new wave of criticism from a different group, known as the post-apology mob (1h32m17s).
• There are two possible outcomes when facing serious social peril: it can either be an opportunity for growth or result in severe consequences, such as losing one's livelihood (1h32m30s).
• To maximize the possibility of a positive outcome, it is crucial to be aware of the risks and take steps to minimize them, such as being cautious and truthful in one's speech (1h32m50s).

How to deal with cancellation attacks: don’t panic (1h33m1s)

• The cancellation attempts against the individual were not successful, partly due to their ability to maintain a calm head under fire, which was recognized by the university, providing a substantive benefit (1h33m4s).
• The individual's experience with similar situations in the past helped them navigate the situation, and they had done some reading on how to address such attacks (1h33m48s).
• The individual has written an essay on their substack, "Unsafe Science," titled "My Vita of Denunciation," which discusses their experiences with attacks and provides tactics on how to deal with them (1h34m17s).
• The first piece of advice is to go silent and not engage with attackers, as most cancellation-type attacks are massive, brutal, and short-lived (1h34m47s).
• It's essential not to panic and assume success, as people's interest in the situation is often short-lived (1h35m18s).
• If genuinely believing one has done something wrong, apologizing might be considered, but it's crucial to remember the presumption of innocence and talk to trusted individuals before making any decisions (1h35m52s).
• Conscientious and guilt-prone individuals should be cautious not to accuse themselves, and it's essential to consider the argument from both sides before making any conclusions (1h36m11s).
• Guilt feelings are not an indication of guilt, and it's crucial to think critically about one's culpability (1h36m46s).
• Genuine conservatives are more susceptible to being targeted by the council mob due to their higher conscientiousness, making it easier to make them feel guilty (1h37m4s).
• When faced with an attack, it's recommended to go silent, record everything, and seek allies, as mobs are more effective against individuals who appear to be alone (1h37m12s).
• Recording everything can provide raw material to defend oneself and potentially counterattack strategically (1h37m55s).
• Having a support network is crucial, and activating it can help muster resources and defend against accusations (1h38m25s).
• Silence can also provide time to gather resources and allow others to come to their senses as the situation unfolds (1h39m11s).
• After going silent and gathering resources, one can decide whether to defend themselves or counterattack, depending on their skills and resources (1h39m51s).
• In the case of being accused of racism, it's essential to research and understand the context of the accusations, as in the example of the "racist mule Trope" (1h40m10s).
• The "racist mule Trope" was found to be based on a historical linkage between black people and mules in the American South, symbolizing agricultural work and the flawed liberation of black people from slavery (1h40m47s).
• The promise of "40 acres and a mule" was never delivered, but the symbol of the mule remained as a representation of the unfulfilled promise (1h41m16s).
• Historically, in the American South, black people aspired to be successful farmers, and owning a mule was a key factor in achieving that success, as it enabled them to work their farms more efficiently (1h41m24s).
• Images of black people in fields with a mule pulling a wagon or plow are common in Southern museums and African-American folk stories from the American South (1h41m46s).
• The mule became a symbol of people who were oppressed and part of the liberation of those who were oppressed (1h42m15s).
• After Martin Luther King's assassination, his casket was pulled in a wagon by mules, further solidifying the mule's symbolic connection to liberation (1h42m23s).
• Despite this historical context, speculation may have arisen regarding the symbolism of the mule, which is ironic given its actual association with liberation from oppression rather than oppression itself (1h42m41s).

It’s not all about endurance, how to mount an offensive stance for what you believe (1h43m0s)

• A good offense can be a strong defense, especially when turning the tables in a situation, but it's essential to distinguish between seeking justice and truth versus seeking vengeance, with the intermediating role of resentment being a key factor in this distinction (1h43m25s).
• If one is resentfully angry, their head isn't clear, but with detachment, a defensive strategy can become an offense, allowing one to establish the truth (1h44m6s).
• A purely defensive stance can be perceived as weak, with the word "defensive" having a negative connotation, implying that one might have made a mistake or is wrong (1h44m23s).
• The discussion touches on the topic of left-wing authoritarianism and far-left radicalization, with the speaker having done studies on the consequences of these phenomena (1h44m55s).
• The conversation will continue on The Daily Wire side, focusing on categorization, implicit bias, and social psychology's role in promoting policies such as DEI, with the goal of delving into the scientific grounds used to justify these policies (1h45m14s).
• Social psychologists have been particularly interested in the issue of implicit bias, despite the concept originating from the clinical world, and have laid a veneer of scientific respectability over diversity, inclusivity, and equity claims (1h45m44s).
• The speaker criticizes social psychologists for failing to distinguish between categorization, which is the basis of perception, and bias, arguing that categorization cannot be considered bias (1h46m18s).
• The speaker has done work on the accuracy of stereotypes, highlighting the difficulty in distinguishing between stereotypes and categories (1h46m35s).