The etymology of the name Skinner and the real purpose of the DUmp.

[beefeater]

A little over ten years ago our youngest was taking a psych class in college. He called me one night and asked if I had ever heard of a psychologist/behaviorist who had performed experimental analysis of behavior using lab rats and other animals, and if I had, did I have any information on him. I did know who he was referring to, we had studied him when I took psych101 back in the 60’s, and I agreed to help him with some research.

I happen to own a small office building and one of my tenants is a psychologist I’ll call “Bob”. Bob had a treasure trove of books and information on the subject and met with my son to help him do a mid-term report for his class. Meanwhile I decided to do an internet search and found a website that was eerily similar sounding to the lab rat experiments that we had been discussing. I had to show it to Bob and he was immediately fascinated by the place. We both registered and began lurking and eventually posting at the site. Sometimes we would coordinate our conversations in order to obtain the desired responses. Bob did it because he studies human behavior for a living. Me? I just like to stir the pot sometimes.

By now I’m sure you recognize the website we invaded as the Democraticunderground.

Now, what we both found instructive, and maybe even a bit amusing, was the nom de plume of the owner and chief behaviorist at the DUmp by the name of Skinner, for you see the psychologist/behaviorist we were looking into was none other than B.F. Skinner who also invented a device known as the “operant conditioning chamber” also commonly called a “Skinner Box”.



The Dump has always reminded me of a rat maze and I can’t get the image of trained lab animals out of my mind when lurking or trolling there.

More on B.F. Skinner here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B._F._Skinner

See if you don't agree with my assessment.

Needless to say I don't disagree with the Coaches' description of the primitives living on an island, but this is how I've always pictured them.

[shadeaux]

LOL

That's hilarious !!!

I don't think they're trainable.  No matter how hard you try to change one, a lazy ass will be a lazy ass for life.  And we know from the filthy pictures of their homes they are lazy as hell.   

[thundley4]

I think many of the DUmmies bare a considerable resemblance to Pavlov's Dog.  Certain words and phrases always set them off, and their reactions to almost every thing is predictable.

[Mike220]

LOL

That's hilarious !!!

I don't think they're trainable.  No matter how hard you try to change one, a lazy ass will be a lazy ass for life.  And we know from the filthy pictures of their homes they are lazy as hell.   

Nothing a cattle prod of significant voltage couldn't fix...

[franksolich]

But that's an excellent analogy, beefeater, a wonderful analogy.

We're not primitives; we don't have to see things exactly the same way.

When I think of the primitives, I think of a small isolated island removed from the rest of the world, covered with dark malevolent foliage and a poisonous miasma hovering over it.

I never thought about B.F. Skinner when devising my nick-name for my fellow alum.

"Skinner" sounded too formal to call a fellow alum (we were both educated by professors from Yale, after all; he in New Haven and franksolich in Lincoln), and so I thought about what his fellow players on the rugby team there called him, and "Skins" popped into mind.

Is there any reason you wanted this here, instead of in the DUmpster?

I think it would be interesting for a much wider audience than what we have here.

But it's your call.

[Skul]

On the island, when a primitive presses the lever, they get a banana.
This of course is due to gNads great font of Gnowledge on the subject of bananas.

nadinbrzezinski (107,725 posts)
2. Yup, but after a few, no longer will comment

well beyond one thing.. .eat your bananas.

[Duke Nukum]

Flowers for Algernon in reverse. The DUmmies' stochastic stupidity makes them DUmber and DUmber and DUmber, and unlike the story, the brain damage is irreversible.

[GOP Congress]

Personally, I thought of "Skinner" in the prison pedophile nickname sense. I see no reason to change that particular assessment, disregarding the actually named namesake of his who actually created some knowledge with rat behavior.

[miskie]

I've always associated the name with Principal Skinner - an absolutely incompetent state employee who lives with his mom, and more or less lets 'the inmates run the asylum'.

[franksolich]

I've always associated the name with Principal Skinner - an absolutely incompetent state employee who lives with his mom, and more or less lets 'the inmates run the asylum'.

I always wondered if others thought the same, that one guy on that one cartoon show on television.

But me, reflecting upon that my fellow alum once played rugby for Harvard, speculated upon possible nick-names his rough-house comrades would've used for him.

[Duke Nukum]

I always thought of the pigeon guy, myself. It seems so obvious.

[ChuckJ]

I always thought that the real purpose of the DUmp, aside for being comedic entertainment for normal, decent folks, is to turn people from the dem party.

I know that every single person that I've shown DU to, including democrats, has come away amazed and disgusted.

[Revolution]

I've always associated the name with Principal Skinner - an absolutely incompetent state employee who lives with his mom, and more or less lets 'the inmates run the asylum'.

Franksolich is his "Bart." 

[franksolich]

I always thought that the real purpose of the DUmp, aside for being comedic entertainment for normal, decent folks, is to turn people from the dem party.

I know that every single person that I've shown DU to, including democrats, has come away amazed and disgusted.

Uh huh, that's it.

Skins's island was formed right after the elections of 2000, when Alphonse Capote Gore tried to steal Florida, and failed. 

It was then that regular Democrats and liberals realized that their fringe made the rest of them look bad, and hired Skins, who was newly-unemployed because his (D) congressman had lost his primary, to set it up, so as to act as a magnet attracting, and ultimately sequestering, that fringe in a place the general public probably wouldn't notice them.

Like stuffing retarded cousin Johnny in the attic, or something.

[Revolution]

Uh huh, that's it.

Skins's island was formed right after the elections of 2000, when Alphonse Capote Gore tried to steal Florida, and failed. 

It was then that regular Democrats and liberals realized that their fringe made the rest of them look bad, and hired Skins, who was newly-unemployed because his (D) congressman had lost his primary, to set it up, so as to act as a magnet attracting, and ultimately sequestering, that fringe in a place the general public probably wouldn't notice them.

Like stuffing retarded cousin Johnny in the attic, or something.

Although, one cannot help if Johnny makes too much noise sometimes. Johnny has even had some reports, and illuminations on my local News/Talk AM radio station. If retarded cousin Johnny wants to hide, he better do a better job of it.

[obumazombie]

I love the OP's post. If he could somehow incorporate my impression of Skinner. One who once through with the work of the craft they were named after, on a fellow human being, was then forced as a result of their own hand to only consider the content of that person's character.

[98ZJUSMC]

Uh huh, that's it.

Skins's island was formed right after the elections of 2000, when Alphonse Capote Gore tried to steal Florida, and failed. 

It was then that regular Democrats and liberals realized that their fringe made the rest of them look bad, and hired Skins, who was newly-unemployed because his (D) congressman had lost his primary, to set it up, so as to act as a magnet attracting, and ultimately sequestering, that fringe in a place the general public probably wouldn't notice them.

Like stuffing retarded cousin Johnny in the attic, or something.

My first experience with the DUmp was the run-up to 2004.  That makes, in a really weird way, some sense.  I remember thinking, on my first trip there, that I should be wearing MOPP gear and a field protective mask and would require decontamination on exit.  Quite eye-opening.  The primitives are flat-out, weapons-grade, nucking futz. 

I really don't experience creatures like the (D)Ullards, in my day-to-day existence.  Run-of-the-mill Democraps, sure.  An old hippie, now and again.  At least they have a modicum of function synapses remaining.  I can see where, saner heads, would wish to keep them out of the innerwebz limelight.

  Posted by: beefeater
Insert Quote
A little over ten years ago our youngest was taking a psych class in college. He called me one night and asked if I had ever heard of a psychologist/behaviorist who had performed experimental analysis of behavior using lab rats and other animals, and if I had, did I have any information on him. I did know who he was referring to, we had studied him when I took psych101 back in the 60’s, and I agreed to help him with some research.

I happen to own a small office building and one of my tenants is a psychologist I’ll call “Bob”. Bob had a treasure trove of books and information on the subject and met with my son to help him do a mid-term report for his class. Meanwhile I decided to do an internet search and found a website that was eerily similar sounding to the lab rat experiments that we had been discussing. I had to show it to Bob and he was immediately fascinated by the place. We both registered and began lurking and eventually posting at the site. Sometimes we would coordinate our conversations in order to obtain the desired responses. Bob did it because he studies human behavior for a living. Me? I just like to stir the pot sometimes.

By now I’m sure you recognize the website we invaded as the Democraticunderground.

Now, what we both found instructive, and maybe even a bit amusing, was the nom de plume of the owner and chief behaviorist at the DUmp by the name of Skinner, for you see the psychologist/behaviorist we were looking into was none other than B.F. Skinner who also invented a device known as the “operant conditioning chamber” also commonly called a “Skinner Box”.

That's funny.

Sorry for kicking an older thread, but very interesting.