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 “Bobâ€. 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 Boxâ€.
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._SkinnerSee 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.