[Pnews] Guantanamo Torture - Psychology's Newest Joke: Not Very Funny

[Prisoner News]

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/dangerous-ideas/201401/psychologys-newest-joke-not-very-funny


*Psychology’s Newest Joke: Not Very Funny*
Roy J. Eidelson

There are quite a few jokes out there about members of my profession. 
Perhaps the most familiar of all is this one: “How many psychologists 
does it take to change a light bulb?” Answers that usually elicit at 
least a quiet chuckle include “Only one, but the light bulb must 
genuinely want to change” and “None, the light bulb will change itself 
when it’s ready.”

But this week there’s a new psychology joke making the rounds, a simple 
one-liner. Rather dark, more than a bit absurd, and relying on a healthy 
dose of incongruity between reality and pretense, it goes like this:

/“//APA will not tolerate psychologist participation in torture.”/

If that doesn’t immediately strike you as funny, perhaps it’s because 
context and timing are often key for effective humor. So in terms of 
context, the words belong to Rhea Farberman, the American Psychological 
Association’s director of public relations. And in terms of timing, she 
was responding to The Guardian’s Spencer Ackerman 
<http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/22/guantanamo-torture-mohammed-al-qahtani-suspected-9-11-hijacker> 
about the APA’s recent decision */not/*/ /to take disciplinary action 
against John Leso, a psychologist who had been involved in the brutal 
treatment of U.S. “war on terror” detainees at Guantanamo Bay. If Ms. 
Farberman’s comment still doesn’t bring a wry smile, the sort an 
utterance from an Alice in Wonderland character might produce, then some 
further background about Dr. Leso’s actions may help.

According to a 2008 report from the Senate Armed Services Committee 
<http://s3.amazonaws.com/nytdocs/docs/211/211.pdf>, while leading the 
first Behavioral Science Consultation Team at Guantanamo in 2002, Dr. 
Leso co-authored a counter-resistance strategies memo and recommended a 
range of coercive techniques for “high value” detainees. The list 
included isolation for up to 30 days without visitation rights by 
treating health professionals or the International Committee of the Red 
Cross (with additional month-long periods if authorized); removal of 
“comfort items” such as sheets, blankets, mattresses, wash cloths, and 
religious items; daily 20-hour interrogations; removal of clothing; 
exposure to cold; and stress positions. Many of these recommendations 
were subsequently applied to Mohammed al-Qahtani, who was held in 
solitary confinement for over five months and subjected to almost daily 
18-20 hour interrogations over a two-month period. A leaked 
interrogation log <http://content.time.com/time/2006/log/log.pdf> 
confirms that Dr. Leso was present for at least some of the sessions, 
and that he provided guidance to the interrogators.

In addition, a 2005 report from Army investigators 
<http://www.defense.gov/news/Jul2005/d20050714report.pdf> found 
instances of interrogations where Mr. al-Qahtani was forced to wear a 
woman’s bra and had a thong placed on his head; was forced to stand 
naked with women present; was held in place while a female interrogator 
straddled him; was tied to a leash and forced to perform dog tricks; was 
confronted by growling and barking military working dogs; and was 
prevented from carrying out his prayer obligations as a Muslim. The Army 
report concluded that these techniques were abusive and degrading. Judge 
Susan Crawford subsequently declined to refer 
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/13/AR2009011303372.html> 
Mr. al-Qahtani for prosecution /because his treatment met the legal 
definition of torture./

There’s obviously nothing even remotely humorous about any of that. But 
despite the convincing evidence of Dr. Leso’s wrongdoing, late last 
month the APA decided that no formal action 
<http://www.theguardian.com/world/interactive/2014/jan/22/american-psychological-association-leso-letter> 
should be taken against him for ethics violations. That’s why I assume 
Ms. Farberman /must/ /be joking/ when she says, “APA will not tolerate 
psychologist participation in torture.” It’s kind of like the time 
several years ago when Stephen Behnke, the director of APA’s ethics 
office, pulled our legs and promised 
<http://www.democracynow.org/2005/8/11/psychological_warfare_a_debate_on_the>, 
“When we have the facts, we will act on them. And if individuals who are 
members of our association have acted inappropriately, the APA will 
address those very directly and very clearly.”

-- 
Roy J. Eidelson, Ph.D.
President, Eidelson Consulting
www.eidelsonconsulting.com <http://www.eidelsonconsulting.com>
Member, Coalition for an Ethical Psychology
www.ethicalpsychology.org <http://www.ethicalpsychology.org>

-- 
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863.9977 www.freedomarchives.org
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