Robert Bartholomew Explained

Robert Bartholomew
Birth Date:17 August 1958
Occupation:Medical sociologist, writer, teacher
Years Active:1984–present
Employer:Mission Heights Junior College, Auckland, New Zealand
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Website:rebartholomew.com

Robert Emerson Bartholomew (born August 17, 1958) is an American medical sociologist, journalist and author living in New Zealand. He is an Honorary Senior Lecturer in the Department of Psychological Medicine at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. In addition to publishing more than 60 academic papers, he has written or co-written 16 popular science and skeptical non-fiction books. He writes for several newspapers and journals on sociological and fringe science topics, including Psychology Today, Skeptical Inquirer, and British magazines The Skeptic and Fortean Times.

He is an expert in fields such as mass hysteria and mass psychogenic illness and is frequently consulted by media during current events of sociological phenomena such as incidences of suspected mass hysteria or panic.

Education

Bartholomew first obtained a radio broadcasting certificate studying at SUNY Adirondack in 1977 followed in 1979 by a bachelor's degree in communications at Plattsburgh. By 1984 he had been awarded a master's degree in American sociology at State University of New York. In 1992 he gained a masters in Australian sociology from Flinders University in Adelaide, South Australia followed by a doctorate in sociology from James Cook University in Queensland, Australia. Finally, in 2001 he gained his teaching qualification from Upper Valley Teachers Institute in social studies.

Academic work

Bartholomew has also lived and worked in Malaysia and in 2009 worked in sociology at International University College of Technology. In April 2010 he took up a teaching position at Botany Downs Secondary College in Auckland, New Zealand. He is currently an Honorary Senior Lecturer in the Department of Psychological Medicine at the University of Auckland in New Zealand.

In 2012, Bartholomew published Australia's forgotten children: The corrupt state of education in the Northern Territory: A case study of educational apartheid at an aboriginal pretend school in which he uncovered human rights abuses of indigenous Australian aboriginal children who were being exposed to harmful asbestos in the Northern Territory with the knowledge of the Northern Territory Department of Education.[1]

Bartholomew's principal area of academic contribution is in the field of mass psychogenic illness, previously known as mass hysteria, both historical and present day cases, an area he has been studying for over 25 years.[2] He has written extensively about 600 notable instances including the Salem witch trials,[3] the 2011 Le Roy illness, which Bartholomew has described as "the first case of this magnitude to occur in the U.S. during the social networking era",[2] and present-day manifestations, most of which he has said have yet to be studied in-depth by sociologists.

In 2016, Bartholomew investigated the 2012 case of an outbreak of hiccups in Danvers, Massachusetts (originally Old Salem village), in which 24 young people were stricken with apparently uncontrollable hiccups. After requesting and reviewing state documents from the original investigation, he concluded the most likely explanation was a psychogenic conversion disorder affecting the (predominantly) girls involved. He publicly stated the Massachusetts Department of Public Health had "knowingly issued an inaccurate, incomplete report...They have an obligation to issue accurate diagnoses, and patients have a right to know what made them sick" and filed official complaints of malpractice.[4]

Bartholomew has also drawn attention to the role of the internet in acting as an "echo chamber" for spreading moral outrage; for example on social media, pedophile allegations used as political weapons by supporters of the far right against liberal celebrities, which mirrors earlier public outrage which took the form of the Red Scare (particularly McCarthyism) and the Lavender scare against homosexuals in US government positions.[5]

Bartholomew is frequently interviewed as an expert on topics as diverse as the "Pokémon Panic" of 1997,[6] the spread of UFO conspiracy theories,[7] the 2016 clown panic (which he suggested was a moral panic fueled by social media in response to a fear of strangers and terrorism),[8] the viral spread of online fads such as Pokémon Go,[9] and Havana syndrome, the suspected energy weapon attacks against American and Canadian government personnel which began in 2016,[10] [11] [12] [13] [14] about which he said:

In 2020, Bartholomew co-authored Havana Syndrome: Mass Psychogenic Illness and the Real Story Behind the Embassy Mystery and Hysteria, a book on the sonic attack controversy in Cuba, with Professor Robert W. Baloh, a neurologist at the UCLA Medical Center. The book document dozens of similar examples of disorders that have essentially the same features as "Havana Syndrome", but were given different labels, from the 18th century belief that sounds from certain musical instruments were harmful to human health, to contemporary panics involving people living near wind turbines.

In March 2020, Bartholomew was invited to attend a medical conference in Havana, Cuba, on the "attacks", where he repeated the claim that stress-induced mass psychogenic illness was the most likely cause.[15]

Publications

Academic papers

Bartholomew has written over 60 academic papers including:

In addition Bartholomew contributes to several newspapers and journals on various sociological and fringe science topics, including Psychology Today, Skeptical Inquirer, and British magazines The Skeptic and Fortean Times.

Books

Bartholomew is the author of several popular science and skeptical non-fiction books including:

Reception

William Gibson in Mother Jones described Outbreak! The Encyclopedia of Extraordinary Social Behavior as "Essential reading for the era of Trump"[37] while Véronique Campion-Vincent described it as "exceptional in its scope...an indispensable working tool for researchers".[38] Michael Bywater in The Daily Telegraph described Panic Attacks as "a revealing historical corrective to the tempting view that media manipulation is a late-20th-century invention."[39]

In 2020, Bartholomew's self-published No Māori Allowed: New Zealand's Forgotten History of Racial Segregation, which looked at the history of segregation and discrimination against Māori people in the Auckland suburb of Pukekohe. His research found that 73% (237) of all Māori deaths aged 14 years and under in Pukekohe between 1925 and 1961 were caused by preventable conditions linked to poverty and poor housing such as bronchitis, diphtheria, dysentry, gastroenteritis, malnutrition, measles, pneumonia, tuberculosis, and whooping cough. On 19 June 2020, Bartholomew told Te Ao Maori News that a publisher had said his book No Māori Allowed was too pro-Maori. Bartholomew maintained that the stories of segregation needed to be told and New Zealand must '"acknowledge its racist past." In 2023, Bartholomew's book was adapted into a TVNZ documentary called No Māori Allowed by Megan Jones, Reikura Kahi and Corinna Hunzike.[40] [41]

An October 2021 article published by the Office for Science and Society of McGill University, which was critical of the official claims about Havana Syndrome, referred readers to Havana Syndrome: Mass Psychogenic Illness and the Real Story Behind the Embassy Mystery and Hysteria as a "fantastic book" saying it contextualize the syndrome in a history of acoustical scares, PTSD, and unwarranted accusations of state terrorism."[42]

Recognition

In 2017, Bartholomew was elected a Fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry.[43] [44]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Australia's Forgotten Children: The Corrupt State of Education in the Northern Territory. Teachers With Integrity. 27 February 2018.
  2. Web site: Dimon. Laura. What Witchcraft Is Facebook?. The Atlantic. 27 February 2018. 2013-09-11.
  3. Web site: DeCosta-Klipa. Nik. The theory that may explain what was tormenting the afflicted in Salem's witch trials. Boston Globe. 27 February 2018.
  4. Web site: Vergano. Dan. The Hiccuping Girls Of Old Salem. Buzzfeed. 27 February 2018.
  5. Web site: Tait . Amelia . How the alt-right wields and weaponises accusations of paedophilia . . 4 January 2018 . 27 February 2018 .
  6. Web site: Radford . Benjamin . Benjamin Radford . The Pokémon Panic of 1997 . CSICOP.org . CFI . 22 January 2019.
  7. Web site: Gilbert . Samuel . Aliens on the mind: Roswell and the UFO phenomenon . . 27 February 2018 .
  8. News: Teague . Matthew . Clown sightings: the day the craze began . . 26 February 2018 . 2016-10-08 .
  9. News: Tsukayama . Hayley . Pokémon Go and the lifespan of fads in the Internet age . . 27 February 2018.
  10. News: Borger . Julian . Julian Borger . Jaekl . Philip . Mass hysteria may explain 'sonic attacks' in Cuba, say top neurologists . . 27 February 2018 . 2017-10-12.
  11. Web site: Bartholomew . Robert E. . 'Sonic Attack' Not Mass Hysteria, Says Top DocHe's Wrong! (I'll stake my career on it) . . 7 April 2018 . https://archive.today/20180407150519/https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/its-catching/201801/sonic-attack-not-mass-hysteria-says-top-doc-hes-wrong . 7 April 2018 . 10 January 2018 . live .
  12. Web site: Bartholomew . Robert E. . Sonic Attack Claims Are Unjustified: Just Follow the Facts . Csicop.org . CFI . 7 April 2018 . https://archive.today/20180407004828/https://www.csicop.org/specialarticles/show/sonic_attack_claims_are_unjustified_just_follow_the_facts . 7 April 2018 . 16 January 2018 . live .
  13. Web site: Bartholomew . Robert E. . The "Sonic Attack" on U.S. Diplomats in Cuba: Why the State Department's Claims Don't Add Up . Skeptic.com . 7 April 2018 . https://archive.today/20171025192059/https://www.skeptic.com/reading_room/state-departments-claims-about-sonic-attack-diplomats-cuba-dont-add-up/ . 25 October 2017 . live . 2017-10-24 .
  14. Web site: Hignett . Katherine . Mass Hysteria or Microwave WeaponWhat's Behind the 'Sonic Attacks' on U.S. Diplomats in Cuba? . . 27 February 2018 . 2017-12-16 .
  15. News: Caraballoso . Eric . Is there a "Havana Syndrome"? . 25 May 2020 . OnCubaNews English . 6 March 2020.
  16. Bartholomew. Robert. Wessely. Simon. Simon Wessely. Protean nature of mass sociogenic illness. British Journal of Psychiatry. December 2001. 180. 4. 300–306. 26 February 2018. 10.1192/bjp.180.4.300. 11925351. free.
  17. Bartholomew. Robert. Victor. Jeffrey S.. A social-psychological theory of collective anxiety attacks: the "Mad Gasser" reexamined. Sociological Quarterly. 2004. 45. 2. 229–248. 10.1111/j.1533-8525.2004.tb00011.x. 145607562 .
  18. Bartholomew. Robert. Sirois. Francois. Epidemic Hysteria in Schools: an international and historical overview. Educational Studies. 2006. 22. 3. 285–311. 10.1080/0305569960220301.
  19. Bartholomew. Robert. Muniratnam. M. Chandra Sekaran. How Should Mental Health Professionals Respond to Outbreaks of Mass Psychogenic Illness?. Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy. 2011. 25. 4. 235–239. 10.1891/0889-8391.25.4.235. 143916824 .
  20. Bartholomew. Robert. Rubin. G. James. Wessely. Simon Wessely. Simon. Mass psychogenic illness and the social network: is it changing the pattern of outbreaks?. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. 2012. 105. 12. 509–512. 10.1258/jrsm.2012.120053. 23288084. 3536509.
  21. Bartholomew. Robert E.. Science for sale: the rise of predatory journals. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. 2014. 107. 10. 384–385. 10.1177/0141076814548526. 25271271. 4206639.
  22. Book: Bartholomew. Robert. Howard. George S.. Ufos & Alien Contact: Two Centuries of Mystery. 1998. Prometheus Books. 978-1573922005. registration.
  23. Book: Bartholomew. Robert. Exotic Deviance: Medicalizing Cultural Idioms. 2000. University Press of Colorado. 978-0870815973.
  24. Book: Bartholomew. Robert. Little Green Men, Meowing Nuns and Head-Hunting Panics: A Study of Mass Psychogenic Illness and Social Delusion. 2001. McFarland and company. 978-0786409976.
  25. Book: Bartholomew. Robert. Radford. Benjamin. Benjamin Radford. Hoaxes, Myths, and Manias: Why We Need Critical Thinking. 2003. Prometheus Books. 978-1591020486.
  26. Book: Bartholomew. Robert. Evans. Hilary. Panic Attacks. 2004. History Press. 978-0750937856.
  27. Book: Bartholomew. Paul B.. Bartholomew. Robert. Bigfoot Encounters in New York & New England: Documented Evidence Stranger Than Fiction. Hancock House. 978-0888396525. 2008-02-04.
  28. Book: Bartholomew. Robert. Evans. Hilary. Outbreak! The Encyclopedia of Extraordinary Social Behavior. 2009. Anomalist. 978-1933665252. registration.
  29. Book: Bartholomew. Robert. Radford. Benjamin Radford. Benjamin. The Martians Have Landed!: A History of Media-Driven Panics and Hoaxes. McFarland and company. 978-0786464982. 2012.
  30. Book: Bartholomew. Robert. Australia's forgotten children : the corrupt state of education in the Northern Territory : a case study of educational apartheid at an aboriginal pretend school. 2012. self published. New Zealand. 978-0473214470. 801060640.
  31. Book: Bartholomew. Robert. The Untold Story of Champ: A Social History of America's Loch Ness Monster. 2012. Excelsior / State University of New York Press. 978-1438444840.
  32. Book: Bartholomew. Robert. Rickard. Bob. Mass hysteria in schools: A worldwide history since 1566. 2014. McFarland and Company. 978-0786478880.
  33. Book: Bartholomew. Robert. Hassall. Peter. A Colorful History of Popular Delusions. 2015. Prometheus Books. 978-1633881228.
  34. Book: Joe Nickell

    . Bartholomew. Robert. Nickell. Joe. Joe Nickell. American Hauntings: The True Stories behind Hollywood's Scariest Movies―from The Exorcist to The Conjuring. 2015. Greenwood Publishing. Praeger. 978-1440839689.

  35. New And Notable . Skeptical Inquirer . 2019 . 43 . 4 . 52.
  36. Book: Baloh . Robert W. . Bartholomew . Robert E. . Havana Syndrome: Mass Psychogenic Illness and the Real Story Behind the Embassy Mystery and Hysteria . 2020 . Copernicus . 978-3030407452 . 24 May 2020 . en.
  37. Web site: Gibson. William. William Gibson's Resistance Reading. Mother Jones. 27 February 2018.
  38. Campion-Vincent. Véronique. Compte-Rendu de Outbreak! Hilary Evans et Robert Bartholomew 2009. Sociétés – Revue des Sciences Sociales et Humaines. 2009. 108. 2. 136–138. 27 February 2018.
  39. News: Bywater. Michael. We are all actors now. The Telegraph. 27 February 2018. 2005-07-31.
  40. News: Harvey . Kerry . TVNZ documentary No Māori Allowed revisits Pukekohe's history of segregation . 22 May 2023 . . 6 October 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221230235602/https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/tv-radio/130075649/tvnz-documentary-no-mori-allowed-revisits-pukekohes-history-of-segregation . 30 December 2022.
  41. News: Bartholomew . Robert . The real life documentary 'No Māori Allowed' strikes a raw nerve for some in our society. 20 May 2023 . . 27 October 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20221105070728/https://www.nzherald.co.nz/kahu/the-real-life-documentary-no-maori-allowed-strikes-a-raw-nerve-for-some-in-our-society/J6X7I4NX4ODM3JT5D5ZUB43O24/. 5 November 2022. live.
  42. Web site: Jarry . Jonathan . Havana Syndrome or a Case for Eliminating the Implausible . mcgill.ca . McGill University Office for Science and Society . 19 February 2022 . https://archive.today/20220220031808/https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/health-and-nutrition/havana-syndrome-or-case-eliminating-implausible . 20 February 2022 . 9 October 2021 . live .
  43. Web site: Fidalgo. Paul. Committee for Skeptical Inquiry Elects Six New Fellows. Center for Inquiry. 27 February 2018.
  44. Web site: Kreidler . Marc . Fellows and Staff . Center for Inquiry . 25 May 2020 . 3 April 2019.

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