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Behavior-Analytic International Communities

Dialogue between Dick Malott and Jorge Luis Rios

Note: Dick Malott's reactions are in ALL-CAPS.

 

Dear Richard:

I am 37 years old, I have a mayor in electrical engineering and been married for 10 years. We have no kids. We visited los Horcones (www.loshorcones.org) two years ago and were invited by Juan Robinson to live there which we tried hard but everything went wrong, especially Juan stroke.

I JUST HEARD HE’S IN STABLE CONDITION, BUT I’M NOT SURE WHAT THAT MEANS.

So we decided to start a Walden two community here in Colombia

I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO VISIT COLUMBIA A FEW YEARS AGO, AND I LOVE IT. ESPECIALLY LOVED THE INTENTIONAL COMMUNITY—QUADA VITA (SPELLING WRONG, I’M SURE).

a few months ago and invested our money at it

YOU ARE BRAVE PEOPLE, AND I’LL HOLD YOUR COAT, WHILE YOU DO THE WORK.

http://waldentwo.blogspot.com/

JUST VISITED YOUR BLOG. EXCELLENT.

By the way, we have been reading Skinner for 10 years now, and we try our best at being smooth with each other. I can say (and my wife thinks the same) that we have a good marriage.

NOT AN EASY TASK. AGAIN, I’LL HOLD YOUR COAT.

That’s perhaps why we want to help others to have another kind of life.

AN EVEN HARDER TASK, BUT I’LL STILL HOLD YOUR COAT.

Also, we don’t like the standard model of getting a job though that’s exactly what I do.  My wife is much better than me at not procrastinating so I also have a great partner for this dream of ours. I have been giving speeches about this possibility in universities. It is difficult to attract partners but that is our choice.

Recently Mattaini came here to Bogotá

MARK MATTAINI IS A GREAT GUY, ONE OF MY FAVORITE BEHAVIOR-ANALYTIC DREAM CHASERS. AND THAT’S WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THE ABA CONFERENCE, EVERY TIME I GO THERE, THERE ARE A SOLID GROUP OF BRIGHT, HARD-WORKING, IDEALISTIC PEOPLE CHASING ONE BEHAVIOR ANALYTIC DREAM OR ANOTHER, IN AN EFFORT TO SAVE THE WORLD WITH BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS.

and I asked him this:

The concept of operant behavior was developed near a lab, a controlled environment. What is the lab of the "Cultural Analyst"?. He responded kindly and said that perhaps organizations but he also said that he is not sure that people is taking enough risks (no instigation from me!)

What do you think?.

OUTSIDE OF THE SKINNER BOX, I DON’T THINK THERE IS SUCH A THING AS A CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT, AND LIFE IN THE SKINNER BOX CAN BE A LITTLE CHAOTIC TOO. BUT I THINK MARK MATTAINI IS BEING A LITTLE TOO MODEST. HE’S DOING EXCELLENT CULTURAL ANALYSIS AND INTERVENTION ON THE BIG CITY STREETS (HIS LAB) WITH HIS PEACE POWER AND BEHAVIORISTS FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY TRIPS.

http://home.earthlink.net/~mattaini/

ALSO, SOME OTHER CULTURAL ANALYSTS WORKING IN REAL WORLD LABS MIGHT BE BIGLAN AND GUERIN. SOME OF THEIR WORK IS PUBLISHED BY THE EXCELLENT CONTEXT PRESS.

http://www.contextpress.com/

AND, OF COURSE, I’M IMPRESSED WITH THE BEHAVIOR-ANALYTIC COMMUNE, LOS HORCONES, WHERE THEIR ENTIRE LIVES AND COMMUNITY ARE THEIR LAB, AND NOT JUST IN A METAPHORICAL SENSE. THEY COLLECT A HELL OF A LOT OF DATA, AND ANALYZE IT. THEY ARE A COMMUNITY OF DREAM CHASERS THAT ARE DEDICATING THEIR ENTIRE 24/7 LIVES TO SAVING THE WORLD WITH BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS BY LIVING THE BEHAVIOR-ANALYTIC LIFE STYLE THEY BELIEVE IN.

http://www.loshorcones.org.mx/

AND NOT A BEHAVIORIST, BUT SOMEONE WHO’S WORK I ADMIRE, IS STEPHEN GASKIN AND THE FARM. (The Farm Community at one time the largest hippy community in the world and still one of the most significant, Summertown, TN, 1971)-- HE’S AN OLD HIPPY WHO RAN FOR PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ON THE MARIJUANA TICKET (I THINK HE LOST, BUT I’M NOT SURE). VERY INSIGHTFUL GUY.

http://www.thefarm.org/index.html

http://www.robotwisdom.com/jorn/gaskin.html

http://old.dickmalott.com/behaviorism/notes/everydayjesus.html

I have enjoyed your web site and hope all the best for you.

I hope to keep a close contact with you because I have too many doubts..(not really, I am Skinnerian!).

If you have thought of a nice retirement, (any age is good!) perhaps you might consider a nice, PEACEFUL spot away from traffic in South America !!

THANKS MUCH. I’D LOVE TO VISIT YOU. HOWEVER, I DON’T PLAN TO RETIRE FOR ANOTHER EIGHT YEARS, AND THEN, I STILL WANT TO KEEP MY OWN PEACEFUL SPOT OUTSIDE OF KALAMAZOO AS MY MAIN BASE OF OPERATION. AND, ON THE OTHER HAND, IF YOU’D LIKE TO GET IMMERSED UP TO YOUR EYE BALLS IN BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS FOR EIGHT WEEKS SOME SUMMER, FEEL FREE TO JOIN US IN OUR BEHAVIORAL BOOT CAMP!

http://old.dickmalott.com/students/gradprogram/bootcamp.html

 

Kindly,

Jorge Luis Rios

Bogotá, Colombia.

AND THANKS FOR CAUSING ME TO STROLL DOWN THAT OLD COMMUNE TRAIL THAT I HADN’T VISITED FOR A WHILE.

DICK MALOTT

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