I know I'm very late responding to the original post but I'd like to offer another consideration on the Obama Effect.

On all of those tests that ask your ethnicity there is an option for you to select that you do not wish to disclose that information. Are you sure that African Americans were actually performing better after the nomination/election? Maybe a higher percentage of the better performing African Americans already were more likely to identify their ethnicity vs. choosing not to disclose it.

I do think the rest of the podcast offered substantial proof, but I felt this point was overlook on the Obama Effect data.

There is this subculture that has been growing called the "Social Justice" movement, and there is a certain portion of these people who blow things ridiculously out of proportion, and I think that's kind of what you experienced here. I think listeners fell into one of three categories; Offended because of was a "bad word," offended because it was "derogatory towards women," or those who were not offended at all.

The thing about those who were offended because it was "derogatory towards women" is that you weren't aiming the remark at women. You were aiming it at your listeners (I'm assuming) or a very general population that included people of any gender. In that case it's not insulting, it's not offensive. It's just a sassy way of referring to your audience.

This is just my opinion though.

I've been trying to find any information about the more long-term implications of the Obama Effect. It's been two years since this podcast, and since the original study, and I'm having a hard time finding more recent follow-ups. Does the Radiolab world have any new info?

I'm a 27 caucasian female (if that matters) and "bitch/bitches" doesn't bother me at all! ;-)

the "Bitch" comment did not make me angry not did I lose any sleep over it. But as a parent of two young girls it does sadden me that some people can be so flippant or dismissive regarding sexism and how it plays out. I am a child of MTV. The things I thought were so clever or harmless in my twenties do not seem the same to me now. I did not hear Jad apologize for his comment I heard him apologize for some listeners and his parents sensitivities. Again, I am not angry nor do I need another apology. But I am surprised at how many comments posted here either think it was so cute or harmless. Sexism is alive and well even in NPR land.

I do love the show!

Haha, when reading the letters are you actually humming the song from A Legend of Zelda game? I love it.

Ceiling fan said it right, apologizing just feeds the ego's of people who feel offended in order to give themselves some sense of their moral position.

Just as a side note, I did think the sign off of stay tuned "bitches" was hilarious when said in that episode. Perhaps because it caught me so off guard.

So, I suppose what I'm getting at is you can call me bitch anytime you want!

I think the apology was tactful enough, but of course, it's only fair, and natural, that not everyone would agree. I, for one, think you guys are fabulous. Keep up the wonderful work... bitches! Yayy

In the future when you apologize for sexist remarks try actually apologizing for your comment. Rather than a non-apology apology. Instead of, "I'm sorry that you were offended by my sexism", use instead, "I'm sorry I made a sexist comment on the air, and I apologize that we didn't remove it during the editing process."

Just recently discovered Radio Lab... I am one happy Bitch!

thanks for giving the song name. i've been carrying around a post-it that said "obama effect 13:00" for months now.

Very Interesting!!

Also since every one proudly wears this as an age thing, I'm 31.

Wow! What irony on this podcast that verifies the debilitating power of stereotypes and cultural images, Jad apologies for using one of the many hip-hop “terms of endearment” that actually sabotages Black Americans and women in one fell swoop. Say what you will of these words, but I do think when non-blacks adopt these terms it’s less damaging to their psyches than for Blacks because there is no seed in the back of non-blacks’ mind that either they are these words or that even if they aren’t, others will automatically see them as nothing but bitches and... This from a black girl who legally changed her name because I’d consistently been told it was a ghetto name. The first time I was told that, I went home and asked my mother how my name was a Jewish neighborhood in Germany. You see, the Black culture I grew up in was so far removed from hip hop; I was all Janet Jackson, “Rhythm Nation,” Stevie Wonder and Tina Turner. So I also had no idea why the other cheerleaders in high school (yeah, don’t ask) called each other bitches and hoes. So yeah, Black, White, young, or old I think studies like Claude Steele’s study show these words are more than words.

Another vote for 'bitches' from a 51 year-old dad who laughed out loud and played it over again for his 12 year-old son because I couldn't believe I'd heard it right.

Don't let the bastards wear you down, Jad.

Lay off, bitches!

[...] University of Arizona. He runs the Social Psychology of Sports Lab. He was recently on Radio Lab (WNYC - Radiolab The Obama Effect, Perhaps.). Lvl 8 Undisclosed Specialization, Undisclosed Marcabian Ground Operation Unit, Undisclosed [...]

I listen to Radio Lab while doing late-night philosophy essays, and LOVE IT. At two in the morning, when I heard Jad say, "Don't go away... biiiitttcccheeezzzz." I about DIED laughing. At that time, most anything is funny... so when something is genuinely funny it is all the more augmented. Don't apologize, Jad. I loved it.

On a side note... does anybody know if there is a place, online or otherwise, where I can buy the Radio Lab seasons? I want to have them to help me with my young philosophy students.

Very interesting piece on the subtle effect of stereotypes. As a 32 year old white guy, I wasn't offended by Jad's use of the term "bitches." I would like to ask everyone who was offended to please stop and think for a moment before contributing to the Political Correctness Monster that threatens to suck the life out of our culture.

You guys produced this thought-provoking podcast and most people want to talk about bitches. I love when public radio listeners kill the stereotype!

Anyway, I'm glad you said bitches just for the image of your dinner table. Your parents sound sweet.

Keep up the good work mis amigos!

the bitches thing was funny.

I have hesitations using the bitch word, but I jimminey I will!

http://www.songcastmusic.com/redirect1?id=283632771

I'm hesitant to use the bitch word, so I offer a theme song called Obama instead.

Sir Charles

http://www.songcastmusic.com/redirect1?id=283632771

I'm 25 and I found the bitches comment a great, and unexpected, laugh. My 24-year-old coworker laughed uproariously along with me.

I love the show and I thought Jad's apology was sensible. However, I hope that the show's humor isn't going to be stifled or repressed in any way. Next time someone on Radiolab wants to say "bitches," say it again, and apologize again. There's always someone who doesn't won't get the joke, but the humorless are people, too.

I thought the "bitches" comment was a hilarious highlight of the episode. We had to rewind, I didn't think he'd actually said it, but then I kept waiting for it to come back and get worked into the theme somehow.

Son of a britches... I was all set to email this podcast link to the teachers in the school that I teach at, but though I'm not offended by the "bitches" comment, many of our teachers would be. This is great information that I'd love to get out to our (urban, low-income, minority) school on the eve of high-stakes testing, but the message would be lost on its audience just because of a silly comment .... Any way to rewrite the intro on your web site?

I love you. By the way, Max Richter's "Vladimir's Blues" is from his lovely album THE BLUE NOTEBOOKS. Buy it now... bitches.

I am going to donate to the show Bitches! You have exercised the scientific muscle in my brain that has atrophied.

The "Bitches" comment was not a big deal at all (30 year old in case you are wondering) the quality of your programming covers a multitude of sins.

Love the show and I am excited to hear season six...in fact I am going to donate to the show tonight.

I was listening to the program with my boyfriend (age 28) and he said, "Did Jad just just call us 'Bitches'?" I was like, No way. I guess I'm desensitized to the phrase (I'm 22!), I didn't even notice. Upon rewind, we both found it awesome. I <3 Jad and Radiolab!

Put another check in the "yeah, bitches!" column. I'm female and 31.

I love your show--it's the best thing on public radio. Keep it up.

Re: Maria. Don't worry. You are getting both! Right now we're between seasons, but if you stay tuned, season 6 is on the way.

I love your show but I want to be able to listen to the hour long radio show on my i-pod AND to the podcasts. Please please...

whatever, bitches. we can handle it jad....

To your point, and you might find this a bit odd, but I was curious to find out if the emotional stress of my divorce might impact my cognitive ability, so I took an IQ test during and some time after, when I was in the emotional "clear," and as I suspected, discovered that my IQ was higher, much higher, if fact, during the less stressful period. I'd say distraction can be a most potent inhibitor.

To your point, and you might find this a bit odd, but I was curious to find out if the emotional stress of my divorce might impact my cognitive ability, so I took an IQ

The choice episode was great; I giggled at the end; Don't worry about it Jad.

@Troy C: You're not the first to ask this, but it's no wonder you didn't read it in between all the "bitches"!!

Quote:
Comment from Ellen from Radiolab
Date: January 28, 2009, 1:53 pm

Bill, Michelle, Michael -

The piano piece is “Vladimir’s Blues” by Max Richter.

I find it fitting to have the discussion of the impact of the casual use of "bitch" on a show talking about the adverse effects of normalized stereotypes. If we are looking for the root cause of such effects, I think we have a wonderful example here; believing that a negative sterotype can be played off as casual, insulated humor and is thus meaningless. Obviously these culturally normalized perceptions affect us. They go straight to the women in the math lab :) FYI I am 25 and understand the context.

Hey, I'd really like to know what that piano piece was. Could you guys let us know?

Janice, thanks for explaining the photo of the "Obama" street sign. That's funny!

I *love* RadioLab and am proud to have supported it with $$. Thank you.

I loved these off projects you're experimenting with. The research presented in this episode is not new to me, but somehow, a connection was made to myself this time - maybe because the example was the GRE. But more importantly, it made me wonder how the format of time restricted standardized testing is discriminatory in itself regardless if the content is "culture-free," simply due to the biases we internalize about our selves based on messages we receive from the larger society. Thanks for being so thought provoking as usual, and sorry for jumping on the bandwagon, bitches!

Excellent show. And to add to the database, I'm 44 and laughed at the "bitches" comment. Most importantly, I like that Jad and Robert had a discussion about it on the air, and it had explanation and honest reaction. One reason I have always liked Robert is his ability to take serious and sometimes silly asides that don't always make perfect sense in a news story, but ultimately provide greater context to a story. Or just make it more fun to listen to.

Even if I don't agree with or get all of the references or asides that show up in Radiolab...I will always take time out to listen to it.

Thanks to everyone at Radiolab for such a wonderful program.

Jad, my husband (age 36) has a "Science : It works, Bitches" t-shirt he wears frequently and I always thought it was a bit dodgy, but having heard YOU utter it, I get it. Thanks.

Hey I'm 63 and I thought the "hey bitches" comment was funny.

It cracked me up when you said 'bitches'. Loved it.

Radiolab is like little bits of awe and wonder, compressed into MP3 format and sent into my ear buds. It's the straight dope. Thanks for keeping it fascinating and real, bitches!

what i don't think was mentioned anywhere on this page, though it may be buried in all those "bitches," is that the altered sign in the photo above is bush street here in san francisco. a group of people altered every single bush street sign in san francisco to say obama.

also, the bitches comment was hilarious. i'm 35

I didn't catch the original "bitches"
remark, and wouldn't have minded at all.
I appreciated both the candid explanation
and the bit about Jad's parents teasing
him, although at the cost of drawing
stares in the supermarket aisle while
giggling manically... Thank you for such
a great show!

To a show that has helped my mind to avoid turning to mush.

Thanks for one Bad Ass show, Bitches

I thought "the comment" was hilarious. A little calm cursing just shows your an enlightened person in my opinion.

It was funny, bitches.

i'm surprised people really were that offended on the 'bitches' comment. i heard it and couldn't stop laughing for 5 minutes. i had to rewind it 4 times just so i could hear it again.
thanks for the laugh jad, and keep up the good work.

Andrew, this is Ellen from Radiolab. We hoped that this podcast might help explain/clarify. Here's the scoop: the hour-long shows are limited. We make 5 at a time. We're a small, scrappy staff with a limited capacity (and Robert has not one, but TWO, 2, other jobs: at ABC News and as an NPR correspondent). We're already hard at work on the next set of 5, but it will be a while until those hit the air/internet. In the meantime, we don't go away entirely! We'll still bring some interesting bits out every two weeks...just not in the same hour-long package. Hang out, bitches! (Sorry - I just couldn't resist. I, like Jad, tend to say 'bitches' with some regularity...and, in all honest, for comedic effect.)

At 29, I definitely wondered at the bitches comment, and I have to say I was relieved when Jad addressed it. I certainly wasn't offended, but it also didn't make any sense to me. And I watched a ton of MTV as a teenager.

I noticed that the podcast was super short and there was sort of an apologia at the beginning explaining the difference between the podcast and the radio show--did the radio listeners get something that the podcast grabbers didn't? It's two weeks after Yellow Fluff, WHERE'S MY RADIOLAB SHOW!! I'LL STAY UP TUESDAY NIGHTS AND LISTEN ON THE RADIO IF I HAVE TO, JUST TELL ME WHAT I NEED TO DO!!!

Great podcast... As a teacher, i found it really interesting, especially considering the importance we give to testing.

...And not to beat a dead horse here, but some of us (younger) bitches don't mind being called your bitches ;-)

actually to add gravity let me put it like this ..

// mob stands outside radiolab office with tourches and the leader calls into the microphone //

"I want jad to apologise again for apologizing. Saying bitch is a statement. Its a gentle reminder that we should not get carried away with taking ourselves too seriously. Well we young people are being polite and apologizing, but then we are loosing on our very important message. Shut up and apologize again bitches "

"I want jad to apologize again for apologizing. Saying bitch is a statement. Its a gentle reminder that we should not get carried away with taking ourselves too seriously. Well we young people are being polite and apologizing, but then we are loosing on our very important message. We can't let this go on. Shut up and apologize again bitches"

great podcast (KINDA SHORT, took my by surprise on the elliptical machine). And there's nothing wrong with saying "Bitchez" so long as you say it with a "z" and not and "s". In the words of Sean Combs, "Take that, take that, take that."

It's unusual that people apologize on the air. I find it actually raises my respect for you (a respect that was quite high to start with). Yet another testament to your humble approach to a large and noble endeavor of bringing the overwhelming issues to their simple roots.

I'd be interested to hear an episode investigating the history and science behind apologies vs. defense. Do other animals face this issue? Obviously apologies have roots in social evolution, but then why is it often so hard to apologize?

Just chiming in to agree with what others have said: Jad's unprecedented outbursts are too endearing to censor.

Love the show. Keep it up, bitches.

I also found the non sequitur "bitches" to be hilarious. Don't worry about it Jad. Keep up the good work all of you.

"Bitches" was wonderful, and the thought that you might censor yourself from similarly playful outbursts in the future, Jad, is distressing.

I demand an apology for your apology.

I was baffled by the "bitches", but I laughed.
Knowing that you edit like crazy (though you preserve that informal off the cuff vibe), it seemed intentional, so I was trying to figure out what it had to do with "Choice". Now I see. A spur-of-the-moment choice that you couldn't cut was definitely in the spirit of the episode!! Yay!!

I totally agree with Ryan. I'm 29, female and grew up watching MTV, but I have to admit that I was a little *too* startled when I heard Jad's very soothing voice say "bitches." I laugh at it now, but I can also see it from the point of view of those who were offended.

So thanks, Jad, for apologizing. You're one of my favorite people in radio and I'm glad you care about your listeners.

I loved the bitch-slapped comment and startled myself when I laughed out loud! It was an honest, gut-reaction comment by Jad and I took no offense. I am 36...

Thanks!

Too bad the people mentioning that they found the term funny aren't mentioning their age! That's the interesting part to me.

I am 31. I thought it was HILARIOUS.

I was struck dumb - my breath caught in my throat - and then I fell on the floor laughing.

At the same time - I think you did the right thing to apologize to those with more sensitive ... inclinations ... or something - an audience is a terrible thing to waste, right? Without all those more sensitive people, I don't get my favorite podcast to listen to.

Thanks a TON for sharing that letter... sentiment... you know.

The apology was wrong! Jad, getting slapped down like that, and acquiescing, is just another step down the road to boring. Personality, man, that's what that was, and if they don't understand tsft. I think you need to do more of those to show that you're not old. Oh, Snap!

Forget Oliver Sacks, casinos Malcolm Gladwell, the question of consciousness and free will... nothing will ever top bitches! :)

Lay off of Jad. He's just keeping it cool for us cool guys... bitches

Mind over matter. Bitches.

Well, my favorite part was the "Letters" theme song. Jad, you should put Robert in charge of the music more often; he's clearly got a knack for it! ;-)

http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/science.jpg

keep up the good work, bitches.

I've listened to most or all of your shows, but I have to score this one as "most fascinating." I had no idea the effect was so powerful. The new Secretary of Education should be required to listen to this podcast.

I also am a fan of the "Bitches" comment. unexpected and funny.

thanks for a great show guys.

I almost fell out of my chair when Jad said the Ira Glass line with 'bitches' at the end. I found it hilarious and am glad you left it in.

"Bitches" was startling and funny. Those moments add real humanity to the show, plus they make me ciggle (more diaphragm used than a giggle, but not so much that it becomes a cackle). A perfect opening to the episode.

That was a powerful 17 min!

I wonder if it would be effective for kids in hoods like Wash Heights and the Bronx to hear this segment so they could get a cognitive jump on this challenge... How could we go about that?

I love RadioLab and its insights, but I imagine your listener base is relatively narrow. Shows with these kind of insights need a wide distribution!

I laughed out loud when he said it!

what ever Bitches.

I loved the "stay with us... bitches"!!!

Did an of these people you talked to have any ideas about retraining yourself not to have the self doubting dialogue distract you? Even though these stereotypes run deep, it seems like there must be some way to train them out of your mind. Also, I cracked up over the bitches comment, and I and everyone I know who listens got it.

I loved it when you said "bitches." I listened to it over and over. Unexpected and funny.

ah no don't apologize!!

ahh pass the salt.. lol

Great show! What is the music used after the end of the test-taking story before the transition to the letters part? It's beautiful.

--Oh, I see know. Thank's, Ellen!

The idea that test administrators can affect the results is not news to me. Think about Galvanic Skin Response tests. I've seen lots of theories about how to "fool" a lie detector, but I've never seen anyone talk about how the lie detector test administrator can influence the outcome of the test.

When I was 20, I had to take a lie detector test for a job at a convenience store. I was ushered into the room. The test administrator was talking to a regional manager. He had the test results of the previous few test subjects in front of him and was discussing their results.

"This one lied about stealing, this one lied about his job history, we just got ourselves a bunch of liars here today!"

The regional manager left the room, and the test administrator turned to glare at me intensely.

"I'm gonna strap you into that chair now. You gotta be careful during this test. If you scratch your nose during the test, it's gonna show up over here like you're lying to me. If you move your big toe, it'll look like you're lyin'. So if you need to itch anything or twitch anything, now's the time to do it."

Truly, I'm not exaggerating -- the man was like a predator, super anxious to catch people out. He had a nearly religious fervor for ferreting out liars.

Do you want to guess how I did on the test?

Bill, Michelle, Michael -

The piano piece is "Vladimir's Blues" by Max Richter.

Man, what a powerful little segment. I think it speaks not only to the subtle influence of stereotypes, but also to the general malady of self-doubt. Very encouraging. Thank you!

Hey what was the piano piece that played at about 13 minutes into the podcast? Was it Philip Glass?

I am echoing Bill Kelly in saying that I also love the show and am wondering what the piano piece at the end of Obama Effect is. Thanks!

Love the show! My kids (middle and high schoolers) want me to put on a RadioLab when we're on a long car drive. That's cool!

I wondered if you could tell me what the piano music is at the end of the Obama Effect, Perhaps podcast episode.

Thanks!

Apologizing for having fun to those people who take paradoxical delight in being meaninglessly, mindlessly offended. Depressing, and entirely too common...

That was awesome, keep it up, bitches!

Best science show since Mr. Wizard, I'm your number 1 bitch!!!

I am Radiolab's bitch!

I heart you, bitches!

This is a great podcast, i'm a big fan of jonah lehrer's blog and read it daily. i found this bit really interesting, both in the ny times and on his blog, and i'm glad to see you guys did a bit on it as well.

p.s. i thought it was funny.