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As It Is Written: Deciphering The Penmanship of Jewish Innovators |
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| Dr. Robert Yaronne Takes on Some of Judaism's Biggest Doers | ||
 by Emily Goldsher, October 13, 2009 |
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From this Series
A while back, my office received a large shipment of books courtesy of The Jewish Book Council, and of the entire batch, I was most excited to get my hands on the gem that is The Genius of Jewish Celebrities: What Their Handwriting Reveals by Dr. Robert Yaronne.
Luckily for me, the book is exactly what it boasts: an in-depth handwriting analysis of famous Jews. Goldie Hawn's illegible signature means she "feels the need to hide her true identity" and Ben Stiller's backwards 'n' stroke "suggests a capacity for self-deprecation." To his credit, Yaronne manages to move past the superficial and devotes a whole section of the book to philosophers and another to scientists. The Ba'al Shem Tov's Hebrew 'L' indicates he was able to keep thoughts to himself, where Isaac Bashevis Singer's open 'B' reveals that he had a talkative and open personality. Need more examples? Here is the page devoted to Diva-with-a-capital-D Bette Midler:
Sure, it might sound silly, but it is delightful. Dr. Yaronne's observations are spot on, nearly to the point of being unbelievable. He is clearly an intuitive and talented analyst. The book itself is vibrant and engaging, and (most importantly) quite fun to read.
After flipping through Genius, I knew exactly what I had to do: get the good doctor to analyze 3 samples, given to him anonymously, that I had gotten from notable Jewish innovators. I sent a request to Yaronne's representative in earnest, and was delighted when he agreed to go along with my little experiment.
So how did the Doctor's analysis measure up to reality? Let's see:
You may know Ariel Beery as the co-director of PresenTense, an organization that fosters young Jewish innovators and pioneers. All of the reports I got from Yaronne were lengthy, so I will excerpt them here:
"The handwriting is very intense, speedy and goal-oriented. This person is in a high IQ bracket. The person's intensity might call for action. People around this person may get fatigued simply from the sheer volume of the thinking and enthusiasm. The thinking is a mixture of various cognitive styles: sharp analytical style on one side, and intuitive break on the other hand. One part of this person figures problems in sequential logic, while the other allows for brilliant, out-of-the-blue flashes of ingenuity to go through."
The sample below is from Aaron Bisman, fearless leader of JDub Records (and my boss!), a non-profit music and events company that works with artists like Balkan Beat Box, Michael Showalter and The Sway Machinery. Here's what Yaronne had to say about Aaron:
"The person likes to be precise and exact when providing facts. This accurateness in the thinking is accompanied with down-to-earth practical intelligence. In addition, there are indications of some nice spirituality in the person. The handwriting also suggests that the person is highly ambitious."
"The quality of the ‘ i' indicates a person who is not show-offish. Instead, what you see is what you get."
The third and final sample comes from Sandy Cardin, president of The Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation. The foundation is "dedicated to helping the Jewish people flourish by supporting programs throughout the world that spread the joy of Jewish living, giving and learning." I don't know Sandy personally, but let's see what Yaronne thinks he knows about Mr. Cardin:
"The handwriting is extremely small and connected. This person is in the highest bracket of the I.Q level."
"What is unusual for a person of very high intelligence, this person also displays a very dynamic emotional life."
"The handwriting is extremely right-slanted, which is a sure indicator of a person who is socially oriented and needs to connect to other people. At the same time, however, there is need for one's own space. From the way the person keeps the right margin we learn that [Sandy] is considerate of other people."
So, how precise were Yaronne's dissections? The only people that can truly gauge their accuracy are the subjects themselves; though, reading the entire report was quite an eye-opener! Still, thinking further, I find these things to be a bit like astrology or fortune-telling, where readers, seers and mystics provide generalizations that nearly anyone could identify with. But don't let me ruin your fun; i've always been quite the skeptic.
Disagree? Want more? The Genius of Jewish Celebrities: What Their Handwriting Reveals will be published in March 2010 and is available for preorder on Amazon.
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dividend
...Barbra is open and talkative, and he got that just from her handwriting? Amazing.
Personally, I've had enough of this Jewish navel-gazing. Jews are analyzing each other's handwriting now?
Can Jews move a step forward from the question, "what does it mean to be a Jew?" to "what do you stand for as a Jew?" Or am I asking a rhetorical question?
faycrev
Using writing as an expression of the human being and his/her distinctivefeatures is fascinating. The idea that the spontaneous graphic movementreveals a lot about an individual, makes sense when seen through criteria ofwhat is called analogy and symbolism.
Handwriting as an objective, practical, andeconomical personality test, why not. This interesting and well written book gives you a door to the subject while you find out about interesting personalities that share with you a fewcultural traits (Judaism)
Fascinating
gifted120
I agree with Emily Goldsher that the book would be fun to
read. Robby has an imaginative mind and it is interesting
to see where it goes.
Imaginative
HowardCharlesYourow
Rene Magritte, the great Belgian surrealist painter / sculptor -- and Zen master, to my mind ! -- once said : " There is A Mystery. But, what IS it ? "
Indeed.
To my mind, all those who seek for Truth, Wisdom, Enlightenment -- call it what you will -- are to be saluted and welcomed into the never-ending human debate about whence we come, what our purposes in this existence are, and whither we are headed.
Since ancient times, Jews have always played a crucial role in this universal conversation, including their study of esoteric and mystical systems, such as Kabbalah, astrology, graphology, and on and on.
In this noble context Yaronne's efforts are very much to be welcomed, for here is a man offering his research into the mysteries of human identity and motivation for the world to contemplate and do with as it will .
Thus, I should think, the curious reader might well be attracted to his latest work, as doors open endlessly out onto other doors, and windows open endlessly out onto other windows ...
HowardCharlesYourow
Ah, but My Dear, ANGRY Friends, is it not The Bard of Avon himself who teaches us, in Hamlet's words to Horatio -- the " Man of Reason " -- that " There are more things on Earth, and in Heaven, than are dreamt of in your philosophy " ?
SO IT MAY BE !
YOUR GUESSES ARE JUST AS GOOD -- OR NOT -- AS MINE, OR YARONNE'S !
WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO THE ANCIENT SPIRIT OF FREE ENQUIRY ?
HowardCharlesYourow
As to para. 1, I would again invoke W S, through Hamlet :
" There's a destiny that shapes our ends, rough-hew them as we will ... "
It may Really and Truly be about that 'ole dialectic of yin & yang ; that Hegelian pull-and-tug ; irresistable forces meeting immutable objects ; " plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose " ... Maybe we don't know Why, but Destiny & Will are in some sort of dance, epis ?
Quien sabe ? Maybe we're just whistling in the dark -- even when the yellowhite sun is flooding down upon us through the crystal-clear azureternity !
Frost :
" We dance around in a circle and suppose :
The answer sits in the middle and knows. "
Maybe ' the jury is out '
{ has been out, may remain out --
but will it return a verdict @ the Winter Solstice 2012 ? }
As to para. 2, sure, why not have Doc Robbie self-analyze ?
Must be difficult -- would be interesting !
IN SHORT : LETHE FLOWER BLUME !
NU, WHY NOT ?
WHAT'S TO LOSE ?
husbandofthesage
Interesting how any posts raising intellectual questions related to this book, it's thesis, even the credentials of the author were systematically deleted! De nata, gone, ne-el-mu, as if they didn't exist. That says it all. Is this the ownership of Jewcy, or protexia at it's worst? Shame on you guys.
husbandofthesage
It might be more interesting for this book to touch on how subjective
valuation/cold reading, the Barnum effect, confirmation bias, communal
reinformcement, the Forer effect have a part in any"analysis", but that
wouldn't sell books!
From the Skeptic's Dictionary-1994-2009) by Robert Carroll http://www.skepdic.com/graphol.html
"Since there is no useful theory as to how graphology might work, it is not
surprising that there is no empirical evidence that any graphological characteristics
significantly correlate with any interesting personality trait.
Adrian Furnham writes
Add to cold reading, the Barnum effect, confirmation bias, communal
reinforcement, the Forer effect, and
subjective validation and you have a fairly complete explanation for graphology's popularity.
Graphology is another pipe dream of those who want a quick and dirty
decision making process to tell them who to marry, who did the crime, who they should
hire, what career they should seek, where the good hunting is, where the water, oil, or
buried treasure is, etc. Graphology is another in a long list of quack substitutes for
hard work. It is appealing to those who are impatient with such troublesome matters as
research, evidence analysis, reasoning, logic, and hypothesis testing. If you want results
and you want them now and you want them stated in strong, certain terms, graphology is for
you. If, however, you can live with reasonable probabilities and uncertainty, you might
try another method to pick a spouse or hire an employee.
If you don't mind discriminating against people on the
basis of pseudoscientific non-sense, then at least have the consistency to use a
Ouija board to help you pick the right graphologist."(From the Skeptic's Dictionary-1994-2009) by Robert Carroll http://www.skepdic.com/graphol.html
BrookeLynn
No, gentle readers, you are not going crazy-- Doubtingtom AND Virtualreality both had their very reasonable comments deleted from this thread. They can still be viewed in Google's cached history.
BrookeLynn
To Doubting Tom-
In case these 2 comments disappear on you, but at some later point you'd like to retrieve them, my hubby happens to be a very savy computer systems administrator for the fed govt @ a military base, & he has tons of technological resources at his disposal which he could use to help you out.
Best,
Brooke
When deleted comments can no longer be found in google's cache, there are other legal resources where they can be found/retrieved to be read. The tech agencies are caching every single update to every single site on the web and are archiving everything. I remember my husband telling me this. The point being-- good or bad, nothing written over the internet is lost forever/unrecoverable.
virtualreality
This IS interesting regarding the posts selected for banishment. Mine was certainly nothing personal...I never heard of this author. When you go to an opthomologist, hair dresser, heart surgeon or other expert, isn't it quite normal to inquire about the person's education, training, experience, background, reputation? That's how the world of referrals works, but my post didn't even go that far. Suggesting it might be interesting to have the author submit to graphology (whomever he or she may be/ nothing personal, as I said this author is unknown to me), get's you thrown out of here. What are the fans of the book afraid of? Where is the honest dialogue? Censureship at its worst.
BrookeLynn
Fortunately, for Howard, his I, II, & III entries have such a "flow" to them that one might never know that challenging logical arguments were posted in between his comments. I hope we hear back from the editor regarding the disappearance of the critical posts.
husbandofthesage
Agreed! Statements suggesting the diagnostics used in the book Emily Goldsher wrote about (The Genius of Jewish Celebrities) could be similar to hiring a clown to entertain, or if that offends then let’s try a magician to determine who dunit. Statements suggesting Emily the author of the article about the book shouldn’t shed her tendency for being skeptical…(.she says so herself that she does have that tendency) in that there IS a school of thought out there that believes that books like the one under “discussion” here are full of pscho babble, pseudo-science, and tend to be superficial, shallow and also exploit stereotypes of the subjects (in this case Jews). The work of Barry Beryerstein, Ph.D was brought up (reprinted in Quack Watch) http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/Tests/grapho.html Of the many EXCELLENT critical insights that were deleted, only the "jewish navel gazing" posting missed the cut. Perhaps that one is next.
Agree with Brooke. Instead of an intellectual dialogue which would have been welcome, we now have vanishing posts and a hardly deserved pep rally. The only Shakespeare appropriate here:
Something is rotten in the state of Denmark
The lady doth protest too much!
ShoshanaG
Normal
0
I publish the Genius of Jewish Celebrities, a book that
inspired Emily Goldsher’s excellent article containing a fair balance of
praise and skepticism towards graphology. However, Goldsher never goes as far
as accusing graphologists of being quacks, in contrast to anonymous commentator
Husbandofthesage. I am also an economist who respects the power of the market
and have three set of questions to our critics:
1/ Are all those who demonstrate that they value handwriting
analysis fooled by quacks? When Robert Yaronne and many other graphologists
help select a jury based on handwriting analysis, are the lawyers foolishly
spending their clients’ money? Do employers who routinely ask for handwriting
samples when selecting new employees acting irrationally?
2/ Why is graphology used more systematically in Europe and
Israel than in the US? Are businesses across the Atlantic more prone to wasting
money? Or is it time for Americans to learn more about the power of graphology
as a way of improving work and leisure relationships? As an immigrant who first
got interested in graphology as a teenager living in Western Europe, I believe
our book—as well as other excellent graphology books—is worth a look.
3/ Why are those who criticize graphology on these pages
hiding under a veil of anonymity?
Shoshana Grossbard, High Publishing
Normal
0
RachSam
I have provided 2 samples of handwriting from people that Yaronne never met. I was amazed how he analyzed their personalities and other traits without even meeting them and pointed items that were very specific to either of them.
My husband and I are one of the lucky ones that got to meet and know Dr. Robert very well and enjoyed his book thoroughly. We may be one of few who admit we know Dr. Robert and we want to share that we are very proud of his accomplishments.
We can't wait for the next book to come out!
Rachel and Sam, San Diego, CA 92122
notaguru
If this sort of book is read for entertainment value, that's fine. I'd never consider using such analyses when judging a potential partner, employee (or employer), investee, etc. There's just not enough science (defined as independently reproducible phenomena). You can take a given handwriting sample to N "experts" and get many divergent and mutually exclusive opinions.
But for entertainment, wonderful! And it doesn't harm anyone. I can analyze the author as follows - even WITHOUT his handwriting!
"A brilliant marketer who calculated that Jews will buy such books and relish them as fodder for their gossip exchanges."
Hersch
Always a skeptic!
"We are pattern-seeking, story-telling animals"
Michael Shermer
notaguru
Was this book written as fiction or non-fiction? Only the author knows...
The author is obviously a competent writer (the book shows that) and a superclever marketer (who else has written in this specific nitch?). I doubt that he takes the subject of his book seriously - was it written tongue-in-cheek?
Handwriting analysis is arguably between astrology and homeopathy in the Encyclopedia of Things That Make No Sense. It seems that the author, a respected educator, enjoys pulling his reader's leg. From the reader's standpoint the book is interesting and fun, and the author should be measured accordingly. He provided reader satisfaction, which is the center of any author's target.
Hersch
Always a skeptic!
"We are pattern-seeking, story-telling animals"
Michael Shermer
BrookeLynn
To Shoshana (Mrs. Yaronne?) Grossbard-
Our points can still be judged on their own merits even though we choose not to automatically list our full names & contact info here. I'd be glad to provide you mine privately. I'd also, by the way, be very happy to accept as much money as you're comfortable paying me to predict your future during a phone call.
Yes, I believe that graphology is irrational, but perhaps an amusing parlor entertainment, along the lines of reading the shapes of loose tea leaves in the bottom of a teacup. Like yourself, this subject captured my curiosity as a young teen. I spent about a year studying the handwriting samples of serial killers trying to figure out if there was any correlation between exactly where those "i"s were dotted & "t"s were crossed, & the fact that they would later go on to cut up their families into tiny pieces. Once my dad found out I was corresponding with incarcerated murderers, I was forced to give up that hobby for stamp collecting. But, by age 13.5 I had solidly rejected graphology as any kind of reliable tool for predicting criminal behavior.
To Doubting Tom-
I'm glad to see everyone's latest comments have survived! It's surprising to see that you recognize it as fluff, and you believe it's an invasion of privacy.
virtualreality
So now it makes sense..." the little woman 'standing by her man' like Tammy Wynette." (that didn't win Hillary many friends). It's not even a fair pep rally -- those who might want to refute the accolades have their posts banished. (Sure you can delete postings, but some of us have memories and cache....doubtingtom comes to mind). Is the playbook now calling for let's enlist our friends to vote for the author, like American Bandstand, Queen for a Day, Prom Queen, or the newcomers to the voting scene: American Idol and Dancing with the Stars? Most of us have better things to do than play with a stacked deck and engage in such superficiality, so chalk one up for the Jewish Spin doctors.
BrookeLynn
To Virtualreality - In truth, pep rallies don't ever have to be "fair".
I was just very disappointed to see that several disenting opinions had been expunged. While I'm excited that JDUB has partnered with Jewcy, & I made a donation to the cause last week, the recent editorial events made me feel like I had just chosen to financially support censorship here. :(
virtualreality
BrookeLynn- agreed, pep rallies are not designed to be fair. What was I thinking? That's not how I would think artists, authors, developers would want their intellectual pursuits to be judged. Compliments coming via a contrived or controlled pep rally don't mean much. Sounds like we're back in the USSSSR....
Jewcy Moderator
husbandofthesage
You are trying to save face, but absurd. We aren't from Mars, nor are we that stupid. Personal vendatta, spammer, what an unsophisticated white-wash! One poster -maybe it did have personal overtones (possibly a vendetta?) , and certainly that is not appropriate for this forum/blog, and you were absolutely correct to delete his/her musings, but to throw the baby out with the bathwater? Didn't sound to me that the deleted posters ever heard of this author, know him personally, and it never remotely occured to me and probably others that they were personal attacks.... even the Canadian scientist who has a coherent thesis against graphology-- is he in on it too, with a personal vendatta? Isn't there some saying "I have a bridge to sell ya..." Over and out..rationale for your selecteive censure not accepted.Nice try.
fightagainstcensorship
I see that all of doubtingtom's emails were deleted and he was accused of being a spammer. That couldn't be further from the truth. He is a very well respected professor at a California University. Just because he questioned the motives and content of a book - you call him a spammer? Because he raised questions about the background of the author (whom he knows quite well) which would reflect on the legitimacy of your site - you ban him? This is deplorable. Censorship of the German kind. If you have something to hide then you kill the messenger. Congrats! It worked.
Shame on you Jewcy.com. You have shown your true colors.
notaguru
The author applied the entertaining pseudoscience of graphology to Jewish celebrities, which stimulated what should have been an interesting thread by intelligent and objective bloggers. The topic drew this card-carrying skeptic into this thread, but it has grown into a storm of malevolent comments that have nothing to do with the topic. It's almost as much fun to watch this cat fight as it would be to follow a serious thread by thoughtful contributors.
Since Yaronne is a psychologist, perhaps those here with painful personal problems might ask for his help. Just send him a sample of your handwriting and a lock of your hair (snipped at midnight, of course).
Hersh
Always a skeptic!
"We are pattern-seeking, story-telling animals"
Michael Shermer
fightagainstcensorship
Dear Notaguru
Check you facts - Yaronne is not a psychologist.
notaguru
I assumed that because he was a PhD and a college psychology professor (google is your friend), he was probably a psychologist.
Hersh
Always a skeptic!
"We are pattern-seeking, story-telling animals"
Michael Shermer
fightagainstcensorship
To call oneself a psychologist in California, one has to be licensed.
fightagainstcensorship
To call oneself a psychologist in California, one has to be licensed.
fightagainstcensorship
Interesting how all of a sudden the comments stopped.
fightagainstcensorship
Interesting how all of a sudden the comments stopped.
fightagainstcensorship
Interesting how all of a sudden the comments stopped.
BrookeLynn
(I moved comment from here up to post re DoubtingTom.)