Herd Mentality and the Comfort of Consensus
Recap: Why They Block
In Part 1, I exposed how my free, results-driven lessons threaten the dyslexia intervention industry. That’s why I’ve been blocked by prominent figures like:
Jo Anne Gross
Debbie Hepplewhite
Hurst, for example, promotes a multimillion-dollar curriculum called Reading Horizons. It uses gimmicks like “successive blending”—breaking “cat” into “ca” and then “cat”—to complicate what should be simple.
Her podcast claimed:
“Children can only memorize 2,000 high-frequency words visually because those words aren’t really theirs.”
That’s nonsense. When phonemes are taught properly, those words become effortless.
Her real motive? Protect a model that blames kids’ “impaired phonological processors”—a myth debunked in 2017—instead of flawed instruction. This keeps parents locked into endless, expensive sessions.
Motive 2: Herd Mentality and the Safety of Consensus
The blocks aren’t just about money. They’re about protecting echo chambers.
Whenever I challenge the herd mentality—like tweeting that educators blindly retweet slogans such as:
“Don’t memorize sight words” “10 sounds unlock 26,000 words”
—I get blocked.
These aren’t debates. They’re digital exile for anyone who dares to show real student success that contradicts peer-reviewed dogma.
Exhibit A: Tribal Thinking Over Truth
On platforms like Twitter and LinkedIn, groupthink dominates. Dissent is treated like a virus. I’ve been blocked by more than a dozen influencers simply for asking polite, logical questions like:
“If phonological awareness deficit causes dyslexia, why do my students read Malay and Pinyin perfectly?” (Do a Google search - Luqman michel Phonological awareness)
No answer. Just silence. Then block.
It’s not personal. It’s tribal.
As I wrote in Most Twitters Have Herd Mentality and Wear Blinders, educators often surround themselves with “like-minded people,” as Evan Robb tweeted. But when I replied:
“Where do I find people who can think?”
—the blinkers snapped shut.
Exhibit B: Jennifer Buckingham (@buckingham_j)
Australian researcher behind #CodeREaD. She tweeted:
“1 in 10 Australians struggle with dyslexia.” Linked to a video showing words disappearing from a page—a scare tactic.
I replied:
“None of my students have ever experienced that. This is a con job to frighten parents.”
Blocked. Her motive? Keep selling interventions. Don’t ask why Singapore tops PISA while Australia lags. Hint: Singapore screens kids for dyslexia before grade one.
Exhibit C: Gale Morrison (@GaleMorrisonEd)
Parent education advocate. Blocked me months before I even noticed. Why? My free lessons threaten her paid offerings.
I tweeted:
“Why do people block me? I believe I’m a threat to their business.”
A friend said my delivery was “too hot.” But let’s be honest—it’s the message.
Morrison sells resources. I share videos of kids in Lagos mastering letter sounds with no extraneous sounds. Why engage when blocking protects the business?
Exhibit D: Faith Borkowsky (@HighFiveLiteracy)
Blocked me on Twitter and Facebook after I challenged her tweet:
“Are men interested in literacy? It doesn’t look like it.”
I responded with Einstein’s quote:
“The only thing more dangerous than ignorance is arrogance.”
Her block? Classic herd defense. She echoed a baseless anti-male stereotype while ignoring my evidence:
Teaching consonants properly—without adding vowels—prevents nearly all so-called dyslexia shutdowns.
Exhibit E: Emina McLean
Her echo chamber repeats the claim:
“Learning 10 letter sounds lets kids read 26,000 words.”
It gets reposted endlessly, no questions asked.
When I challenged it:
“Can’t educators think anymore?”
—the likes poured in from her supporters. But real scrutiny? Blocked.
The Pattern
This isn’t random. It’s a pattern.
As psychologist Daniel Kahneman warned:
Treating research reports as gospel kills common sense.
Since 2010, I’ve emailed over 30 professors. Most never replied. Blocking and ignoring emails is their way of avoiding accountability.
Motive 3 Teaser: Gatekeeping Glory
Next up: the credential police—PhDs who block not for profit, but to protect their status.
Spoiler alert: My finance background beats their ivory towers when kids start reading fluently in months.
Final Word
Stay tuned. Debate me in the open. Don’t hide behind the block button.
Luqman Michel DyslexiaFriend.com
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