Another day, another debateFollow

Came home all paranoid feeling like something was chasing me. Had to make sure I locked the door twice, had to check the house just to reassure myself nothing was in there.

You know, I watched a PBS documentary about the history of transorbital lobotomy the other day. I learned a lot. I learned that it was created and advocated by essentially one ambitious physician, this guy named Walter Freeman. He had good intentions, he was trying to make the severely mentally ill treatable in an affordable way in a time when there were really no effective drug therapies and people were just sort of locked up in sh*tty warehouses to suffer.

Like some sort of Greek tragedy, his story unfolded. He wanted to be famous, and courted the press, and got his wish. People lauded him as a genius who had cured mental illness. Eventually, when outcomes were examined more thoroughly, the consensus moved to what we now know is the case: shockingly, pushing icepicks through the bone under a person's eyelids and wiggling them back and forth to sever the link to the thalamus isn't a good idea, even for the severely mentally ill. There were many parts of it that were disturbing, of course, but nothing really got to me until near the end, when, late in his life Freeman moved to the west coast and set up a private practice.

It was then, after it was clear that this wasn't a helpful thing for the mentally ill, that Freeman, in service to his ego and unable to accept the fact that the procedure was a failure, started carrying it out on his non-severely mentally ill patients. Including a four year old. Hannah's going to be four in a few months. I could have gone my entire life without thinking the thoughts I thought that night, and been a happier man for it. Do you know what my reaction wasn't, though?

It wasn't "They shouldn't be allowed to show this on television".



Edited, Feb 19th 2009 6:40pm by Smasharoo

There is the issue of social expectations, as well. As Katie said in her post, "this show is usually quite tame". It's one thing for Howard Stern to play something like that, but for a radio show that generally attracts a morning audience (with possible kids in the car) and isn't known for such content, it becomes not a question of whether they have the right to play it, but whether they should exercise that right.

In this case, I'd fall under the "No" category.

That's my feelings as well. I don't listen to shock jocks, I don't watch horror movies and suspense movies because I realize I cannot handle it. I listen to silly little shows that the heaviest stuff they cover is promoting charity programs for children battling diseases. It's usually all silliness and jokes. This was way out there and totally caught me off guard. Had they prefaced it with a warning of it's graphic nature I would have changed the channel before I heard it.

Also they advertise being a family friendly program. THAT was NOT family friendly.

Edited, Feb 19th 2009 6:04pm by Katielynn

Panic attacks and PTSD. I'm sure you've taken an in depth look at them before. Mayhaps you should lurk more and see how this might effect someone who suffers from both.

Very true. I was surprised I was the only one who posted on their message boards and complain. Then again, my reaction to that kind of thing is not normal.

Peanuts are banned from most, if not all Canadian school. This includes peanut butter. Although, I'm not sure the behaviour of schools is necessarily anything to judge by nowadays.

Actually, on the topic of peanuts, food places have to warn their guests about ingredients that trigger allergic reactions. If you'll look on your menu next time you'll see a little disclaimer about peanuts and nut allergies.

I'm advocating smearing our nation's children with peanut butter each morning before the Pledge of Allegiance. I'm sick of hearing about fucking peanut allergies and feel the quicker we remove this from the gene pool, the quicker my kid can bring a peanut butter cup to school without them declaring a roaming gunman-style lockdown.

Edited, Feb 19th 2009 6:31pm by Jophiel

I just had an epiphany a moment ago. God damn peanut allergies are 100% to blame for the fact that I can't find a grocery store that still sells bulk peanuts in a bin and instead need to pay $5.00 for a one pound bag of nuts when I want to feed the squirrels.

Fucking pussy kids.

I have to add that I hate nut allergies as well. At my work, we have a pesto chicken pasta, and in the description it says "topped with pine nuts". Well, most ************* are picky, and probably about 40% of people request it "without nuts." Now, my liability-worried *** refuses to walk away before confirming that they are indeed just picky and not allergic, because pesto itself contains pine nuts. Most people look at my like I'm retarded, and I have to let them know that I just don't want them to die.

Right. It makes more sense to spend the next five minutes crying "Oh, if only I could stop watching this midget-dead goat gang bang! But the damage is already done! I'm helpless to stop watching it!"

Which is essentially what folks were accusing Katie of.

Trying to lure them under the blades of your lawn mower?

I vote for free speech.

Katie I would recommend disconnecting your car radio. And for cripes sake avoid witnessing any roadway accidents!

I posted a link some time back about story I'd heard on the radio. UCLA researchers were able to record the sounds yeast cells were making when stressed. They screamed when dying. I found it disturbing. It haunts me whenever I make bread. Dam NPR.