"Should Bias Be a Mental Illness?"

camfarm · Post by **camfarm** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 9:46 am

Saw this in the news (MSNBC article, Sat Dec 10, 2005).

Got me thinking along two lines of thought.

1. Should government and/or society try so hard to dictate how any particular individual feels about any other individual, group, lifestyle, or culture. OR Should we each be free to feel how we wish, be it prejudiced, biased, homophobic, racist, misogynistic(my favorite), etc.

Notwithstanding my feelings about that...I still believe that society, through its governments makes the laws/rules/mores for community actions and (to a lesser degree) behavior.

2. Have the 'head' doctors run out of things to treat and so are inventing new forms of 'illness' to insure a steady stream of customers?

Your thoughts?

JToole · Post by **JToole** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 10:50 am

Very Orwellian, don't you think?

Post by **JCsman** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 11:21 am

[Opening question - doesn't bother me, but - isn't this more of a Playhouse topic?]

Bias would be an interesting topic to try to define. It seems to me to be a moving target and one of quite wide variance in opinion. For example, only a few decades (or at most a couple of hundred years) ago the following were not evidence of "bias", just common knowledge:
- women are not mentally equiped to vote
- Blacks are "happier" as slaves where their needs are met.
- The Irish....
- The Poles ......
- The Catholics....
- The Jews....
- The French... (well, that one still seems OK)

Now we are all appaled at the "insanity" of those thoughts. But, I do observe many of the efforts to combat bias in speech tends to head quickly to a far side of the political spectrum/PC overkill. (As close to political speech as I feel comfortable outside the Playroom).

camfarm · Post by **camfarm** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 11:48 am

JC,

Yeah, I wondered about the Playhouse but choose to think of this as a medical and societal question more than the political one. How split is that hair?

If the mods need to move it I am cool with that.

M

Some thinkers from the past 200 years (philosphers, writers, etc) tended to argue that many so-called mental illnesses of their day were nothing more than edges of mainstream behavior - standard deviations as it were. Now we tend to accept the definitions we grew up with since, say, the 50's. So the Orwellian tendancy might be to go too far.

More thoughts....

JToole · Post by **JToole** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 4:09 pm

You've got to remember that psyco-BS is not a science at all. Yes there is some basis in statistical anomalies and some serious research in chemical imballances and a few other tangeable areas, but most of it can simply described as a S.W.A.G.

Oooh, wait a minute! I think I'm getting a gestault, here!

Post by **JCsman** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 5:48 pm

JToole wrote: Oooh, wait a minute! I think I'm getting a gestault, here!

You mean like:

On your mark;
gestault;
go!!!!

???

JToole · Post by **JToole** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 6:18 pm

Uh-oh! Was that "Positive Reinforcement"?

Actually, the Behavioralist side of the house does have some validity. Not that it's hard to figure out, mind you. You are going to see to your interests by doing what has worked for you and not doing what hasn't (DUH!).

RiftonRoadster · Post by **RiftonRoadster** » Mon Dec 12, 2005 10:13 am

JToole wrote:You've got to remember that psyco-BS is not a science at all. Yes there is some basis in statistical anomalies and some serious research in chemical imballances and a few other tangeable areas, but most of it can simply described as a S.W.A.G.

Oooh, wait a minute! I think I'm getting a gestault, here!

Do I smell Scientology ?

The American Heritage Dictionary defines psychology as: 1. the science dealing with the mind and with mental and emotional processes 2. the science of human and animal behavior.
____________________________________________________________

#1 Maybe not dictate but to educate for real change. Things like compassion

#2 If it gets defined as an illness AND itÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s against the law you could use the twinkie
defense and become a ward of the state

camfarm · Post by **camfarm** » Mon Dec 12, 2005 5:50 pm

Rifton,

But is it government's job to determine the content of education and the value system to teach? Is compassion a value that can be measured, taught, enforced by government?

I really don't want even my local school board tackling that. Let alone the Feds.

JToole · Post by **JToole** » Mon Dec 12, 2005 8:10 pm

Do I smell Scientology ?

Not on me!

No, as an engineer, I chaff at a "science" that is 90% hypothosis, 5% real science, and ulterior motives making up the rest. With all that is unknown, it sickens me to see so many suppositions acted upon as if they were proven fact.

Post by **DSKYZD** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 12:25 am

What an interesting topic.

Where to begin?

I truly love the "on your mark, gestault..." comment. Completely hilarious!

#1 No government should try to dictate feelings, nor should they dictate actions. Only should they dictate that some actions are not allowed, and those should deal mostly with actions that cause harm. Knowing you I can't help but feel I've been drawn into a loaded question

#2 I'm not much on the head doctors myslef. I lump them into a group that includes all my english teachers subjectively grading my written work. They are not completely useless. There are those people who just need a warm body to listen them while they hash out their own problems. The shrinks just charge waaaay too damn much for it. Hookers are probably cheaper and you might get a happy ending once you've solved your dilemmas.

DSKYZD

Post by **MikeCam** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 5:54 am

Brian,

No traps. I was trying to get some interesting content going. Only a few had the desire to take part. Happens.

My view on government involvement is close to yours. As a libertarian, I eschew any government involvement in telling folks what attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs they might have and labeling those good or bad. Government is best suited for defining actions as legal or illegal and moving accordingly. Actions -can be legislated and regulated.

Values flow from attitudes, behaviors and beliefs and cannot be taught by government. They can be learned from family, community, society, culture, religious practice, and related groups. Good government reflects the values of the society upon which it is founded. It does not define those values.

JToole · Post by **JToole** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 4:17 pm

I concider myself conservative, not libertarian, but:

I'll buy that!

Psycology is to today what "snake oil" was to the last century. There is some basis in science and convelescance (sp?) but it is too easy to fool people with the easy rip-off. Too bad, too. There are too many people who can simply solve their own problems if only they were not fooled into believing they need therapy or drugs. Likewise there are too many who need real help but can not get it (full time) because they have a "right" to be thrown out onto the street to fend for themselves.

Sadly, I don't think there is an easy solution to it all...

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"Should Bias Be a Mental Illness?"

"Should Bias Be a Mental Illness?"

Playhouse-Maybe Right

But

No Trap