Here is proof positive that being a doctor doesn't mean that you have intelligence. At least a certain kind of intelligence. And I think that this kind of thinking is at the heart of the way that we have dealt with mental illness. Last Sunday, in a church in Georgia, Ben Carson let us know that if we disagree with him about religion, we must be schizophrenic. Although he hasn't yet suggested it, it kind of reminds me of how we used to burn witches at the stake. Here is a link to the article describing his belief: http://bit.ly/1jYQJXf Now, lest you think that this kind of comment is not all that important, I would like to remind you that this man is running for President. Of the United States. In 2015. Not during the Salem witch trials. Really.
Now, here is the type of thinking that I'm talking about. It makes mental illness a character defect. A problem that people choose and commit to. Something like a religious belief. And it could lead to danger for people that don't agree with him. I'm Jewish. The fact that I have a belief in G-d has absolutely nothing to do with my depression. And frankly, during most of the time that I have been depressed, I have had that belief in G-d. Now, I don't bat other people over the head with my belief. If you don't have the same belief, that is OK with me. It isn't any of my business. I don't believe that to be an American, you have to believe exactly as I do. I also don't believe that your lack of belief means that you are "schizophrenic". As far as I'm concerned, what Ben Carson said is idiotic. And I also believe that it is dangerous. Can you see a future with a Carson presidency in which people who don't profess to his brand of religion are placed in mental hospitals (or jails) because they don't believe in G-d? I sure do. It isn't like that kind of thinking hasn't infected our society before.
Now, here is another dangerous part of this kind of thinking. This man is a brain surgeon! REALLY! He is supposed to know that a medical diagnosis isn't about a character defect. Or because you don't have his same religious convictions. Schizophrenia as truly experienced is frightening and debilitating. It isn't a political thing. And it isn't proof that a person is bad. Doctors are supposed to know this. Especially doctors who have dealt with the brain. Having a medical condition isn't proof that you are a bad person. Or that your spiritual beliefs make you somehow not American. The two issues have nothing to do with each other. No one is obligated to believe in G-d as Ben Carson does to be American. Nobody. And the fact that he is talking in this fashion makes him extraordinarily dangerous to this country. This isn't just "stupid" talk. It is evil. And can lead to serious consequences for people who aren't religious. Or for those with a mental illness. What do you think?
Now, here is the type of thinking that I'm talking about. It makes mental illness a character defect. A problem that people choose and commit to. Something like a religious belief. And it could lead to danger for people that don't agree with him. I'm Jewish. The fact that I have a belief in G-d has absolutely nothing to do with my depression. And frankly, during most of the time that I have been depressed, I have had that belief in G-d. Now, I don't bat other people over the head with my belief. If you don't have the same belief, that is OK with me. It isn't any of my business. I don't believe that to be an American, you have to believe exactly as I do. I also don't believe that your lack of belief means that you are "schizophrenic". As far as I'm concerned, what Ben Carson said is idiotic. And I also believe that it is dangerous. Can you see a future with a Carson presidency in which people who don't profess to his brand of religion are placed in mental hospitals (or jails) because they don't believe in G-d? I sure do. It isn't like that kind of thinking hasn't infected our society before.
Now, here is another dangerous part of this kind of thinking. This man is a brain surgeon! REALLY! He is supposed to know that a medical diagnosis isn't about a character defect. Or because you don't have his same religious convictions. Schizophrenia as truly experienced is frightening and debilitating. It isn't a political thing. And it isn't proof that a person is bad. Doctors are supposed to know this. Especially doctors who have dealt with the brain. Having a medical condition isn't proof that you are a bad person. Or that your spiritual beliefs make you somehow not American. The two issues have nothing to do with each other. No one is obligated to believe in G-d as Ben Carson does to be American. Nobody. And the fact that he is talking in this fashion makes him extraordinarily dangerous to this country. This isn't just "stupid" talk. It is evil. And can lead to serious consequences for people who aren't religious. Or for those with a mental illness. What do you think?
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