Consensus? We don't need no stinkin' consensus...

[David Honig]

At 09:22 PM 3/12/01 -0800, Ray Dillinger wrote:
>
>
>On Mon, 12 Mar 2001, David Honig wrote:
>
>>At 05:51 PM 3/12/01 -0800, Eric Cordian wrote:
>>>"Medicalizing" your opponent's argument, instead of responding to it, is a
>>>tactic of police states, religious nuts, controlling relatives, and
>>>idiots.  
>>>
>>>Which one are you?
>>>
>>
>>Do you deny that there are clusters of mental symptoms which seem
>>empirically to have
>>organic causes? 
>
>Sure, such symptoms exist.  Hell, if you define "Normal" narrowly 
>enough, ninety-nine percent plus of the population has 'em.  


Absolutely.  Even things which are from the outside dysfunctional should
not be treated if the person doesn't want it treated.  Masochism is legal.

And yes, mental traits vary will a normal curve much like any other
trait.  (A rather un PC observation, but true)

>Including you.

My idiosyncracies are not the issue here, Bear.


>Wouldn't you rather allow a pretty broad definition of normalcy 
>rather than start on the thorny issues resulting from allowing 
>*ANY* group of people to start making definitions of normalcy 
>which, sooner or later, may not include you?

Yep, *whether or not* I feel endangered.

>In fact, a lot of traits that are maladaptive on an individual 
>level (such as paranoia and being fat) are actually beneficial 
>on a larger scale -- a certain number of paranoids will always 
>survive the 'unexpected' (to others) betrayals, and a certain 
>number of fat people will always survive the next famine.  

Whatever.  In any case, I'm asserting only that certain 
(modern-med & layperson) defined syndromes exist.  And that
their identification and treatment is not political witchcraft,
no matter how abused for political witchhunting it may be.
A biological mechanic (ie, doctor) is obligated to use the history
of human experience (ie, clustering of symptoms) in classifying and
treating disease.   If you know how to do better, pray tell.

......

The existence of gulags does not prove the non-existence of real
malfunctions.

......

If you still think me a psychofascist, then let me recommend anything
by Thomas Szasz MD, PhD Prof of Psychiatry NYU(?) and after reading it 
on my recommendation you may chastise me.