The Last Psychiatrist

Comment on "Fearless Kids Go On To Become Criminals"

2009-11-20T19:15:49Z

I saw that article referenced in the news and fervently hoped you'd tackle it. Good Lord.

Comment on "Fearless Kids Go On To Become Criminals"

2009-11-20T17:05:36Z

No surprises here, it's an A. Raine article.

Comment on "The Twilight Movie Review Your Boyfriend Doesn't Want You To Read"

2009-11-20T15:33:20Z

ssssssssssssso gay

Comment on "Fearless Kids Go On To Become Criminals"

2009-11-20T15:32:01Z

I often hear doorbells followed by car crashes. Glad to see it's not just me =)

Comment on "Fearless Kids Go On To Become Criminals"

2009-11-20T14:52:22Z

Remembering these batman books made me shiver. The rest is just as scary though.

Comment on "Fearless Kids Go On To Become Criminals"

2009-11-20T03:40:39Z

Ah! I saw this article and didn't read it. I naturally assumed it was full of shit. I am glad you actually took the steps to tell me exactly why though, very interesting how data is twisted.

Comment on "Fearless Kids Go On To Become Criminals"

2009-11-20T02:56:19Z

Well, they'll stone you when you're at the breakfast table.
They'll stone you when you are young and able.
They'll stone you when you're trying to make a buck.
They'll stone you and then they'll say, "good luck."
But I would not feel so all alone,
Everybody must get stoned

Comment on "Fearless Kids Go On To Become Criminals"

2009-11-20T00:45:58Z

Would it be pessimistic to imagine things slowly going to hell over the next few decades? This genes-cause-everything paradigm that's popular (among the general population as well) really does seem to create a huge divide between reality and what people are brainwashed into thinking.

I'm almost too scared to imagine what things will be like in 50 years or so... Maybe when they start purging the genome of what they see as "bad genes". Hopefully this isn't too naive, since I'm not a doctor... but in any case, I can't really see common sense gaining in popularity any time soon...

Comment on "Fearless Kids Go On To Become Criminals"

2009-11-20T00:38:22Z

Like saying "people with big feet turn out to be great soccer players" I asume.

The bridge between social disfunction and brain disorders then, should it be burnt?

Comment on "Fearless Kids Go On To Become Criminals"

2009-11-20T00:34:16Z

Hear, hear. And to think it took a psychiatrist to say something!

No, I'm serious. The current direction that psychology is taking cloaks neuro-porn as 'cognitive science'. It's offensive to see such blatant bullshitting. Whatever gets you the grant, I guess...

Comment on "Don Draper Voted "Most Influential Man""

2009-11-19T22:43:27Z

The character of Draper is totally conformist. He continually hides who he is in order to fit in and be accepted by those more powerful than him. He's pretending to be something he isn't to get ahead - from his marriage to his work to his name, he's a fake and conforms entirely.

Comment on "Don Draper Voted "Most Influential Man""

2009-11-19T22:26:14Z

Dave, what is the value in being controversial? To prove that he isn't one of the sheep? Isn't that a classic case of the self-aware non-conformist who is trying too hard?

Comment on "Don Draper Voted "Most Influential Man""

2009-11-19T18:49:41Z

hey if this branding then every business owner needs to do the same. At least he not scared or frightened to stand out from the crowd of sheep who only follow, he is his own man and i for one like that aspect of him. Hes a leader not a follower and he creates controversy which what this whole thing is all about. that is what is good about it.

Comment on "Is Obama Inspiring Black Adults To Step Up? The Nature Of Altruism, Part 1"

2009-11-19T13:10:08Z

I'd have to agree with you there. We have a charity at our church that sends people to a Latin American farm over the summer. Now don't get me wrong, I'm sure that they do great work, but it seems odd that this type of volenteering always seems to involve jet-setting to odd locales in tropical climates. Besides which I think there might be a tinge of racialism in that they always seem to be helping the nonwhite peoples -- as though they can't possibly figure out how to help themselves. That is another side to the narcissism that I sense in so many of these projects. Not only do they get kudos back home, but while they're there, they get to be the superior ones. Not to mention the vacation to parts of the world that most people never see.

(This is my own personal bias, but I never see anything similar done in Eastern Europe or similar, where they might also need condom education or help starting farms. It seems like a kind of volenteer version of colonialism in which the superior white man teaches the stupid native how to be civilized like him.)

Comment on "Is Obama Inspiring Black Adults To Step Up? The Nature Of Altruism, Part 1"

2009-11-18T21:52:01Z

I'm not a scientist and make no claims of extensive knowledge of statistics and the such, but just from my everyday dealings, this article rings pretty true. I live in San Francisco and so there are no shortage of passionate volunteerism here, indeed, I'm friends with many people who put lots of time and energy into causes. But the causes they actually took part in, namely, well building in Ghana and condom education in Botswana, always smacked a little strange to me. Worthy causes, to be sure, but I always found it to be pretty presumptuous -- flying to Ghana, spending three weeks there, teaching them a little basic engineering, and then flying to home to much applause. It's just too heroic for me. Especially when there's so much work that can actually be done here in San Francisco to help local communities. But then you have to commit and make actual long term relationships.

This type of volunteerism is like the fun uncle. You see him twice a year and he give you candy and slips you twenties under the table, but he doesn't have to put in the hard and consistent work of parenting.