I've had a lot of arguments about ADHD and other personality/developmental disorders over the years.
Although I believe that many of these disorders have some scientific basis, I find that they way our society has dealt with them is very alarming. We [they] have created a whole new class of disability, one that is grounded in a ridiculous culture of victimhood and entitlement.
I'm afraid that, spurred on by the "evolving" legislature and judiciary, this will inexorably lead to the mass diagnosis of all personality traits that greater society deems "negative" or "antisocial".
This has already manifested in workplace disability and discrimination suits in places like California for ADHD, alcoholism, compulsive eating disorders, etc.
I see many of these "negative" traits as simply being inherent diversity in human personalities, and I find it creepy (and unethical) that society finds it acceptable to medicate a preteen with amphetamines for "acting out" or "not being able to pay attention in class".
I foresee a day when children are chemically "corrected" for things like being too aggressive, too meek, or too individualistic.
This is a rather unfocused thread, but what do you bright fellows think about any of these related issues?
Also, if ADHD doesn't do it for ya: alcoholism.
Frontline did a couple of decent episodes on this...
You can watch the full programs at their sites:
Medicating Kids
The Medicated Child
[view:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yjo8OkpUIg]
[view:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILPDEYJl9xA&feature=relmfu]
[view:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87nGRHWUr3A&feature=relmfu]
[view:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8U4ARVaLvg&feature=relmfu]
'' The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge.'' Stephen Hawking
There's a button that shows a broken link when you go to post. Click that on the URLs to the videos you want to post. Otherwise, it formats them as links.
According to Terence McKenna booze and stimulants means higher work output so the elites are ok with it. If you regularly trip on shrooms you might not be so interested in producing more so much and having some weirdos in Washington D.C. running your life might seem to be the height of absurdity. I assume, anyway.
Much of the U.S. is already being medicated with fluoride. Whether it has mind altering affects, I do not know.
The view of body as a cage (and obstacle to overcome in the search of perfection) is perhaps unique to the Judeo-Christian ethic (at least as taugh to the masses)- much to it's success and higher indcidence of heart attacks. It is an easy transition from an outlook which aims to overcome 'sin' into overcoming all protests of the body against excess. Imagine, not long ago Ford Motor Co. paid the best wages in the world and they couldn't keep workers from leaving the job. Why flog yourself when you can pop some pills and go home and stare at a television?
The work of Thomas Szasz may also interest you.
@Willy Truth
I've had a lot of arguments about ADHD and other personality/developmental disorders over the years. Although I believe that many of these disorders have some scientific basis, I find that they way our society has dealt with them is very alarming. We [they] have created a whole new class of disability, one that is grounded in a ridiculous culture of victimhood and entitlement. I'm afraid that, spurred on by the "evolving" legislature and judiciary, this will inexorably lead to the mass diagnosis of all personality traits that greater society deems "negative" or "antisocial". This has already manifested in workplace disability and discrimination suits in places like California for ADHD, alcoholism, compulsive eating disorders, etc. I see many of these "negative" traits as simply being inherent diversity in human personalities, and I find it creepy (and unethical) that society finds it acceptable to medicate a preteen with amphetamines for "acting out" or "not being able to pay attention in class". I foresee a day when children are chemically "corrected" for things like being too aggressive, too meek, or too individualistic.
I think you're spot on. The medicalization of (what the establishment deems to be) abnormal behavior is well underway. We'll cross the Rubicon into Soviet territory when they start medicalizing dissenting political views as such. Actually, I guess we're already there. The "political correctness" phenomenon is based (at least implicitly) on the idea that no sane/rational person could hold certain views (i.e. whatever views have been deemed politically incorrect), with the implication being that one who expresses such views is not merely wrong, but mentally disturbed. For the most part, political correctness is only enforced through social pressure, but in some cases the State actually has enforced it. For example, the recent forced hospitalization of Brandon Raub on the basis of his political speech.
It is rather absurd isn't it, I was in I believe first grade when they started giving it to me and I continued to take it all the way into high school but stopped and started taking a B complex vitamin along with flax seed oil, that combo works well for me since caffeine and things of that nature help me settle down and focus the B complex vitamin helps my body better use that energy and the flax seed oil helps promote healthy myelin sheaths around the axons of the neurons in the brain, I'm not really able to give an excellent description on how it works I just know that it does. More over it works better than the pills did because it doesn't make me not want to eat. However I suppose I really should have spoke to my doctor before I stopped taking it, quitting that just cold turkey is pretty unpleasant at times, its not like you have cravings for the drug, but at times my heart rate would feel unnatural ... I cant quite explain it, I just know that one moment I would feel fine and then the next I would feel ….well I just wouldn't feel right. The only thing I need to pay attention too is I need to drink a healthy regular amount of water because too much B complex can make ya sick. So I can't take a B complex in the morning and then take a 5 hour energy at work because the drink has a lot of B vitamins in it too.