If you tell me that psychosis, neurosis or any flavor of insanity is a mere social construct, I’m going to ask who diagnosed you crazy and why you have a problem with shrinks. We want to be outsiders, but not too far outside. You don’t want to be too much of a conformist, but if you’re too much of a weirdo, you’re not going to get the boy/girl/gold/glory and might as well eat corn chips until you’re the size of a fridge. Insanity might be a social construct, but what are you suggesting—that you’re outside society? That you eat dinner in the morning and make conversation with ghosts? I’ve got news for you—that’s basically insanity. I mean sure, personally, I’d just call you eccentric; but I’m not a judge on American Idol and I’m not your therapist either. And these freaks are on the lookout for any abnormal behavior (BF Skinner won), so if you can’t wear your best ‘I’m normal’ hat, you’d best expect trouble.
I can’t even remember if I’ve done this topic before, but I selected it because it seems like the in-thing lately is to get 5150’ed and involuntarily spend your money on a nuthouse. I have a friend who mentioned that she once wanted to kill herself to her shrink—so the therapist of course locked her up right then and there. So this is the opposite vector—if you go around talking about how uncomfortable this rotten world makes you feel, get ready for more rottenness. In her case, she couldn’t even talk about how rotten she USED to feel. Even those who are paid to professionally deal with insanity don’t want to hear it. So don’t tell me it’s ‘only’ a social construct. Maybe insanity is an analytic concept, but what are you going to do? Fight a mental health institution? That’s sounding pretty nutty to me.
Combat Expiration: 12am PST 7/25/2011
Critique Expiration: 12am PST, 7/27/2011
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Grace
ReplyDeletequiet
until she remembered you
then her eyes
looking off to the side
her voice would slip
out sideways
sliding to her tv
where glow-in-the-dark
plastic hands prayed to jesus
all night long
her wire wrapped stories
would spill pink-tongued
from her mouth
full of indentured servitude
her arms fluttering too fast
for her worn cotton house dress
imprinted with
an almost memory
of ripe cherries
and mildewed newspapers
while she worried worried
that she smelled
to high heaven
washing her hands again again
hot water running over
such secret stories
told between the petals
of her painted flowers
when i was five
she collected prints
children and
dogs and kitty cats
all with empty eyes
brimming with tears
and she wept
when my daddy said grace
at thanksgiving
her coat hanger shoulders
shaking shaking
shaking
rhinestones flashing
in the frames of her glasses
oh
the lime jello day
she died
nothing more
nothing less
why didn't i tell you
one day
i too
will feed
invisible cats
and fill notebooks
with the names
of people
i love
Partisan Musth
ReplyDeleteThey trumpet and rage and gnash their teeth, and wildly thrash their trunks,
these once peaceable behemoths, now busy hurling their bulks
about like wrecking balls crashing through the tent poles,
threatening to pull the big top down with their tusks.
In the past, mad pachyderms were shot at once,
decreed too dangerous to perform their tasks.
But now we cower before these fake Ganeshas who tower over us.
We are afraid of being crushed; we, their mousy steeds, their Mooshikas,
who have carried them this far, only to be crushed
in a fit of pique incomprehensible
to creatures more emotionally stable, more sensible.
We should consider doing what they do India,
where elephants are still considered useful,
and tie them up and let them starve for several days until the fever passes.
Despite the hooves, I’ll risk the kicks and get behind the asses.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteMens perditus
ReplyDelete"My dear Glaucon, good day."
"Ah, Socrates, good day. What is is my good fortune that errand has brought you to cross my path?"
" Errand and the path to which it brought me here and now are in fact one and the same."
"Yes? well I am here. Have a seat"
" I have been wondering what causes a man to lose his mind. More than that, how is it one has lost his mind for good? The word, Glaucon, for the broad subject has of loosing ones mind has just came to me. Insanity."
"hmmm, It is a good word for such a term."
"Yes and yet it is as a hole that has opened up under the sea. That kind that forms the whirlpools sometimes glimpsed and described by foreign merchants and sailors. Yes? Shall we fill the hole as does the whirlpool?
" Oh I think we shall with one amendment. That we do it quickly as I have a meeting with senator Tyrion at suns 3rd quater.
"Very well Glaucon. As a man has lost his mind or one who is "Insane" as the opposite of sane. Let us say a smithy has lost his children to a bloody murder and at his loss has decided to take such actions of revenge which he normally would not consider himself nor other just citizens. Would this man fit the definition?
"yes I should think so."
"Would the man seeking revenge also not care very little for his health in such a manner as one in his situation. This being a principal abnormality in what one considers as sane?"
"yes."
" Ah but would not any citizen or normal person act in such a fashion?"
yes I should think so"
" so this man, the one who has had his family bloodily murdered before his eyes is not in fact insane but following what any normal person would do in that situation. Yes?"
" well ah.. yes I suppose... you know I do have to be going shortly and I don' think.."
" ah but we have just started my dear Glaucon. What of the man who sits naked in the streets and shouts outlandishly at the citizens and who is intelligent but lives in squalor unable to communicate his thoughts or ideas. Like a man from a different culture who does not speak this language.....(as Socrates continues on with his allegory Glaucon slowly slips a a blade from his robe)
" Do you think yes? Glaucon!?"...."Glaucon what is that blade in your hand? Glaucon?
" I am sick of answering in the affirmative. I will stabeth thee in the right eye"
" Glaucon are you attempting a role play of insanity? oh very good indeed"
(Glaucon swicthes the grip of the knife in his hand and thrusts the blade solidly into the right eye of his former freind Socrates.)
"Indeed, Socrates"
Hiki +2 reminiscent of a style I used to see a lot on cl from a particular writer and I think it fits well with the theme
ReplyDeleteSeann or R toady?
+1 for a moment of madness at the circus and the sane perspective that was able to analyze it
J chon obviously this is close to the heart and as such reflects in your piece. Not that I read rolling stone magazine or the like but I very well could imagine something like this in it +2 poetry prose mix thought it worked pretty well but -1 for using a collective soul song.....(kidding)
For me I found myself way too funny +2 and originality in using socrates and glaucon +.5 round to +1. However it was impatiently written -1