Greetings Economists, Alexander Cockburn is quoted: When it comes to left and right, meaning the respective voices of sanity and dementia, we're meant to keep two sets of books.
Doyle Dementia means something in medical terms but not really in the political terms. Gary Larson had a neat cartoon about a dog listening to people talk. The dog heard blah blah blah. Demented politics is not blah blah blah empty words. Its...? I have a mild form of chronic depression, dysthymia, which qualifies me as a high functioning mentally ill person. There is no particular filter that makes me left wing because I'm crazy, demented, loony, etc. Nor other chronically depressed people right wingers. What seems to be the case though is if we are antagonistic with our opponents we would reach for ways to label them dysfunctional or affected by mental conditions that make them do the least effective politics. For me the disability rights movement poses a conundrum. What sort of rights do mentally ill sickies like me have in the political process? Disability Rights says I have a right. Good old fashioned socialism usually says I have a right to be politically active even though I'm depressed. Even the right says Lincoln was ok as a leader. Cockburn's comment is just rhetorical flourish that gets the point across the right wing is crazy. We on the left know that is just rhetoric don't we? thanks, Doyle
