"The best way to help the suicidal is to keep them from reaching that point,...What other people think changes with the culture. Today’s scapegoat can be tomorrow’s comeback kid. As one of my favorite bumper sticker says, 'No condition is permanent.'"
-- Helen Smith, thinking she's being deep - and getting a lot of nepotistic publicity (which is just the kind of thing that depresses us) since she's the wife of the Instapundit - when, in truth, she's barely scratching the surface of TMR's male angst, as Dr. Helen.
"What other people think changes with the culture", huh? Well here's a partial list of some "change" we'd like to see so we can stop reaching for the revolver:
Tell "the culture" to stop listening to psychics.
Tell "the culture" to stop selling homeopathy.
Tell "the culture" to stop doing yoga, and get back to good ol' physical workouts without any "spiritual" mumbo jumbo embedded in or near it.
Tell "the culture" to stop tripping on Global Warming and get back to work.
Tell "the culture" to stop having affairs.
Tell "the culture" to stop applauding Britney, Madonna, Paris, Lindsey, celebrity culture, etc.
Tell "the culture" to stop looking for gurus to run our lives.
Tell "the culture" to stop listening to idiots like Oprah, Shirley McClaine, Silvia Browne, Rhonda Byrne, John Grey, and anyone else into Self-Help or NewAge bullshit.
Tell "the culture" to stop tripping on vaccinations as a cause for autism or listening to dummies like Jenny McCarthy.
Tell "the culture" to stop "alternative" medicine altogether.
Tell "the culture" to stop simple-mindedly "believing" and start thinking for a real change.
Tell "the culture" to stop applauding liars.
Tell "the culture" to stop assuming that the only way to be cool is to oppose rationality, mainstream culture, or using projection against Christianity.
Tell "the culture" to stop all cults, large or small, popular or otherwise - we can start with Scientology, and The Landmark Forum, and work sideways.
Tell "the culture" to stop tripping on race as an answer, or hinderance, to anything. Actually, just stop tripping on it.
Tell "the culture" to stop worrying about what the rest of the world thinks of America and, once again, allow those of us in "The New World" to go on doing our new thing in our own new way. It worked pretty well before.
Tell "the culture" to stop with this never-ending '60's bullshit and immediately begin teaching critical thinking in our nation's schools so they'll never fall for stupid shit like that again.
Tell "the culture" to stop acting like empty statements that don't mean anything are worthy of consideration. This goes double for anything that's related to Buddhism or Transcendental Meditation.
Tell "the culture" to stop electing NewAge "messiahs" with no credentials - except reading political manuals dedicated to Satan - as president.
Tell "the culture" to stop by Panda Bear, M.D.'s blog.
In my experiences working in orphanages through south east asia i have noticed christian missionaries carry out all the same types of behaviours complained about here. Would it be fair to describe christianity as a cult? The work they do is great from the perspective of saving lives but a non christian may find their other enrollment and behavioural change attempts offensive. I personally think if you sit and listen to the other sides perspective with an open mind there is only learning to be had. I don't blame anyone who goes out into the world and tries to enroll others into a system of belief that they believe is beneficial both for the individual or for us all, just like i don't blame my christian brothers for the vigour with which they try and bring change to the world. At least they are doing something other than moaning about the people who actually get off thier ass and try and make a difference for thier fellow human beings.
ReplyDelete