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Time to bring back asylums?

wsj.com

21–30 of 397 posts

Re: Time to bring back asylums?

#21
post #9
post #8

A person does not belong to society or to the government. Sane or not, a person who chooses to not get mental, physical or preventive treatment (like vaccines) or other social manadates should not be compelled because humans lack the authority to do so. What should happen is they should be expelled from society. Expulsion was very common in historical societies. The famous version of this is leper colonies. The land…

There isn't much difference between expulsion and putting them in an asylum, no?

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Re: Time to bring back asylums?

#22
post #20
post #14

Uh, what the hell?

This is pretty normal for Wall Street Journal. When they suggest anything that looks like socialized health care, it's gonna be the bizzaro version that does more harm than good to the patients, but gets the homeless off the streets they want to make money on. I haven't bothered to read the article, but there's good money to be made if these institutions are privatized.

? Author not editorial board: David Oshinsky directs the Division of Medical Humanities at NYU Langone Health. His books include “Bellevue: Three Centuries of Medicine and Mayhem at America’s Most Storied Hospital” and “Polio: An American Story,” which won the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for history. Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Oshinsky

Re: Time to bring back asylums?

#24
Clearly HN does not seem to like this idea so much. But I do have to ask, what exactly do you propose as a solution to the massive, growing hordes of drug addicted zombies in west coast cities? You can't tell me that this problem doesn't exist, anyone who's been to a west coast city knows it's very real. The past 20 years of the "compassion" approach or whatever is clearly a total disaster. At what point do we just say "these people are a danger to society and they need to be off the damn streets?" Because that strikes me as the most realistic solution. We're not gonna be able to stop the illicit flow of fentanyl into our society.

Re: Time to bring back asylums?

#26
post #22
post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is pretty normal for Wall Street Journal. When they suggest anything that looks like socialized health care, it's gonna be the bizzaro version that does more harm than good to the patients, but gets the homeless off the streets they want to make money on. I haven't bothered to read the article, but there's good money to be made if these institutions are privatized.

? Author not editorial board: David Oshinsky directs the Division of Medical Humanities at NYU Langone Health. His books include “Bellevue: Three Centuries of Medicine and Mayhem at America’s Most Storied Hospital” and “Polio: An American Story,” which won the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for history. Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Oshinsky

Are you saying that the editorial board doesn't choose who, and what, to publish? Because I didn't say "this article was written by the editorial board" which is what you seem to be arguing against. I said that this article is consistent with WSJ's agenda.

Re: Time to bring back asylums?

#27
post #15
post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There isn't much difference between expulsion and putting them in an asylum, no?

There is, more space and freedom to do whatever they want there.

But clearly what they want is to remain within society, otherwise they would have simply run off into the wilderness on their own accord.

Re: Time to bring back asylums?

#28

Clearly HN does not seem to like this idea so much. But I do have to ask, what exactly do you propose as a solution to the massive, growing hordes of drug addicted zombies in west coast cities? You can't tell me that this problem doesn't exist, anyone who's been to a west coast city knows it's very real. The past 20 years of the "compassion" approach or whatever is clearly a total disaster. At what point do we just s…

Jail. Asylums circumvent due process as other commentators have pointed out. Jails should be staffed with a physician who has the discretion to transfer inmates to treatment centers.

Re: Time to bring back asylums?

#29

Clearly HN does not seem to like this idea so much. But I do have to ask, what exactly do you propose as a solution to the massive, growing hordes of drug addicted zombies in west coast cities? You can't tell me that this problem doesn't exist, anyone who's been to a west coast city knows it's very real. The past 20 years of the "compassion" approach or whatever is clearly a total disaster. At what point do we just s…

First, I reject the notion that there are "massive, growing hordes of drug addicted zombies in west coast cities." Having lived in Seattle for over a decade, now living in Olympia, and having visited San Franscisco, Portland, and other west coast cities plenty of times, what you're describing doesn't line up with my experience at all. If you drop the hyperbole perhaps we agree, but then why hyperventilate? It undermines your point.

Second, assuming you're genuinely curious and not simply trying to spread misinformation my answer would be to greatly reduce inequality. In my corner of the world housing has exploded in price. Healthcare is also very expensive. I don't see "hordes of drug addicts" I see Hoovervilles. For some reason we're not moved to help the destitute like we once were. Perhaps it's because we view them as "drug addicted zombies." So much for "love thy neighbor."

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