Place blame for violence where it belongs: political correctness
By Maurice S. Fisher
With of all the recent media coverage and political attention concerning the killing of schoolchildren in Connecticut, the American blame game has begun in full force. There are those who blame guns and those who blame the gun owners. Others wish to blame the media, while still others blame mental health practitioners for not accurately assessing mental illness among the masses.
Some people even blame the gun manufacturers, though those same folks do not blame the automobile industry for alcohol-related fatalities. Apparently, logic is not a requirement to play the blame game.
Therefore, I have decided to blame political correctness for the senseless carnage. Let me opine.
Fisher, of Troutville, is a therapist and has been on the National Association of Social Workers Inc. section committee on Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs for the past six years.
January 27, 2013 - 7:41 AM
I agree with some of these points, personal responsibility has gone out the window for sure. But you’re really reaching to blame “the 60s” or the Kennedys for deinstitutionalization. The blame for that falls squarely on Ronald Reagan’s shoulders. His Omnibus Budget and Reconciliation Act of 1981 kicked mental health patients, programs, professionals, and communities to the curb.
Re: OP
Thank you, Maurice S. Fisher.
Outstanding!
Honest & to the point.
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Re: tass @ 11:09 am
Let’s put the blame game aside.
IMHO, there is enough blame to go around. Lets just include all pols for the “deinstitutionalization” debacle, regardless what letter (R, D, I, L, G, etc) follows the pols names.
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Editorial Board,
I keep seeing claims that since the process was overhauled / improved following the VT tragedy, Virginia’s funding for public mental health services has not only not kept up with inflation but has actually dropped in dollars spent. Is that true?
If so, IMHO, there is, also, enough blame to go around for reducing funding of public mental health services.
Please follow up every legislative session with strong editorials to fund the need. At election time, please put the candidates on record as to their stated opinion and voting record.
What an excellent lesson in sophistry. Not much else though. As if not having a “diagnosis” of Batsh– crazy stops anyone from thinking it? Really? Obviously we ARE a nation of whiners.
#3 Actually I found Fisher’s article to be “wicked smart”.
(Meaning of course that I agree).
“PC has taken any semblance of moral values out of the public schools along with any punitive measures that might effect a positive change in behavior or attitude.”
That’s not been my observation. As the parent of two grade-schoolers, I can tell you that when they’ve done things that are not acceptable (threatening another student, for example), those things are taken very seriously and the school principal and guidance counselor have taken corrective measures. Yes — my children (and they are really good kids) have been punished at school. They weren’t whipped, but they still cried, and we had no problem with that.
But that’s grade school, where things are generally fairly well controlled. Let’s see what middle school brings. I’m a little less hopeful about that.
#4 “Actually I found Fisher’s article to be “wicked smart”.
(Meaning of course that I agree).”
We’ll consider the source.