Another great — and hard-hitting — read. The "euphemism creep" you describe is all too real, and not just in the world of addictions.
It's gone so far that whereas we in medicine used to be able to freely call something a disorder — a disease, even — without that being perceived as pejorative, in the brave new world of gender fluidity we've tossed even that aside, in favour of discarding the clearly abnormal in favour of calling it a flavour of normal.
"Toxic empathy is the kindness of heart that makes us want to give every kid a trophy. To let the screaming toddler eat the chocolate bar an hour before supper. To shut down free speech because someone’s feelings might be hurt. To avoid enforcing educational standards because someone might actually fail and feel bad." Exactly!! This caving in to 'protecting' people's feelings have brought us to today's failures. What is wrong with a little reality check? A little tough love? A little less coddling and a lot more instilling responsibility? Bonnie Henry is enabling addicts to remain addicts and it doesn't stop at her. Let me get my conspiracy hat on here for a moment, I think what we see in our country is all by design. If you are an addict or someone who abuses alcohol or drugs, you are more likely not to care about what is going on around you. The real culprits can get away with a lot more than if people were fully conscious. By the way, my brother worked at Rideau Regional back in the late 70's. Thanks for the thought provoking articles! :)
In Sudbury, only 40% of the kids in school meet the provincial standards in math and about 1/3 cannot read and write at the provincial standard. Only 17% of the Grade 9 students in Timmins meet the provincial standard in math.
I just saw a report that shows the 30 schools in Illinois where not a single student can read at grade level. Not one. Yet no one talks about this. Not the politicans, not the school boards, not the teachers and not many parents.
A woman who trains new hires in a local retail store had a high school graduate who couldn't count change. During training, the trainee handed the customer her change: two quarters and a dime for 45 cents.
Instead of worrying about lower standards, we argue about boys playing on the girls sports teams and the dozens of new pronouns.
The families that can afford it are giving their kids private lessons in the evenings and on weekends.
Our society is ill. I fear that we are becoming like the Weimar Republic and the Tsar's Russia; a society that is seriously sick.
Excellent, as usual. This series is very well-timed - I was flabbergasted when I read the updated Code of Ethics for LPNs in January, and under the first principle, "LPNs promote optimal health and well-being", one of the expected indicators is to "support harm reduction through choice and the promotion of safer practices." This is not promoting best practice and client safety, and I'm shocked that our country is pushing so hard to promote "harm reduction".
More great stuff! ...........don't you sleep?....a couple of points. Continuing our mutual admiration for Dalrymple his 'In praise of prejudice,' short and brilliant, says it all on disposing of the non-judgemental nonsense. The language thing is one of my bugbears....as with pronouncobblers it is meant to be kinder and 'inclusive' and....yet it's purveyors are often the worst authoritarian, divisive managerilists enforcing radical woke on the severely normal and they are not the caring staff crying when the patients die. And it deliberately confuses....individuals using plural pronouns, confusing mental handicap with milder, neurological 'learning disability'
The one thing I take issue with is the illness concept. Yes it may not be true....I think it isn't ....but it is a bedrock of AA etc, as is the arguable belief in a higher power, which have done more to help the addicted than any number of clever initiatives by doctors and the increasingly totally deranged like safe supply of smoking fentanyl. I see Bonnie H. is getting huge pushback for this nonsense as the bodies pile up.
Also, Chris, I know you said you won't step into the debate here, but if you ever feel like it, I'd love to hear your thoughts on community options living vs. institutions for the mentally handicapped/mentally ill. That's something I've also been thinking about and would enjoy reading whatever you'd have to say about it.
Very well written. It’s ironic that physicians who are themselves addicts are forced to abstain completely with PHPs, or lose their livelihood. The success rate is predictably very high.
I’ve seen SLS referred to a lot lately in medicine (Shitty life syndrome). Unfortunately, high costs of living and crushing debt are pushing more and more folks to the fringes. I wish I could change your crippling, unfair poverty (or social situation or family or job etc…) but here’s a pill instead. Call me a cynic, but humans just aren’t that resilient, overall, such that if things are, on average, getting shittier and shittier, there will be more addicts and deaths of despair. Shift the overall bell curve of a society towards shittiness, and more of the tail end are gonna fall off. We need real fundamental change, especially economically.
Another great — and hard-hitting — read. The "euphemism creep" you describe is all too real, and not just in the world of addictions.
It's gone so far that whereas we in medicine used to be able to freely call something a disorder — a disease, even — without that being perceived as pejorative, in the brave new world of gender fluidity we've tossed even that aside, in favour of discarding the clearly abnormal in favour of calling it a flavour of normal.
We're behaving like low-grade imbeciles :)
"Toxic empathy is the kindness of heart that makes us want to give every kid a trophy. To let the screaming toddler eat the chocolate bar an hour before supper. To shut down free speech because someone’s feelings might be hurt. To avoid enforcing educational standards because someone might actually fail and feel bad." Exactly!! This caving in to 'protecting' people's feelings have brought us to today's failures. What is wrong with a little reality check? A little tough love? A little less coddling and a lot more instilling responsibility? Bonnie Henry is enabling addicts to remain addicts and it doesn't stop at her. Let me get my conspiracy hat on here for a moment, I think what we see in our country is all by design. If you are an addict or someone who abuses alcohol or drugs, you are more likely not to care about what is going on around you. The real culprits can get away with a lot more than if people were fully conscious. By the way, my brother worked at Rideau Regional back in the late 70's. Thanks for the thought provoking articles! :)
Lower our standards. Sure thing.
In Sudbury, only 40% of the kids in school meet the provincial standards in math and about 1/3 cannot read and write at the provincial standard. Only 17% of the Grade 9 students in Timmins meet the provincial standard in math.
I just saw a report that shows the 30 schools in Illinois where not a single student can read at grade level. Not one. Yet no one talks about this. Not the politicans, not the school boards, not the teachers and not many parents.
A woman who trains new hires in a local retail store had a high school graduate who couldn't count change. During training, the trainee handed the customer her change: two quarters and a dime for 45 cents.
Instead of worrying about lower standards, we argue about boys playing on the girls sports teams and the dozens of new pronouns.
The families that can afford it are giving their kids private lessons in the evenings and on weekends.
Our society is ill. I fear that we are becoming like the Weimar Republic and the Tsar's Russia; a society that is seriously sick.
Excellent, as usual. This series is very well-timed - I was flabbergasted when I read the updated Code of Ethics for LPNs in January, and under the first principle, "LPNs promote optimal health and well-being", one of the expected indicators is to "support harm reduction through choice and the promotion of safer practices." This is not promoting best practice and client safety, and I'm shocked that our country is pushing so hard to promote "harm reduction".
More great stuff! ...........don't you sleep?....a couple of points. Continuing our mutual admiration for Dalrymple his 'In praise of prejudice,' short and brilliant, says it all on disposing of the non-judgemental nonsense. The language thing is one of my bugbears....as with pronouncobblers it is meant to be kinder and 'inclusive' and....yet it's purveyors are often the worst authoritarian, divisive managerilists enforcing radical woke on the severely normal and they are not the caring staff crying when the patients die. And it deliberately confuses....individuals using plural pronouns, confusing mental handicap with milder, neurological 'learning disability'
The one thing I take issue with is the illness concept. Yes it may not be true....I think it isn't ....but it is a bedrock of AA etc, as is the arguable belief in a higher power, which have done more to help the addicted than any number of clever initiatives by doctors and the increasingly totally deranged like safe supply of smoking fentanyl. I see Bonnie H. is getting huge pushback for this nonsense as the bodies pile up.
Also, Chris, I know you said you won't step into the debate here, but if you ever feel like it, I'd love to hear your thoughts on community options living vs. institutions for the mentally handicapped/mentally ill. That's something I've also been thinking about and would enjoy reading whatever you'd have to say about it.
Very well written. It’s ironic that physicians who are themselves addicts are forced to abstain completely with PHPs, or lose their livelihood. The success rate is predictably very high.
I’ve seen SLS referred to a lot lately in medicine (Shitty life syndrome). Unfortunately, high costs of living and crushing debt are pushing more and more folks to the fringes. I wish I could change your crippling, unfair poverty (or social situation or family or job etc…) but here’s a pill instead. Call me a cynic, but humans just aren’t that resilient, overall, such that if things are, on average, getting shittier and shittier, there will be more addicts and deaths of despair. Shift the overall bell curve of a society towards shittiness, and more of the tail end are gonna fall off. We need real fundamental change, especially economically.
Just making the victimhood more prevalent instead of empowering them to take personal responsibility.
Bonnie Henry should not be a doctor or politician - or out of jail.