Some Americans are not able to comprehend, face, or discuss the national reality which includes the specter of a growing mental health epidemic.This is a notion that we at Dredd Blog talk about periodically, which we have tended to call a national dementia.
We think that the evidence is everywhere to be seen for those who want to see it, from the big chunks to the minutia, which we will deal with in this post.
Let's go to the movies to get into the gist of this drama a bit more:
It is 1948 and ... "Miss" ... Daisy ... a 72-year-old Jewish widow, lives in Atlanta, Georgia, alone except for an African American housemaid named Idella ... After a driving mishap where her Chrysler automobile is demolished, Miss Daisy’s son, Boolie ... tells her she will have to get a chauffeur because no insurance company will insure her ... Boolie finds a man named Hoke Colburn ... who had driven for a local judge until he died ... Daisy starts to accept Hoke and the fact that she needs him to drive her around.(Driving Miss Daisy). That is Hollywood, but on main street the greatest cause of automobile accidents is the inability to stay alert enough in order to remain safe.
The state of mental alertness begins with a grasp of the reality of the dangers on the highways, roads, and streets of the nation, since:
Distractions are the leading cause of motor vehicle crashes and the number one distraction is cell phones.(NCS Org, Focus Driven Org, a citizen / government co-operative). The issue here is that widespread endemic mild dementia shows up on American roadways, as indicated by some of these symptoms of dementia:
Having difficulty recalling recent events ("just got on the freeway doing 70 & talking trash with the girl friend on the cell").(Dementia - Symptoms). Not to mention widespread road rage and parking rage which leads to shootings, stabbings, fisticuffs, and other demented acts.
Not recognizing familiar ... places ("my freeway is warm and fuzzy").
Having trouble finding the right words ... ("screw you, this is my lane").
Having difficulty performing calculations ("how long does it take to ...").
Having problems planning and carrying out tasks ("honk, honk, honk").
Having trouble exercising judgment ("what dangers, what problems ... what was that you said Hoke?" ... scccrrrrreeeeeccccchhhhhhhhhh crash boom bang).
Having difficulty controlling moods or behaviors ("stop tailgating *!@#* or I will slam on my brakes!!!").
These are the early warnings some observers think we are missing, and therefore are likewise not aware of the monster problem in the room:
Among people over 85 (the fastest-growing segment of the American population), dementia afflicts one in two. It is estimated that 13.5 million Americans will be stricken with Alzheimer’s by 2050 — up from five million today.(Will Elections Cure The Disease?, emphasis added). Dredd Blog has asserted that this national dementia is induced to a certain degree by exceptionalism, spin, and other forms of propaganda.
The purpose of spin and propaganda is to detach you from reality, to deceive you, then to have you rely on them to tell you where you are, where you have been, and where you are going (which is classic dementia).
And it even shows up in our foreign policy now doesn't it (Is Obama driving Miss MOMCOM around)?
To make matters worse, as cells morph into computers we'll be doing more than just talking on the phone while driving. We're seeing that already with on-board navigation and entertainment systems which are mini-computers already. Eventually all of it should morph into a single integrated system which will be widely hailed as a technical solution to the problem of distraction, being mostly "hands free" by putting the controls on the steering wheel. Of course that will do nothing to minimize the root cause - mental distraction - which, combined with other social factors - kids and/or friends in the car and the attendant conversations, arguments, etc. - will ramp up distraction while driving another several notches for most.
ReplyDeleteAs one who usually drives alone, I can tell you that it's instantly apparent when following someone who's not paying attention to their driving for whatever reason, and that such people represent the majority of drivers on the road today.
Elderly drivers are also a major and growing problem that nobody wants to address. They are easily identifiable by their death grip on the steering wheel, their inappropriately slow speed with a line of drivers behind them, and their unwavering resolute focus on the road immediately in front of them, NEVER checking their mirrors or looking side to side whatsoever except when stopped. As the baby boom generation ages they will be a mounting problem that will have to be addressed.
On the plus side, the coming decade will almost certainly mean higher oil prices as supplies start to dwindle with China and India coming on line and demanding their share, so Americans can look forward to driving less (at least individually) sometime in the near future, and that's a good thing for all.
Doesn't look like foreign policy will improve to make our life a bit easier in the world angry at us, nor does it look like MADD driving will improve, pushed along by the "resurrect the 18th Amendment" crown of religious zealots.
ReplyDeleteDriving Misguided a.k.a. driving miss crazy seems to be spot on right now.
Obama is still driving misguided, he is now snuggling up to business that he says "has been crushed by over regulation".
ReplyDeleteWhat is next, all the roads having Circle W Cowboy signs every mile?
Peter S. Goodman
Yeah Dredd,
ReplyDeleteDick Cheney may even vote for Obama this time, seeing as he has "come full circle".
I'm gonna get me one of those robotic spouses as soon as they are available, and a robotic car for the robot spouse. That should put an end to human failability.
ReplyDeleteOh, if only perfection could be achieved, we could live forever!
:)
Nothing like the Cheney "Good Housekeeping Seal" to indicate that we've elected a sham dem president in NoBama, huh? I saw Cheney on Today this morning, and the old bird is actually looking good, having lost a ton of weight.
ReplyDeleteI actually suspected that NoBama might cross over for good to the GOP sometime in the next two years and help the GOP kill two birds with one stone again by taking the steam out of the Tea Party - who scare the daylights out of the mainstream GOP - and by giving mainstream dems no choice but to support what will essentially be a GOP presidential candidate running under the dem banner in 2012.
Of course I'm no longer "mainstream" by any stretch of the imagination, so I won't be following NoBama on his little journey to the dark side. The link to the post calling out Nobama as a "house negro" a few weeks back is looking more prescient with every passing day. The guy is nothing but a an opportunistic little appeaser, whose main goal is sweet little pats on the head from his corporate GOP masters. There's not a genuine liberal bone in the man's body, and he's not even trying to conceal that fact any longer.
Kathy,
ReplyDeletePerfection is the realm of unobtainium.
Most spouse robots are made of it.
I saw a cool movie "wife of a time traveler" last night, which explains some of the molecules of unobtainium, but not those running Mr. Cheney's heart.
Better watch out Dredd. Ol' Cheney's probably got MOMCOM docs working full time on him replacing all his pieces/parts with all the latest cool cyber stuff. He'll live to be 10,000 years old and haunt your great, great, great...grand Dredds into eternity. He may in fact actually BE Darth Vader after all!
ReplyDeleteThe Time Travelers Wife was indeed pretty good.
Well looky here! His dirty work converting the shavetail, yellow-striped dem party complete, Uncle Joe "Israel First, Last, and Everything in Between" Lieberman has finally seen fit to call it quits, or at least announce it. Good work Joe, in helping Barry "No Special Interest Left Unserved" NoBama finally "see the light."
ReplyDelete2 in House could seek Lieberman's seat
Of course, what could we expect from a blue-blooded Connecticut district like Joe's? An honest Republican maybe? Nah! This is American politics, where black is white, white is black, and the in-between is irrelevant. And every PR release is potentially just another money raising opportunity.
And another reminder..
ReplyDeleteSarah Palin: Center of the GOP universe?
Lotta talk lately about her political demise from both the left and the right. Just me, but I wouldn't be counting on that if I were a betting observer. In fact, I think Sarah's currently positioned right where her handler's want her to be.
The last sentence of this post:
ReplyDelete"And it even shows up in our foreign policy now doesn't it (Is Obama driving Miss MOMCOM around)?
Reminds me that sometimes a nation becomes "an accident waiting to happen".
It is said that Christians are having to flee Iraq.
ReplyDeleteWhat up wid dat?