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Post 60

Friday, August 26, 2005 - 7:23amSanction this postReply
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Point well-taken, Linz. As an American prosecutor I have to deal with this kind of psycho-babble constantly. It is also why Americans are so vulnerable to arguments that it was somehow something WE did that "caused" terrorism--if only WE had taken a "more constructive" approach with evil or irrationality, the argument goes, 9-11 would never have occurred, fer instance...

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Post 61

Friday, August 26, 2005 - 7:43amSanction this postReply
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Sorry Linz, as much as I love you, we disagree big time here.

I see this as a false dichotomy.

Where on earth did Nathaniel Branden say that you are not supposed to kick the ass of evil fucks? I haven't found that in any of his writings.

I believe that the Talmud quote was merely a call to use common sense before being hostile and nothing more. He judged that common sense before hostility has not been exercised very much by proponents of Objectivism. That is my read and I happen to believe that also.

As to alcoholism, drug addiction, gambling addiction and all the other addictions being self-inflicted (your term), as if the addict chose to be that way, that is simply wrong. Most often the person engaged in some kind of behavior, played with fire, and a monster grew within him/her that had nothing to do with choosing to be like that. That monster is a capacity of the human condition, not a self-inflicted wound. It has many roots, including biochemical propensities that have nothing to do with volition.

You proclaim loudly that you are not an alcoholic. OK, maybe you have to proclaim it because of the Drooling Beast article. I believe you. So then, by what standard does that make you an expert on alcoholism all of a sudden so that you can make such light of it? Since you are not an alcoholic, nor, I presume, one studying alcoholism, what are your credentials to do this? Your feelings?

I happen to be an alcoholic and a drug addict (not practicing for years, thank goodness).

You can make light of what inner resources are needed to overcome addictions. I will not. I know what it takes. So, play if you must, even if it indirectly is at my expense. Actually I do not mind because I hold you in extremely high regard and I wish you well. On this issue, I know you simply do not know what you are talking about. My thought here is may you never have to face something like what I did. May my own enemies never have to face something like that.

Does that make me a hero? No, I do not believe so. I did what I had to back then. I consider myself more of a survivor than anything else. Is there virtue in the struggle, though? There most definitely is. Starting with the choice to live. Not automatically wanting to live, like most people have built into their subconscious. Choosing. A serious choice. In your face and you can't ignore it.

Try it sometime, then sit back and watch someone belittle the need to do it.

The possibility of falling into addiction is part of the human condition and ignoring it is not a virtue. It is simply ignoring it.

I used to have a friend in the underworld in São Paulo (I have lacked sense over the years and have had friends in  the most unlikely places) who used to say, "When you see a man in the gutter, go step on him and step hard." He used to illustrate, pretending to stomp, and his face showed extreme hatred when he did.

Is that what you are saying also? Is kicking someone who is down your idea of KASS? Well it sure is easy.

But I don't think you think that anymore than I do. My own fight is against strong enemies, not the weak and debilitated - and you well know that I do kick ass when called on.

Saying that it has to be one or the other is wrong. False dichotomy. The "all or nothing" type error in thinking Joe Rowland mentioned in his most recent Free Radical article on false dichotomies (which kicked ass, by the way). I see much virtue in kicking ass. And I see much virtue in extending a hand to help another get on his feet when he is down, if he shows that he wants to get up. Where does it say in Objectivist ethics that this is evil? I have not read anything.

My former father-in-law used to have a quote on his office wall from the Arabian culture that I love. Since I am going from Portuguese to English in my mind, there might be an English version with other words than the ones I give here. It goes something like this:

I dearly wish for long life and health for my enemies so that they can behold my victory on their feet.

Well so do I. I do not want to be a fly swatter. I want strong enemies. That is part of what KASS is about to me. Not belittling the efforts of others to understand and find cures for mental illness and addiction.

You can believe it or not, but often there is a strong enemy within a person's own mind. It's nature is varied and is not always volitional. But often it can be overcome with volition. That is just another type of battle that has to be fought with reason. It will not be won by a person belittling himself. It needs rational understanding, just like anything else in human life.

If you forgive my saying so, you have not understood the context of the Branden Talmud quote, using it as as a rule of thumb, and made the jump to redefinition of hero also. He did not do that. He did not redefine hero. He asked for common sense, and I suspect he based it in part on valuing rational human life.

Michael


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Post 62

Friday, August 26, 2005 - 8:00amSanction this postReply
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N.B. wasn't redefining ''hero'' - he was just saying what is the best initial stance and approach in certain adversarial situations. He had to take the saying as written, of course.

(Edited by I. N. Rand on 8/26, 8:09am)


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Post 63

Friday, August 26, 2005 - 8:06amSanction this postReply
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Strange that I should be agreeing with Linz in his last post. He put his finger on the Oprah/Dr. Phil phenomenon precisely. If I happen to tune into such shows I have to ask myself, "Why are these people doing this — baring their souls in front of millions of people?" These are private matters and Objectivists, as individualists, should recognize it. They should deal with their problems with their therapists in the privacy of their offices.

I acknowledge that Barbara Branden made an error in sanctioning Kilbourne's 'Drooling Beast' but I think SOLO has lost a great asset. One failing in a lifetime of accomplishment and contribution to Objectivism? How picayune can one get?

Sam


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Post 64

Friday, August 26, 2005 - 8:49amSanction this postReply
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Thanks for the thumb's up, Linz.
Heroism is tapping into the best within & kicking ass with it.
I wish my bloviations on the subject had been as succinct. ;-)
As a non-American, it's taken me a little while to realise how corrupt & pervasive this "culture of therapy" is, even though I've been sounding alarm bells about it for some time.
In the article I am preparing for SOLO I will shed some light on why this noxious strand of the American mindset will not be going away anytime soon.

Andy

(Edited by Andy Postema on 8/26, 9:06am)


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Post 65

Friday, August 26, 2005 - 9:05amSanction this postReply
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Michael,
You are right. I am sorry it appeared that way.
No harm, no foul.  Better that you step on a few toes expressing your passion than to dull yourself with milque-toast civility out of fear of causing anyone offense.  Apologies can always follow if mistakes were made.

Miss Rand's virtue of benevolence is recognizing that not every seemingly unwelcome act is in fact an indication of hostility.  This what Branden's Talmudic quotation boils down to.  There's no heroism here.  Just plain ol' rationality.

As for my continued objection to Branden's misuse of the word "hero", it rests upon the simple proposition that words become useless or worse (think, 1984) when we allow ourselves to stretch them any which way to get the meaning we want out of them.  That's a recipe for subjectivism, like the bane of post-modernism that has ruined the humanities in America.  This is especially pertinent to important words like "hero".

Andy


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Post 66

Friday, August 26, 2005 - 9:34amSanction this postReply
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"Heroism is tapping into the best within & kicking ass with it."

So how does one tap in?  You won't find out from Oprah Winfrey's guests and other purveyors of the culture of therapy.  I am just as sickened by the phenomena as the rest of you.  In my opinion, Dr. Branden illuminates how to go about it better than anyone else I am aware of.  It has nothing to do with "I like me".  In fact it's the hardest thing in the world for a human being to do.  Passing moral judgement on others is easy.  ANYONE can do it.  Taking a lazer beam and directing it into the darkest closets of your being in order to eradicate the demons IS heroic, because for a lot of people, if they don't do it, they won't have much to kick ass with.   We just disagree.  -Steve


Post 67

Friday, August 26, 2005 - 9:49amSanction this postReply
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Steven,
In my opinion, Dr. Branden illuminates how to go about it better than anyone else I am aware of.
I won't argue he doesn't.  But that's like being the best darn astrologist or alchemist or Bigfoot hunter there is.  Not much of a recommendation.

Andy


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Post 68

Friday, August 26, 2005 - 10:44amSanction this postReply
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Andy,
Are you really that obtuse, or are you sacrificing understanding in favor of clever gibes?


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Post 69

Friday, August 26, 2005 - 11:01amSanction this postReply
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Andy,

Reality check.

We are talking about a man who is really good at helping people overcome mental illness. Just like medical doctors help them overcome physical maladies. That is not akin to an "astrologist or alchemist or Bigfoot hunter."

Nathaniel Branden's work in self-esteem is brilliant. I can think of many people I know who need more and better self-esteem. They sure won't get it from the planets or popping a pill or hunting Bigfoot.

They won't get it from being called derogatory names at the drop of a hat, either. (Which, to tip my hat, is not to say that some names should not be called out immediately - that is another context and issue.) And, from the looks of things, they won't get it from reading Ayn Rand's works when problems are deep-rooted. Look at how fucked-up Randroids are, with arrogance and belligerence covering over faith in reason according to dogma, insecurity and neurosis.

Michael

Post 70

Friday, August 26, 2005 - 11:12amSanction this postReply
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Glenn,

Perhaps I'm obtuse, but I don't understand why you think I'm obtuse.  Is it because I'm not high on psychology and the therapeutic culture it has spawned, or because I won't go along with everyone and say it's OK that Branden misused the word "hero"?  If it's either one of those, then maybe the right word isn't "obtuse" but "obstinate".

Glenn, I am beginning to understand that I might have stepped into a minefield here criticizing Branden.  It hadn't occurred to me that doing so might draw me into some infighting between Objectivist factions.  I don't have a dog in any of these fights.  I admit I don't have a lot use for Branden regarding Objectivism.  But that's a function of the fact that I have the works of Miss Rand to consult on the subject.  I can go right to the horse's mouth, and then think out the rest for myself.  I don't need Branden's help to do that.  The fact that Branden has chosen a disreputable profession for himself is incidental.

If you find Branden and his work useful, great.  I wouldn't belittle or think poorly of anyone in that regard, especially because anyone in the great big world of ours who actually knows enough about Branden to know his work, probably agrees with me on 90% of what is important.

Andy


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Post 71

Friday, August 26, 2005 - 11:24amSanction this postReply
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Linz outs Oprah and all those other creepy Me Generation entitlement freaks:

That's what this Oprah Winfrey culture is all about. Anyone who makes a public confession of any kind of flaw, especially if it's self-cultivated, is a hero
 
It's pandering, and it makes ratings. It also has helped build a monstrous beast. The personal improvement market was always uneven, but now it's bloated and disgusting. There's all kinds of mutations out there. One of my teenage stepdaughter's friends spent the night at my house the other night, and I saw a book on the table called something like "He's just not that into you". The thing that really made this one stand out was that, aside from of course just sucking , it was based on a goddamn episode of Sex in the City! Eeeew!!

The thing with Nathaniel's work, aside from being groundbreaking, is that it has virtually nothing in common with any of this, starting with the rest of the self-esteem community. Branden's exercises involve, heaven forbid, work, for one thing. They require taking responsibility- there is no room for putting up a victim mentality. Branden's work is pointed at developing awareness. Working, and being aware are not particularly popular concepts out there. Acting on those concepts is even less popular.
                                                                                        *******************************
When I hear about a "hero," I want to see some fucking skin. Heroes in myth, story, or real ones are big in what they do. Not everyone is a hero. Not even that many people are heroic. There are people that do fairly brave things. Coming out from the underground and telling everyone that you have a substance abuse problem is brave- it is emotionally brave. But you're not a hero, other than maybe to yourself. You're not even a hero to your friends and family, although they might feel that way about you in that situation. What you are doing is what is right, and you are taking responsibility for making it so. That is required- it is not heroism.

                                                                                      **********************************
As far as the part of the discussion pertaining to judging other people, it seems to me that a lot of what he talks about involves not doing things in a way that attacks the (real, not pseudo) existing self-esteem of others, when taking exception to something they have said or done. And, isn't it usually much more difficult to win over an opponent than it is to simply pronounce judgment on them? Doesn't that often bring a greater value? I don't know if it is heroic, but it is often difficult to accomplish, and difficult from the standpoint of self-discipline.

(Edited by Rich Engle on 8/26, 11:50am)


Post 72

Friday, August 26, 2005 - 11:47amSanction this postReply
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Andy said:
Perhaps I'm obtuse, but I don't understand why you think I'm obtuse.
I didn't say that I thought you were obtuse.  I gave you a choice between being obtuse and intentionally going for the insult at the expense of understanding.  In post #66, Steven said:
"Heroism is tapping into the best within & kicking ass with it."

So how does one tap in?  You won't find out from Oprah Winfrey's guests and other purveyors of the culture of therapy.  I am just as sickened by the phenomena as the rest of you.  In my opinion, Dr. Branden illuminates how to go about it better than anyone else I am aware of.
Then, in post #67 you said:
Steven,

In my opinion, Dr. Branden illuminates how to go about it better than anyone else I am aware of.
I won't argue he doesn't.  But that's like being the best darn astrologist or alchemist or Bigfoot hunter there is.  Not much of a recommendation.

In Steven's last sentence, the one you quoted, "it" refers to "tapping into the best within", which, he says, Dr. Branden illuminates better than anyone else.  He's using Lindsay's description of heroism and saying that Branden shows best how to be a hero.  And this is what you compare to being an "astrologist [sic] or alchemist", and you don't think it's "much of a recommendation".

Glenn


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Post 73

Friday, August 26, 2005 - 11:49amSanction this postReply
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Michael,
We are talking about a man who is really good at helping people overcome mental illness.
Yes, and placebos cure people of physical ailments.  I still want real medicine not sugar pills when I'm sick.  If I have a mental illness, I want a doctor not psychologist.
Nathaniel Branden's work in self-esteem is brilliant.
Sure, or we could take Miss Rand's advice:  Get a job, take care of yourself, and do it honestly.  That'll do wonders for your self-esteem too.  Plus there's bonus of all that time saved that would've been spent on navel-gazing.

To get to the bottom of this, Michael, I don't understand how anyone can help anyone else acquire self-esteem.  It's a contradiction.  On top of that the phrase "self-esteem" is icky and gooey and therapeutic.  If we must have word for this, a better one is self-respect.  You respect yourself when you get off your ass and accomplish something worthwhile.  It comes from action not sentiment, especially not that of others.

Andy


Post 74

Friday, August 26, 2005 - 11:53amSanction this postReply
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You're probably right, Glenn, on what Steven meant.  I thought he meant psychology by "it", but maybe not.  Thanks for taking the time to point that out.

Andy


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Post 75

Friday, August 26, 2005 - 12:05pmSanction this postReply
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Andy writes off the entire field of psychology. Remarkably, he does so without, er, bringing in any of that troublesome 'ol "evidence." :

The fact that Branden has chosen a disreputable profession for himself is incidental.
 
Where, oh where is all that coming from? Since when is psychotherapy disreputable?

rde
Fire all them headshrinkers and let the monkeys run wild, I say...




Post 76

Friday, August 26, 2005 - 12:11pmSanction this postReply
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MSK: Nathaniel Branden doesn't help people overcome "mental illness." He is a psychologist, not a psychiatrist. I would say he helps people overcome mental conditions that interfere with personal growth and happiness. I am sure that some of them might have been described as mentally ill, but I suspect he tried to refer most of them elsewhere.

As for mental illness. NB has stated that he thinks there is mental illness, that it is more than a metaphor. But even in regard to paranoid schz., they are still looking for the causative, physical agent.

--Brant


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Post 77

Friday, August 26, 2005 - 12:15pmSanction this postReply
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Andy,

You sound like you're still real young and haven't come across some of the extremely painful losses that happen in life or a Scientologist.

I want to laugh, but I will give it a rest.

I hadn't realized that I was talking to one who does not believe that mental illness and neurosis exist.
So I will give you the same criticism as I give to anyone who denies that reality exists. Go look at it.

Go to any reputable insane asylum and try to break through to those people by telling them to get a job. I know that's drastic, but you have to become aware that something exists before you can discuss degrees of it. Really. Go look for yourself.

Mental illness does exist and it does exist in varying degrees. And, like all illness, it can happen to anybody.

Also, our control of all our subconsciousness processes is not as complete as we would like. That is why Branden's death bed technique, just to cite one example of his brilliant work, has impressed one skeptic after another - after they have been subject to it. The sentence completion technique also.

One thing I will state, though. I am perfectly happy for you that you do not know the hell of having this kind of problem (which apparently you do not). I sincerely hope you never do. But should it happen, I would be curious to see your reaction to one who pops up and says that what you are going through simply does not exist.

Personally, I laugh. Which is what I am doing now. I know better. I have seen too much.

Michael


Edit to Brant - Our posts crossed. Sure Branden tries to strengthen self-esteem and does not focus on the pathological extreme. Sort of like preventive medicine instead of surgery. But the issue is still health versus illness. Also, in his work as a therapist, he is acting as a psychiatrist.


(Edited by Michael Stuart Kelly on 8/26, 12:18pm)

(Edited by Michael Stuart Kelly on 8/26, 12:23pm)


Post 78

Friday, August 26, 2005 - 12:57pmSanction this postReply
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Though I'll be the first to admit that mental illnesses exist, we're talking about psychology here.  Keeping this in mind, I don't think the burden of disproof lies on the shoulders of Andy.  What has psychology been able to definitively establish?  That dogs salivate when they think they're going to be fed?  What a revelation.  Remeber we're not talking about neuroscience here, but a profession that claims the efficacy of numerous disparate cures for all that ails our hurt and afrightened minds.
(Edited by Jody Allen Gomez on 8/26, 12:58pm)


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Post 79

Friday, August 26, 2005 - 1:27pmSanction this postReply
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Michael,
You sound like you're still real young and haven't come across some of the extremely painful losses that happen in life or a Scientologist.
I'm thirty-five years old, married, and have three daughters.  I have a good life, not because it's painless, but because I solve my problems and put them behind me instead of wearing them like badges of honor.  I also avoid problems when I can.  For instance, I don't make an ass of myself by long-distance psychologizing of people, a la "The Drooling Beast" or this bit of tripe you wrote.

Now I've made it clear I bear you no ill will.  I offered comity despite disagreement.  In exchange you offer insult because I won't share your enthusiasm for Branden and his trade.  I'm not sure what gain you thought this would get you.  So much for the trader principle.

I do ask one favor of you, Michael.  Please read what I write a little more carefully before responding to me.  Clearly I did not write that mental illness does not exist.  By stating I would want a doctor rather than a psychologist to treat it, I was saying the opposite.  Implicit in my remark is that I take mental illness too seriously to let the equivalent of a witch doctor to treat it.  I must think if had been more careful about what I wrote, you might not have flown off the handle.

If want to chalk all of this up to stepping on my toes again out of an excess of passion, I would be happy to take some of the blame for forgetting to put on my steel-toed boots before getting into this discussion.

Andy


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