‘Tis a noble goal, and one that I applaud Alison for wholeheartedly. Really. Like Waldo, I may not agree with all aspects, but seeking respect and dignity for the mentally ill can never be wrong.

And the skit from Life of Brian (a Monty Python movie).

“I would add, if nobody struggles against the current reality, the current reality is all we got.” — very well put

hint: first name Dell.

Okay, I don’t get the bizarre thing. Is there somewhere I can look it up?

The word “bizarre” is from the Basque “bizar,” meaning “beard.” Strictly speaking, nobody should be called “bizarre” unless they have a beard. But, of course, language changes. :)

I would add, if nobody struggles against the current reality, the current reality is all we got. Everybody happy with that? :)

And Waldo wins.

You are absolutely right–most or the time, people with mental illness are not acting badly nor stupidly. The term lunatic refers to people who act badly or stupidly, a manifestation of perceived mental illness, regardless of whether such mental illness actually exists. It is not, not has it ever been, a term exclusively used to accurately describe someone with a diagnosed mental condition. You want to reclaim technical terms used to describe mental illness or disability, like moron or cretin, fine. I’d agree that insane should not be thrown about casually. But lunatic, wacko, and nutjob? The majority of “psychiatric sufferers” I know or have worked with want nothing to do with those labels.

And again, please refrain from using the term bizarre to describe behavior that does not conform to logic or normative standard. My bearded friends want to reclaim that word.

‘Stevie is a very special young man.’

So now ’special’ means ‘retarded’ and if I were to suggest that someone was very ’special’ with the right tone in my voice it would be just the same thing as calling them ‘retarded.’ You can’t win. Being crazy or retarded or mentally ill in some way that involves acting out in some dramatic way will always be looked down upon.

Anyhoo, Doug Wilder might very well be getting a little bit special as he gets older. This is not rational behavior. Whether these actions result from simple bad judgment or from a bona fide medical condition of specialness, I don’t think it’s out of line for Richmond to start looking into what would be involved in impeaching a mayor.

I’ve been a supporter of Wilder in the past and I thought it was really great when he decided to run for mayor. Frankly, the whole thing has turned out to be an embarrassment and it’s a shame that he’s ruining his legacy like this.

http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/home.html

The “Reader Reaction” link shows that a lot of folk side with Wilder in his conflict with the school system.