A BUZZARD EGG OMELET #14

THE SANE ASYLUM

Separating the insane from the general public has been done since the twelve century.    Along with debtors prisons Insane Asylums (also known as Lunatic Asylums)  have had the fearful image of a place where a person could become lost from society and dwell in a psychotic hell on earth the remainder of life. 

The most iconic of insane asylums is Bedlam in London - if you entered you were likely to never return.    Perhaps more familiar is the lunatic asylum run by Dr John Seward where Renfield ate spiders and flies while he waited for Dracula. 

Francisco Goya's The Madhouse

Up through the 20^th century asylums separated the insane from the general public; but now, in the 21^st century we find the demographics changing.    Crazy has become the new norm.   The sane – the logical – the critical thinkers are a dwindling minority and it seems beyond practical capability to house the nut cases; so, I propose that we establish Sane Asylums.  

We could take over libraries, museums, and art galleries.   We could restrict cell phones, i-pods, video games, computers, radios and televisions (perhaps allowing PBS radio and TV broadcast and the occasional BBC production.)   It would be a place of sanity.  It would be a place where people would actually talk to each other.   There could be discussions on science and literature; but never on politics or religion.  And in the antithesis of asylums of yore we could lock out the crazies. 

It is just a thought

the Ol’Buzzard