Tuesday, July 10, 2012

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 20th century asylums separated the insane from the general public; but now, in the 21st 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 

4 comments:

  1. off subject ...just read your comment on Monday's post..I'm still laughing..thanks for making my day.

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  2. did you ever see the movie snake pit..I think that was it's name..built in a fear of me forever of going to the looney pad.

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  3. Using your criteria, there would be very few people left free to roam the world. The question I have is, would I be free to roam or in the looney bin??

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  4. I will submit my application to be put away in your sane asylum.

    ReplyDelete

COMMENT: Ben Franklin said, "I imagine a man must have a good deal of vanity who believes, and a good deal of boldness who affirms, that all doctrines he holds are true, and all he rejects are false."