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While I share your loathing of racial slurs in general, what do you think of someone with Tourette's Syndrome? They also are unable to control their ticks and o

While I share your loathing of racial slurs in general, what do you think of someone with Tourette's Syndrome? They also are unable to control their ticks and outbursts, should they also be condemned for it? Because either way it's out of their control, and condemning them for it (especially publicly like you just did) only exacerbates the situation for them.

harry8 11y ago
If someone were going to be hurt by the language, I would warn them before making introductions. I wouldn't want someone thinking I actually wanted them hurt for no good reason and agreed that they deserved to be hurt. At least I guess... I probably wouldn't have someone with tourettes making welcoming speech to a group of people who were not aware and whom I really didn't know much about. It's all a bit hypothetical though.
- morganvachon 11y ago
  Let's look at what you said again: "Among his faults the man uses a lot of racist slurs. I won't and don't excuse that. I don't care how eccentric, imbalanced or in need of better psychiatric care and drugs he is. I wish to point out that his behavior is totally and utterly unacceptable." - "Among his faults..." His "fault" is a mental disorder. You have a very 17th century approach to that. - "I won't and don't excuse that." Fine, that's your choice. But when you choose to attack someone over their mental state, you become the insensitive, intolerant jerk in the room. Again, you have a choice whether to attack someone over their mental state; your victim didn't choose to be disabled. - "I don't care how eccentric, imbalanced or in need of better psychiatric care and drugs he is." I think you make it abundantly clear that you don't care. Again, that's your choice, but it shows exactly what kind of person you are. Would you also not care if it's a loved one who is afflicted with a disorder? Based on what you've said so far, I have to wonder. - "I wish to point out that his behavior is totally and utterly unacceptable." Behavior that, again, is out of his control. You are blaming a patient for being sick. That is reprehensible. Yes, he needs help, but what you are doing is the opposite of help, especially since you know for a fact he reads this forum (and in fact I think that is your true motivation for attacking him here).
  - harry8 11y ago
    I don't accept your interpretation of my words. I acknowledged the possibility of mental illness being a reason for his racism. I don't know it as a definite fact, I doubt psychology is at the state where anyone could. I've said elsewhere in this thread that (as Robert Sapolsky notes) those with frontal cortex damage to their brains sometimes commit heinous violent crime. That brain damage might be a reason, but doesn't make it ok for them to commit violent crime. It may be completely beyond their control. His behaviour is unacceptable. I do not accept racist abuse as being acceptable behaviour. Do you?
  - passwordreset 11y ago
    What the hell, man? "His fault is a mental disorder". "Behavior that ... is out of his control." "..blaming the patient for being sick." So you're already calling the guy a sick, mentally disabled, out of control victim? That's all your words -- that's what you think of him. Why can't he be an asshole, too? Get over yourself, man. srsly
vezzy-fnord 11y ago
Tourette's isn't the same as coprolalia.
- morganvachon 11y ago
  I never claimed it was.
DanBC 11y ago
Here you promote the myth that people with a severe mental illness are hopeless and powerless to control what they do. For the vast majority of people with severe mental illness that's not true. You don't get to do what you like then claim "lol mental illness".

harry8 11y ago

If someone were going to be hurt by the language, I would warn them before making introductions. I wouldn't want someone thinking I actually wanted them hurt for no good reason and agreed that they deserved to be hurt. At least I guess... I probably wouldn't have someone with tourettes making welcoming speech to a group of people who were not aware and whom I really didn't know much about. It's all a bit hypothetical though.

morganvachon 11y ago
Let's look at what you said again: "Among his faults the man uses a lot of racist slurs. I won't and don't excuse that. I don't care how eccentric, imbalanced or in need of better psychiatric care and drugs he is. I wish to point out that his behavior is totally and utterly unacceptable." - "Among his faults..." His "fault" is a mental disorder. You have a very 17th century approach to that. - "I won't and don't excuse that." Fine, that's your choice. But when you choose to attack someone over their mental state, you become the insensitive, intolerant jerk in the room. Again, you have a choice whether to attack someone over their mental state; your victim didn't choose to be disabled. - "I don't care how eccentric, imbalanced or in need of better psychiatric care and drugs he is." I think you make it abundantly clear that you don't care. Again, that's your choice, but it shows exactly what kind of person you are. Would you also not care if it's a loved one who is afflicted with a disorder? Based on what you've said so far, I have to wonder. - "I wish to point out that his behavior is totally and utterly unacceptable." Behavior that, again, is out of his control. You are blaming a patient for being sick. That is reprehensible. Yes, he needs help, but what you are doing is the opposite of help, especially since you know for a fact he reads this forum (and in fact I think that is your true motivation for attacking him here).
- harry8 11y ago
  I don't accept your interpretation of my words. I acknowledged the possibility of mental illness being a reason for his racism. I don't know it as a definite fact, I doubt psychology is at the state where anyone could. I've said elsewhere in this thread that (as Robert Sapolsky notes) those with frontal cortex damage to their brains sometimes commit heinous violent crime. That brain damage might be a reason, but doesn't make it ok for them to commit violent crime. It may be completely beyond their control. His behaviour is unacceptable. I do not accept racist abuse as being acceptable behaviour. Do you?
- passwordreset 11y ago
  What the hell, man? "His fault is a mental disorder". "Behavior that ... is out of his control." "..blaming the patient for being sick." So you're already calling the guy a sick, mentally disabled, out of control victim? That's all your words -- that's what you think of him. Why can't he be an asshole, too? Get over yourself, man. srsly

vezzy-fnord 11y ago

Tourette's isn't the same as coprolalia.

morganvachon 11y ago
I never claimed it was.

DanBC 11y ago

Here you promote the myth that people with a severe mental illness are hopeless and powerless to control what they do. For the vast majority of people with severe mental illness that's not true. You don't get to do what you like then claim "lol mental illness".