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> At what point do we label massive shared delusions mental illness and treat them as such? I'm having trouble imagining how that's compatible with a democrati
by DoofusOfDeath 6y ago
> At what point do we label massive shared delusions mental illness and treat them as such?
I'm having trouble imagining how that's compatible with a democratic form of government.
A policy like that would, I think, provide a very clear roadmap for would-be dictators.
- dreamcompiler 6y agoAgreed. "Reeducation camps", etc. Which is why I asked the question and think about it a lot. There don't seem to be any straightforward answers.
- cmelbye 6y agoThere is a long history of using mental illness and "anti-social behavior" as a convenient excuse to silence large groups of people, political opponents, and dissidents. Nazi eugenicists, FBI's COINTELPRO, and more. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_abuse_of_psychiatry https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_abuse_of_psychiatry It's often not until after the fact when a society recognizes the atrocities committed under a false pretense of public well-being. There is no easy way out of this crisis. "Eradication of a widespread mental illness that causes dangerous political ideas" is a pseudo-scientific way of describing a dictatorship or civil war.