thereckoning
Patron
First, I want to say that I like Alanzo. He has a certain teddy bear likableness about him that I'm sure others have detected. He's the kind of person that you can have a heated discussion with and when it's over, doesn't seem to hold it against you personally.
I've been a reader of ESMB for a long time now as well as WWP and Marty's blog. As you know, Alanzo posts comments over in Marty's blog from time to time. While in the process of reading those comments over at Marty's Place, there was some comments put up by Alanzo and then some interesting replies to what Alanzo said and concerning Alanzo that may explain Alanzo's behavior here and on Marty's blog.
First, about why he goes over to Marty's blog in the first place:
"There is a clique within ESMB who perhaps think of themselves as “THE opinion leaders of ESMB”. These are the few. They are the “big man on campus” types, legends in their own minds. They are also the ones Alanzo tries to curry favor with. He is like a young kid trying to impress the older “hoods” with “Watch me! I’m gonna run in there and throw a thought grenade in among them! Watch me do it! I’m cool enough to hang with you guys, huh? huh? huh?”
And this one explaining his behavior in general:
"A word about Alanzo. Without prejudice, let me say this. I have interacted with Al a lot on Geir’s (now Claire’s) forum over the past year. I have a back ground in psychiatry/psychology, and more than 8 months ago, I began to believe that Al had received ECT at some point in his life, possibly after his break with the Co$.
ECT typically produces personality changes that exactly correspond with the 2 Atcause mentioned – fixidity and reactivity, or rote responses on some topics.
Unfortunately, it is also true that some people experience a relief from suffering when they receive ECT, and feel that ECT helped them in a way nothing else did. Thus they will defend it. There are “ECT survivors” organizations, like “The Committe for Truth in Psychiatry”. (Google for it, please). This is not allied with CCHR, and one must be an “ECT survivor” to be a member. These people have testified before Congress. Their beef with psychiatry is not that ECT is bad, but that psychiatry has failed to fully disclosed the “other effects” of ECT – like the memory loss and personality changes, and impairments of mental functioning that occur all too often. It is as a result of this group in particular, that psychiatry has been forced to do a lot more disclosure of the risks, require a waiver to be read and signed, and in most states, do away with involuntary administration of ECT.
My point here is, many of these “survivors” still say ECT “helped” them by providing a relief from their suffering, usually a serious overwhelming depression, when all other means available to them had failed. Thus they will defend ECT and insist that it be available to those who really want it.
As for Al, I of course don’t know, it is an inference on my part. The way he acts is consistent with what I have speculated, and it is no way intended to denigrate or diminish him, or make him look bad. If it is as Ithink, more power to him, that he has survived.
It is speculation based on what I have gathered about the after effects of ECT on a person. He is an intelligent and at times likeable person. Unfortunately, he also has a fixed agenda I suspect he is powerless to deal with.
If I am wrong, and he really is acting completely on his own determinism, then let’s lynch him and get it over with, or just take him to the Humane Society and….. "
Say it isn't so Alanzo and I'll believe you but make sure what you say is the truth.
I've been a reader of ESMB for a long time now as well as WWP and Marty's blog. As you know, Alanzo posts comments over in Marty's blog from time to time. While in the process of reading those comments over at Marty's Place, there was some comments put up by Alanzo and then some interesting replies to what Alanzo said and concerning Alanzo that may explain Alanzo's behavior here and on Marty's blog.
First, about why he goes over to Marty's blog in the first place:
"There is a clique within ESMB who perhaps think of themselves as “THE opinion leaders of ESMB”. These are the few. They are the “big man on campus” types, legends in their own minds. They are also the ones Alanzo tries to curry favor with. He is like a young kid trying to impress the older “hoods” with “Watch me! I’m gonna run in there and throw a thought grenade in among them! Watch me do it! I’m cool enough to hang with you guys, huh? huh? huh?”
And this one explaining his behavior in general:
"A word about Alanzo. Without prejudice, let me say this. I have interacted with Al a lot on Geir’s (now Claire’s) forum over the past year. I have a back ground in psychiatry/psychology, and more than 8 months ago, I began to believe that Al had received ECT at some point in his life, possibly after his break with the Co$.
ECT typically produces personality changes that exactly correspond with the 2 Atcause mentioned – fixidity and reactivity, or rote responses on some topics.
Unfortunately, it is also true that some people experience a relief from suffering when they receive ECT, and feel that ECT helped them in a way nothing else did. Thus they will defend it. There are “ECT survivors” organizations, like “The Committe for Truth in Psychiatry”. (Google for it, please). This is not allied with CCHR, and one must be an “ECT survivor” to be a member. These people have testified before Congress. Their beef with psychiatry is not that ECT is bad, but that psychiatry has failed to fully disclosed the “other effects” of ECT – like the memory loss and personality changes, and impairments of mental functioning that occur all too often. It is as a result of this group in particular, that psychiatry has been forced to do a lot more disclosure of the risks, require a waiver to be read and signed, and in most states, do away with involuntary administration of ECT.
My point here is, many of these “survivors” still say ECT “helped” them by providing a relief from their suffering, usually a serious overwhelming depression, when all other means available to them had failed. Thus they will defend ECT and insist that it be available to those who really want it.
As for Al, I of course don’t know, it is an inference on my part. The way he acts is consistent with what I have speculated, and it is no way intended to denigrate or diminish him, or make him look bad. If it is as Ithink, more power to him, that he has survived.
It is speculation based on what I have gathered about the after effects of ECT on a person. He is an intelligent and at times likeable person. Unfortunately, he also has a fixed agenda I suspect he is powerless to deal with.
If I am wrong, and he really is acting completely on his own determinism, then let’s lynch him and get it over with, or just take him to the Humane Society and….. "
Say it isn't so Alanzo and I'll believe you but make sure what you say is the truth.