I'm continuing my examination of Robin Williams mental state for two reasons. First, I admired his wide ranging talent and have had nothing but good feelings for him over the decades. Second, I've spent much of my life thinking about depression and related diseases since people close to me have suffered from such afflictions. I've chronicled some of this in Cleft Heart: Chasing Normal. Funnyman-in-Chief had bipolar disorder? Our nation has lost its Funnyman-in-Chief, and this is doubly … [Read more...]
A kid without facial symmetry——II
The amazing young boy in Palacio's 2012 youth novel, Wonder, is named Auggie, and he's a hit across America in schools where books about tolerance and the impact of bullying are assigned and discussed. Recognizing this, the author and Random House just released a novella, but 88 pages, entitled The Julian Chapter: a Wonder Story. It rectifies a concern many readers had that Wonder didn't have a chapter from the main antagonist's point of view. They also released a companion volume to Wonder … [Read more...]
“Wonder:” about a kid with an anomaly, without facial symmetry.
R.J. Palacio’s youth novel, Wonder, burst upon the school book scene a couple of years ago, leaving middle grade kids to ponder such statements as— "You can't blend in when you were born to stand out." "Choose to be kind, not right." (a phrase the author borrowed from Wayne Dyer and altered a bit.) "Everyone deserves a standing ovation, at least once in their lives." (Channeling Warhol and :15 of fame?) Craniofacial anomalies, no facial … [Read more...]
Oscar Pistorius——not mentally disabled, but a psychopath?
No mental disability when fired shots. It's been a month since various media shouted the news that Oscar Pistorius didn't have a mental disability when he killed his girlfriend. So technically, he has only one disability, his amputated legs. However, it's been over a year (Feb 2013) when I speculated that Pistorius might be a psychopath along the lines of fallen and disgraced sports heroes like Lance Armstrong and OJ. Simpson. I'd have to say the "jury is still out" regarding whether … [Read more...]
Lance Armstrong, a Sociopath? Or a Psychopath on the order of O.J and maybe Oscar Pistorius?
Nothing new about a hero falling from grace and joining the ranks of the villainous or foolish. This site includes pictures of Babe Ruth, General Patton, and Charlie Chaplin who travelled this path in the eyes of many. The infractions of these three, besides a kind of un-American personal arrogance, included, respectively, abusing a wife, slapping a soldier, and engaging in controversial relationships and politics. What bothers many people about … [Read more...]