Child Psychology

One time, when I was working in a psychiatric hospital, some patient^{1  2}   said or did something and later I came back into the staff room and asked this really great shrink (and Olympic-class drunk) something about psychology, and I said something like, do you think that’s more like child psychology? And this shrink looked at me and said, Jude — it’s all child psychology. Believe me. Psychology? Life? It’s all child psychology.

It’s all child psychology. Yep.

“Kick ass! If somebody tries to stop the march to democracy, we will seek them out and kill them! Our will is being tested, but we are resolute. We have a better way. Stay strong! Stay the course! Kill them! Be confident! Prevail! We are going to wipe them out! We are not blinking!”

– George W. Bush, during a White House videoconference about the first battle for Fallujah

[From Doonesbury@Slate - Daily Dose]

Notes:

1. I understand the preferred nomenclature is client and not patient but I just giggle so much when I hear that, it doesn’t seem a viable alternative for me. I even understand and sympathize with the motives behind this verbal kissing of a frog. But sorry. Come on. [↩]
2. I do regret this about the passing of the Christian Era: Christians, bless their hearts, have no problem calling people patients. Because they know we’re all sick. The notion doesn’t scandalize or embarrass them. It fits right in. They figure it goes back to Eve and the Tree of Knowledge, which is a little weird… but they already think we’re all etherized upon the table. Freud thinks this discontent goes back to civilization, which is a little less weird. But it’s humanists who think the ideas of sin and discontent and malaise are just a bunch of dead white men. Humanists, bless their hearts… I would say, if you want to live as ethically and intellectually as possible, live with the humanists. But if you get sick?… stick with the Jews. In a pinch, the Catlicks will do. [↩]