by Ferry Fey » Wed Jan 18, 2006 10:53 pm
<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>"We can't use this but we sure as hell can pass it around."</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--><br><br>Oh. I see. Passing gossip around is not the same as using it? Go ask Alice, I think she'll know... <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :rolleyes --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/eyes.gif ALT=":rolleyes"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <br><br>Let's see why this should raise red flags for anyone who cares about thoughtful, truthful, commentary and information sources. I'm not even going to factor in the reputation of The Barnes Review, just deal with the "information" as written.<br><br>Source: The Barnes Review (TBR)<br><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://www.tbrnews.org/Archives/a2073.htm">www.tbrnews.org/Archives/a2073.htm</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br><br>Who's responsible for it? Not known. It's under the header of the regular column "The Voice of the White House," so we'll give the writer the handle of "Voice."<br><br>You don't know the name or credibility of the anonymous Voice. You don't know the name or professional credibility of Voice's cousin who is allegedly a psychiatrist, or whether he is a real or fictitious entity.<br><br>Let's start with the phony erudition Voice uses about his presentation to his cousin (let's call the cousin ShrinkyDink). "I made up a resume of the President’s persona," he says. He's floundering the moment he jumps in. "Persona," in most of its senses, refers to a mask which does not necessarily resemble the real person underneath. For example, "compassionate conservative" might be a persona GWB is trying to project, but which appears to have nothing to do with his inner life.<br><br>ShrinkyDink "read it over carefully." No doubt savoring the deep insight and objectivity of Voice's presentation. Voice claims that it was ShrinkyDink's "detached and professional opinion." I'd call it "disconnected and unprofessional" to give off the cuff diagnoses to a cousin who clearly has little knowledge of mental health terminology. Remember that ShrinkyDink is not making a "professional" diagnosis of someone he has even observed from afar, or heard of from a trained observer of psychological states and behavior. He's making it at one level further detached from that, by accepting his cousin Voice's observations as valid insights.<br><br>"I expect quite a few mental health professionals have opinions about public figures they've never met - how could they stop the process of evaluation, just because they weren't in a room with the guy?" -- Pants Elk<br><br>This is not about the alleged professional's own opinions of Dubya's behaviors and context as he has seen filtered through the editing of newscasts, newspapers, and any other media. From the way Voice says it, his cousin doesn't seem to have cottoned on to the fact that Voice was trying to describe our very own Fearless Leader.<br><br>For thoughtful discussion of professional ethics in this kind of situation, see these two entries by Rivka, a psychologist who comments on her "Respectful of Otters" blog (also make sure you read the comments attached to the postings):<br><br><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>You don't diagnose a patient you haven't examined. You don't discuss your diagnoses without the patient's permission. And if your only defense against the latter rule is that the person you've publicly diagnosed isn't really your patient, that alone ought to let you know that you've strayed far from the requirements of professional ethics. A psychiatric diagnosis is a clinical tool, not a rhetorical device; to treat it otherwise substantially undermines the reputation of psychiatry and psychology. Frank is a former leader of the Physicians for Social Responsibility, but there is simply nothing socially responsible about using psychiatric terminology as a stick with which to beat your political enemies. There's nothing socially responsible about misusing the mantle of the professional expert. I am appalled."</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--> - Rivka<br><br>Friday, June 11, 2004 "So Much For 'Social Responsibility'"<br><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://respectfulofotters.blogspot.com/2004_06_01_respectfulofotters_archive.html#108695655124202757">respectfulofotters.blogsp...5124202757</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br><br>Wednesday, June 16, 2004 "Justin Frank Responds"<br><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://respectfulofotters.blogspot.com/2004_06_01_respectfulofotters_archive.html">respectfulofotters.blogsp...chive.html</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br><br>Voice is not himself originating the alleged Alito son incident. That's for his source, who would have had to source it back to Mr and Mrs Alito, who of course didn't directly see the alleged incident but heard about it from their son.<br><br>Voice <- Voice's source <- Alitos <- Philip Alito is the chain of transmission you can get with the minimum of steps here. Two completely anonymous sources, and all four (or more) not willing to go on the record about this.<br><br>George W. Bush is a slimy fuck and his hands are bloody with thousands of deaths. I wouldn't put anything past him. <br><br>But when you try to pass on 4th hand gossip as being worth our consideration it hurts whatever credibility we might try to develop here.<br><br>As Rivka says, "It wasn't okay when their side did it, and it's not okay for our side to do it."<br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br> <p></p><i></i>