Nathen's Miraculous Escape

May 5, 2010

Assessing Sexual or Physical Abuse

Posted by Nathen under alcohol abuse, drug abuse, drugs, family assessment, family therapy, lists, parentification, physical abuse, practicum, sexual abuse, statistics, suicidality, violence
Leave a Comment

Another unfortunately common situation I will have to assess for in the families I see (in addition to drug & alcohol abuse, domestic violence and many other things) is sexual or physical abuse. One of my texts (Patterson’s Essential Skills in Family Therapy: From the First Interview to Termination) estimates that 1 in 5 women and 1 in 9 men were sexually abused as kids. My other practicum text, Brock & Barnard’s Procedures in Marriage and Family Therapy, gives this list of indicators of abuse(p. 52):

The presence of an alcoholic parent

The family with poor mother-daughter connections/bonds

A mother who is very dependent either psychologically or physically as the result of illness or accident

A father who appears to be very controlling and possessive of his daughter(s)

An acting-out adolescent girl engaging in sexual promiscuity or suicidal gestures who is a frequent runaway or drug abuser

A child who appears to be very overresponsible and parentified in the family context

May 4, 2010

Diagnostic Criteria for Conduct Disorder

Posted by Nathen under adolescents, children, Conduct Disorder, crime, cruelty, diagnostic criteria, DSM-IV-TR, lists, mental disorders, psychology, rape, sexual assault, violence
Leave a Comment

This is another DSM-IV-TR Mental Disorder diagnosis that is commonly given to children. The DSM says that its prevelence has been increasing for a few decades now and that up to 10% of kids, mostly boys in “urban settings”, have it. It’s a pretty serious label to give a kid. It’s linked with suicide, homicide, various criminal acts, and is thought of as a precursor to Antisocial Personality Disorder. Here are the criteria, quoted word-for-word from the DSM-IV-TR (pp. 98-99):

Diagnostic criteria for Conduct Disorder

A. A repetitive and persistent pattern of behavior in which the basioc rights of others or major age-appropriate societal norms or rules are violated, as manifested by the presence of three (or more) of the following criteria in the past 12 months, with at least one criterion present in the past 6 months.

Aggression to people and animals

(1) often bullies, threatens, or intimidates others

(2) often initiates physical fights

(3) has used a weapon that can cause serious physical harm to others (e.g., a bat, brick, broken bottle, knife, gun)

(4) has been physically cruel to people

(5) has been physically cruel to animals

(6) has stolen while confronting a victim (e.g., mugging, purse snatching, extortion, armed robbery)

(7) has forced someone into sexual activity

Destruction of property

(8) has deliberately engaged in fire setting with the intention of causing serious damage

(9) has deliberately destroyed others’ property (other than by fire setting)

Deceitfulness or theft

(10) has broken into someone else’s house, building, or car

(11) often lies to obtain goods or favors or to avoid obligations (i.e., “cons” others)

(12) has stolen items of nontrivial value without confronting a victim (e.g., shoplifting, but without breaking and entering; forgery)

Serious violations of rules

(13) often stays out at night despite parental prohibitions, beginning before age 13 years

(14) has run away from home overnight at least twice while living in parental or parental surrogate (or once without returning for a lengthy period)

(15) is often truant from school, beginning before age 13 years

B. The disturbance in behavior causes clinically significant impairment in social, academic, or occupational functioning.

C. If the individual is age 18 years or older, criteria are not met for Antisocial Personality Disorder.

Code based on age at onset:

312.81 Conduct Disorder, Childhood-Onset Type: onset of at least one criterion characteristic of Conduct Disorder prior to age 10 years

312.82 Conduct Disorder, Adolescent-Onset Type: absence of any criteria characteristic of Conduct Disorder prior to age 10 years

312.89 Donduct Disorder, Unspecified Onset: age at onset is not known

Specify severity:

Mild: few if any conduct problems in excess of those required to make the diagnosis and conduct problems cause only minor harm to others

Moderate: number of conduct problems and effect on other intermediate between “mild” and “severe”

Severe: many conduct problems in excess of those required in excess of those required to make the diagnosis or conduct problems cause considerable harm to others

May 3, 2010

Predictors of Divorce, According to Elizabeth Gilbert

Posted by Nathen under age, alcohol abuse, battering, children, divorce, education, Elizabeth Gilbert, infidelity, lists, marriage, mental illness, relationships, statistics, violence
[2] Comments

Elizabeth Gilbert, in her book about marriage, Commitment, lays out her interpretation of a Rutgers report on divorce statistics. Here’s her list of things that correlate with divorce, in the order she mentions them. She lays them out with a lot more subtlety, humor, and personality, but read the book if you want that.

Your parents are divorced

You are alcoholic

You are mentally ill

You cheat on your spouse

You gamble compulsively

You are violent

You are younger than 25

You have not gone to college (especially the woman)

You have children

You lived with your spouse before marriage

You have different racial backgrounds

You are different ages

You have different religions

You have different ethnic backgrounds

You have different cultural backgrounds

You have different careers

You don’t know your neighbors

You don’t belong to social clubs

You don’t live near your families

You are not religious

The man does not do housework

May 2, 2010

My Mom’s Prescription for Hyperactivity

Posted by Nathen under advice, affection, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Benjamin Lester, children, Darlene Lester, family, nature, parenting, reading, stimulants, sugar, television
[3] Comments

My mom sent me this in response to my posting the diagnostic criteria for AD/HD yesterday. She’s not a health care professional, but she did raise five boys. Since I’m the oldest I got to see her do it. I also got to benefit from her love of nature (and sending us out into it), reading to her kids, being affectionate with her kids, making nutritious food, and her skepticism of TV and traditional schooling. And many, many other things, like her faith in her kids. The first thing they told us in my class on psychopathology was that we were not to diagnose ourselves, our friends, or family, so I won’t, but I suspect that all of us (except perhaps Ben) fit the diagnostic criteria for AD/HD for periods of our young lives. She wouldn’t even feed us sugar, much less amphetamines, so it’s not like it was a close call, but thanks, Mom, for not feeding us stimulants!

Here it is:

“Be forewarned, this takes effort on the parent’s part!

“Here is my humble prescription for hyperactivity in children (who, by the way, are usually boys): First, TAKE HIM OUT OF SCHOOL!! Live in, or move to, a rural area. (Or at least make sure there is a wild area, like woods or a meadow, nearby). Each day, after he has slept as late as he wants to, feed him a highly nutritious breakfast that contains no sugar, no additives, no colorings. Just whole foods. Then, send him outside to play in nature. Make sure he gets plenty of sun exposure. Make sure he has some of these things: trees to climb, grass to lie in, rocks to scramble on, water to swim or wade in, wildlife to watch, dirt to dig in, and bushes to hide in. (Create a beautiful outdoor environment for him if your outdoor area is naturally very stark.) Make sure he has plenty of water to drink. Let him roam freely. At lunchtime have him come in for another nutritious meal of whole foods. No sugar. Only water to drink. After a cuddle and as much attention as he wants from you, send him back outside to play in nature. Let him play as long as he wants. When he wants to come back inside, he can be read to or told stories, he can play or read quietly, or he can just rest while listening to soft classical music, or take a nap. No TV. No computers. No gameboys… no screens of any kind. Nothing with headphones. Then, back outside to play until the sun goes down. Back in for another nutritious meal, and then he is put in the bathtub. He plays in the bathtub for as long as he wants (an hour or more in very warm water is good). Then, he has a bedtime routine (thorough teeth brushing and flossing- you do it if necessary- and then jammies). After that he gets read to for a LONG TIME in bed…an hour or more is good… until he is sleepy. Make sure he has plenty of hugs and cuddles and kisses and loving words as he drifts off. Follow this prescription every day until his hyperactivity is cured. By the way, this routine could be of benefit to “normal” children, as well. It works for calming and soothing and centering and bringing color to their cheeks, and a more cheerful attitude in general. And, I’d go so far as to say, adults should try it, too… to cure whatever ails them.”

May 1, 2010

Diagnostic Criteria for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Posted by Nathen under Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, diagnostic criteria, DSM-IV-TR, psychopathology, stimulants
[4] Comments

The DSM-IV-TR reports a prevalence of 3-7% for the famous AD/HD, depending, somewhat cryptically, on “the population sampled and the method of ascertainment” (p. 90). AD/HD is a shoe-in for medication in the minds of most mental health professionals. Children have been treated for this Disorder with stimulants since 1937. We still do not know for certain, however, what the effects are on adults who took stimulants as children. We do know that AD/HD tends to go away during adolescence.

Here are the diagnostic criteria, straight from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision. Note that criterion C is an attempt to make sure that the troublesome behavior is not just a reaction to one situation, like school–you shouldn’t be diagnosed AD/HD based on behavior that only happens at school, or just at home. That would be something else going on. Note also that, according to the “coding note” at the bottom that once you have this diagnosis, unless you have none of these symptoms, you will always be considered AD/HD “in partial remission.” One last note: I notice in reading literature referring to this Disorder that it is usually referred to as ADD/ADHD. I don’t know why this is, as there is no “Attention Deficit Disorder” in the DSM-IV-TR. Perhaps there was in earlier editions.

Diagnostic criteria for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

A. Either (1) or (2):

(1) six (or more) of the following symptoms of inattention have persisted for at least 6 months to a degree that is maladaptive and inconsistent with developmental level:

Inattention

(a) often fails to give close attention to details or makes careless mistakes in schoolwork, work, or other activities

(b) often has difficulty sustaining attention in tasks or play activities

(d) often does not follow through on instructions and fails to finish school-work, chores, or duties in the workplace (not due to oppositional behavior or failure to understand instructions)

(e) often has difficulty organizing tasks and activities

(f) often avoids, dislikes, or is reluctant to engage in tasks that require sustained mental effort (such as schoolwork or homework)

(g) often loses things necessary for tasks or activities (e.g., toys, school assignments, pencils, books, or tools)

(h) is often easily distracted by extraneous stimuli

(i) is often forgetful in daily activities

(2) six (or more) of the following symptoms of hyperactivity-impulsivity have persisted for at least 6 months to a degree that is maladaptive and inconsistent with development level:

Hyperactivity

(a) often fidgets with hands or feet or squirms in seat

(b) often leaves seat in classroom or in other situations in which remaining seated is expected

(c) often runs about or climbs excessively in situations in which it is inappropriate (in adolescents or adults, may be limited to subjective feelings of restlessness)

(d) often has difficulty playing or engaging in leisure activities quietly

(e) is often “on the go” or often acts as if “driven by a motor”

(f) often talks excessively

Impulsivity

(g) often blurts out answers before questions have been completed

(h) often has difficulty awaiting turn

(i) often interrupts or intrudes on others (e.g., butts into conversations or games)

B. Some hyperactive-impulsive or inattentive symptoms that caused impairment were present before age 7 years.

C. Some impairment from the symptoms is present in two or more settings (e.g., at shool [or work] and at home).

D. There must be clear evidence of clinically significant impairment in social, academic, or occupational functioning.

E. The symptoms do not occur exclusively during the course of a Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Schizophrenia, or other Psychotic Disorder and are not better accounted for by another mental disorder (e.g., Mood Disorder, Anxiety Disorder, Dissociative Disorder, or a Personality Disorder).

Code based on type:

314.01 Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Combined Type: if both Criteria A1 and A2 are met for the past 6 months

314.00 Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Predominantly Inattentive Type: if Criterion A1 is met but Criterion A2 is not met for the past 6 months

314.01 Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive Type: if Criterion A2 is met but Criterion A1 is not met for the past 6 months

Coding note: For individuals (especially adolescents and adults) who currently have symptoms that no longer meet full criteria, “In Partial Remission” should be specified.

April 30, 2010

Useful Tip For Grad School Students

Posted by Nathen under advice, engagement, graduate school, heroism, lists, long-distance relationships, love, reading, Reanna
[3] Comments

If you’re in grad school or going to start soon, consider getting engaged to an amazing woman. I have had the good fortune to do that, and believe me you won’t regret it. I could (and maybe will at some point) write long into the night about the qualities that I am talking about, but for now I’ll just focus on one telling detail.

In graduate school, you do a lot of reading. Many, many, many hours and hours of reading. Few people do all the reading that they are assigned in a grad program. The eyes and attention can’t take it. I have the advantage of being engaged to Reanna. She reads a chunk of my assigned reading to me each term. Understand that this is mostly dry, academic stuff, interesting if you really want to be a family therapist, but otherwise only tolerable if you are extremely intelligent, curious, and dedicated. Understand also that she doesn’t even get social time with me out of it. I live in Oregon and she lives in British Columbia. She reads my assignments into a voice recorder and emails the files to me. I get to do the dishes or whatever while hearing her voice and getting reading done. She gets to sit in front of a computer screen, reading. (Well, she does get to criticize the bad writing, of which there is plenty, but that’s not much of a payoff, especially for a professional editor.)

She also reads relevant books that she finds that I have not been assigned. How cool is that? I’m going to have a term on Susan Johnson’s emotionally-focused couples therapy next fall, and she’s already read me Johnson’s popularization, Hold Me Tight.

Here is a partial list of what she’s read, from my iTunes. Some of the times didn’t copy out (Open Office couldn’t recognize them, apparently, and made them into times of day), but take my word for it, this is about 50 hours of reading.

A Walk Down the Aisle – Prologue	Kate Cohen		17:05
A Walk Down the Aisle – Pt 1	Kate Cohen		22:06
A Walk Down the Aisle – pt 10	Reanna	A Walk Down the Aisle	23:01
A Walk Down the Aisle – pt 11	Reanna	A Walk Down the Aisle	16:11
A Walk Down the Aisle – pt 12 – ch 8	Reanna	A Walk Down the Aisle	43:12:00
A Walk Down the Aisle – Pt 13 – ch 9	Reanna	A Walk Down the Aisle	30:41:00
A Walk Down the Aisle – pt 14a – ch 9	Kate Cohen		7:32
A Walk down the Aisle – Pt 14b – ch 9	Reanna	A Walk Down the Aisle	1:28
A Walk Down the Aisle – pt 15 – ch 10	Kate Cohen		1:26
A Walk Down the Aisle – pt 16 – ch 10	Kate Cohen		1:47
A Walk Down the Aisle – pt 17 – ch 10	Reanna	A Walk Down the Aisle	29:18:00
A Walk Down the Aisle – Pt 2	Kate Cohen		10:18
A Walk Down the Aisle – Pt 3	Kate Cohen		10:25
A Walk Down the Aisle – Pt 4	Kate Cohen		41:25:00
A Walk Down the Aisle – Pt 5	Kate Cohen		7:51
A Walk Down the Aisle – Pt 6	Kate Cohen		12:49
A Walk Down the Aisle – Pt 7	Kate Cohen		11:07
A Walk Down the Aisle – Pt 7	Kate Cohen		10:24
A Walk Down the Aisle – pt 8	Kate Cohen		45:32:00
A Walk Down the Aisle – pt 9	Kate Cohen		1:08:43
Pt 1 – Chapter 3 – Emotional Responsiveness	Dr. Sue Johnson	Hold Me Tight	34:40:00
Pt 2 – Conversation 1 – Recognizing the Demon Dialogue	Dr. Sue Johnson	Hold Me Tight	41:25:00
Pt 2 – Conversation 2 – Finding the Raw Spots	Dr. Sue Johnson	Hold Me Tight	35:02:00
Pt 2 – Conversation 6 – Bonding through Sex & Touch	Dr. Sue Johnson	Hold Me Tight	47:05:00
Pt 2 – Conversation 7 – Keeping the Love Alive	Dr. Sue Johnson	Hold Me Tight	23:59
Chapter 1, Part 1	Why Don’t Zebra’s Get Ulcers, ch1	Reading Aloud to Nathen	10:06:00 PM
Chapter 1, Part 2	Why Don’t Zebra’s Get Ulcers, ch1	Reading Aloud to Nathen	07:21:00 AM
Chapter 1, Part 3	Why Don’t Zebra’s Get Ulcers, ch1	Reading Aloud to Nathen	06:10:00 PM
Children’s Attachment Relationships	Phillis Booth	Reading Aloud to Nathen	30:05:00
Circle of Security – Terminology	CoS	Reading Aloud to Nathen	12:46:00 PM
Committed Ch 5 (pt 2) Marriage and Women	Elizabeth Gilbert	Committed	03:52:00 AM
Committed Ch 5 (pt 3) Marriage and Women	Elizabeth Gilbert	Committed	08:07:00 AM
Committed Ch 5 (pt 4) Marriage and Women	Elizabeth Gilbert	Committed	04:13:00 AM
Committed Ch 5 (pt 5) Marriage and Women	Elizabeth Gilbert	Committed	09:02:00 AM
Committed Ch 5 (Pt 7) – Marriage and Women	Elizabeth Gilbert	Committed	06:22:00 PM
Committed Ch 7 (pt 1) – Marriage and Subversion	Elizabeth Gilbert	Committed	10:21:00 AM
Committed Ch 7 (pt 2) – Marriage and Subversion	Elizabeth Gilbert	Committed	42:02:00
Committed Ch 7 (pt 3) – Marriage and Subversion	Elizabeth Gilbert	Committed	05:21:00 PM
Committed Ch 7 (pt 4) – Marriage and Subversion	Elizabeth Gilbert	Committed	12:34:00 PM
Committed Ch 8 – Marriage and Ceremony	Elizabeth Gilbert	Committed	08:25:00 PM
Committed: Ch 1 Marriage and Surprises	Elizabeth Gilbert	Reading Aloud to Nathen	50:31:00
Committed: Ch 2 (pt. 1) Marriage and Expectation	Elizabeth Gilbert	Reading Aloud to Nathen	35:17:00
Committed: Ch 2 (pt. 2) Marriage and Expectation	Elizabeth Gilbert	Reading Aloud to Nathen	08:50:00 PM
Committed: Ch 3 (pt. 1) Marriage and History	Elizabeth Gilbert	Reading Aloud to Nathen	01:05:07 AM
Committed: Ch 3 (pt. 2) Marriage and History	Elizabeth Gilbert	Reading Aloud to Nathen	03:38:00 PM
Committed: Ch 4 (pt 1) Marriage and Infatuation	Elizabeth Gilbert	Reading Aloud to Nathen	01:34:14 AM
Committed: Ch 4 (pt 2) Marriage and Infatuation	Elizabeth Gilbert	Reading Aloud to Nathen	07:37:00 PM
Death on a horse’s back	Robert J Barrett	Reading Aloud to Nathen	168:00:00
Dharma Punx	Noah Levine	Reading Aloud to Nathen	05:33:00 PM
The End of Innocence 1	Dusty Miller	Reading Aloud to Nathen	12:45:00 AM
The End of Innocence 2	Dusty Miller	Reading Aloud to Nathen	42:08:00
Family Process // The Language of Becoming	Ellen Wachtel	Reading Aloud to Nathen	01:04:24 AM
Feminism & Family Therapy 1	Virginia Goldner, PhD	Reading Aloud to Nathen	34:43:00
Feminism & Family Therapy 2	Virginia Goldner, PhD	Reading Aloud to Nathen	01:03:00 AM
Feminism & Family Therapy 3	Virginia Goldner, PhD	Reading Aloud to Nathen	28:33:00
Feminism & Family Therapy 4	Virginia Goldner, PhD	Reading Aloud to Nathen	03:49:00 AM
Fixed (New Yorker)	Jill Lapore	Reading Aloud to Nathen	32:04:00
Impact on Family Therapist of a focus on death, dying	Becvar	Reading Aloud to Nathen	06:41:00 PM
Impact, pt 2	Becvar	Reading Aloud to Nathen	10:59:00 PM
Introduction, 1	Appetites	Reading Aloud to Nathen	05:36:00 AM
Introduction, 2	Appetites	Reading Aloud to Nathen	04:32:00 AM
Introduction, 3	Appetites	Reading Aloud to Nathen	06:34:00 AM
Introduction, 4	Appetites	Reading Aloud to Nathen	37:26:00
The last time I wore a dress – CH 11	Daphne Scholinski	Reading Aloud to Nathen	08:28:00 PM
The Last Time I wore a dress – Ch 12	Daphne Scholinski	Reading Aloud to Nathen	38:52:00
The Lobotomist	Jack El-Hai	Reading Aloud to Nathen	24:06:00
Marry Me	St. Vincent	Marry Me	04:41:00 AM
Minnie Mouse and Gunfire, Lucky Child	Luong Ung	Reading Aloud to Nathen	29:49:00
My Angel Rocks Back and Forth	Four Tet	Rounds	05:07:00 AM
My Lobotomy	Howard Dully	Reading Aloud to Nathen	32:41:00
Paris is the cruelest month	Alan Alda	Reading Aloud to Nathen	09:32:00 PM
Passionate Marriage	David Schnarch	Reading Aloud to Nathen	42:45:00
Prozac Nation	Elizabeth Wurtzel	Reading Aloud to Nathen	42:05:00
Real Weddings	Media Hill Publication	Reading Aloud to Nathen	06:44:00 AM
Running With Scissors	Augustin Burroughs	Reading Aloud to Nathen	38:30:00
Solution Focused Therapy – A	Molnar & Shazer 1987	Reading Aloud to Nathen	10:01:00 PM
Solution Focused Therapy – B	Molnar & Shazer 1987	Reading Aloud to Nathen	12:49:00 AM
Solution Focused Therapy – C	Molnar & Shazer 1987	Reading Aloud to Nathen	05:39:00 AM
Stubborn Twig	Lauren Kessler	Reading Aloud to Nathen	52:15:00
Sybil, CH 7	Flora Rheta Schrieber	Reading Aloud to Nathen	37:47:00
Truth Telling	Candib	Reading Aloud to Nathen	39:31:00
Truth Telling, pt 2	Candib	Reading Aloud to Nathen	08:22:00 PM
Understanding the Rainforest Mind	Paula Prober	Reading Aloud to Nathen	09:36:00 PM
An Unquiet Mind	Kay Jamison	Reading Aloud to Nathen	38:33:00
The Voices of Children – 1	Sandra Stith	Reading Aloud to Nathen	04:45:00 AM
The Voices of Children – 2	Sandra Stith	Reading Aloud to Nathen	03:06:00 PM
The Voices of Children – 3	Sandra Stith	Reading Aloud to Nathen	36:03:00
Where is the Mango Princess	Cathy Crimmins	Reading Aloud to Nathen	30:07:00
You Ain’t Got No Easter Clothes	Laura Love	Reading Aloud to Nathen	38:06:00

April 30, 2010

Diagnosis

Posted by Nathen under CFT cohort, Couples and Family Therapy, diagnosis, DSM-IV, Froma Walsh, insurance companies, psychopathology, Steven Wolin, violence
[2] Comments

I read the following, by Steven Wolin, in Froma Walsh’s Spiritual Resources in Family Therapy, and it brought tears to my eyes. The “DSM” he mentions is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the medical-style Bible of human psychological problems:

“Now, the DSM-IV was written by people , many of them psychologists, who have figured out every conceivable thing that can go wrong with us, which is very impressive. But I would like to suggest that it’s fundamentally, unintentionally, and insidiously violent to name someone by what’s wrong with them.”

I underlined that quote and thought I’d want to write something about it here. In class that week, it became clear that just about every other person in my cohort had underlined the same passage. We have all just taken a class on DSM diagnosis, because we will have to do it, out there in the world. Insurance companies won’t pay for problems that don’t have medical-sounding names. Major depressive disorder? Here, have some money. Isolated from any kind of supportive community, except for your mom, who you can’t stand for some reason? Hey, get a real problem, preferably one that we have a pill for.

Anyway, I think we all underlined that passage in part because it was so refreshing, after thinking so much about diagnostic categories. It’s also because that quote captures the spirit of the Couples and Family Therapy program we are in, and we were selected by our faculty because quotes like that would resonate with us. It’s also because it’s so dang true. When you hear how many mental health professionals talk about their clients, it can be awful. “I’ve got a Borderline at five o’clock,” as if what really matters about that human being is that their behavior fits the diagnostic criteria for Borderline Personality Disorder.

April 28, 2010

The Right Hook

Posted by Nathen under accidents, advice, bicycling, cars, driving, rants, Right Hook
[8] Comments

I got hit by an SUV as I was biking back from my swing dance tonight. I’m fine–neither of us were moving fast–but pissed off. The kind of accident I had is common enough to have a name: The Right Hook.

I was in the bike lane, with traffic on my left, moving at the same speed I was. We were all about to cross a street at a light. The person in the SUV next to me turned right into me as we entered the intersection.

So, if you are in a car next to a bike lane, keep in mind that it is a traffic lane so it would be a good idea to use your turn signal and look over your shoulder before turning across it. You might really hurt someone if you don’t.

If you’re on a bike with cars around, wear a helmet and be ready for anything.

April 28, 2010

Rape, Gender, and Prison

Posted by Nathen under Americans, Bureau of Justice Statistics, crime, headlines, men, prison, Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003, rants, rape, sexual assault, statistics
1 Comment

I was learning about and being shocked by the prevalence of rape of women in college for my crisis line training when an essay by Eli Lehrer caught my eye, “Ending Prison Rape.” It’s about the apparent controversy and reluctance to implement the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003. I looked into the numbers a bit, and it looks like there is a good chance that there are as many rapes of men in prison as of free women in the US.

(Here are some Bureau of Justice Statistics links, if you want to look into it: http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=1743, http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=840, http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/topics/corrections/institutional/prison-rape/welcome.htm)

No one deserves to be raped. Why do we have this weird double standard? Not even the most outrageous comedian would joke about women being raped, but it’s a very common joke about prisoners. Hilarious! It’s like that’s just part of the deal–part of your punishment. If you break the law, you get raped. You gave up your right to not get raped when you did such-and-such.

Most of these men will be getting out, someday. I know very few people really think that there is any rehabilitation going on in prisons, but getting raped is the opposite of rehabilitation. Does anyone seriously think a man can be raped into being a good citizen? That they will treat others better for having been raped? The evidence on trauma does not support this view. Or perhaps we think it’s a way of keeping people from breaking the law. Better not do that, they rape you in there… Lehrer’s essay says that some are saying this is a state’s rights issue, as if states should be able to decide which American men are suitable for raping. That would be fine with me, I suppose, if they unanimously decided that no rape was acceptable, period.

Still, for some perspective, the Prison Rape Elimination Act’s estimated 13% of men in prison raped gives better odds than the 20% of women raped in college. Perhaps there should be a College Rape Elimination Act of 2010.

April 26, 2010

Interracial Marriage, Legal for 43 Years

Posted by Nathen under free will, generations, marriage, probability, racism, Supreme Court
[4] Comments

Reanna is reading me a book, called Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace With Marriage, a memoir about a marriage and the history and culture of marriage. I’m only just into chapter 3, but so far, it’s good.

One thing the author, Elizabeth Gilbert, writes is that in 1967, when interracial marriage was made legal by the Supreme Court, seven out of ten Americans believed that it should remain illegal.

Wow. It’s hard to imagine anyone outside of the most racist crackpot seriously defending that position anymore. I wonder how many of that 70% are still alive, and what they think now? Two generations–the Lost Generation (born 1883-1900) and the G.I. generation (born 1901-1924)–have died since then. Two have been born since then–Gen X and Millennial. But two entire generations, Silent and Boomers, are still alive from that time.

I also wonder how many people would still believe interracial marriage should be illegal, if not for that activist-court decision? Could it be that if not for the Supreme Court’s very unpopular interpretation in 1967 that 70% of us would still believe that interracial marriage should be illegal? Would the anti-miscegenation laws have been struck down anyway, by political representatives of the liberal Boomers when they came to power?

And isn’t it easy to imagine that you would have been one of the 30% enlightened people in 1967 and hard to imagine otherwise? Chances are, though, we would have been in the racist camp. This kind of realization is one of the big reasons I doubt the existence of (much, at least) free will. It really seems as if I’ve come to my views on interracial marriage (and most other things) through consideration of facts, but it’s quite likely that the Supreme Court’s 1967 decision had a bigger effect on my beliefs than any of my own efforts have.