The first of several free noontime therapy sessions at the American Health Association in Boca Raton was designed to treat what mental health counselors have dubbed Post Election Selection Trauma (PEST).“If I had a cardboard cutout of President Bush, and these people wanted to throw darts at it, I would let them do it,” Robert J. Gordon, AHA executive director, told the Boca News after the session. “It’s no joke. People with PEST were traumatized by the election. If you even mention religion, their faces turn blister-red as they shout at Bush.”
Wait a minute, if I mention religion these people faces turn "blister-red as they shout at Bush". Religion, religion, religion! Now that I have that out of my system, it goes on to mention:
Gordon said the Kerry supporters in therapy are predominantly Jewish and older than 50. Most are registered independents and all live in Palm Beach County.I've never really mentioned much about Judaism on this site (my great-grandfather was Jewish, so I am an eighth Jewish, not too shabby (Don't get mad, I'm paraphrasing Adam Sandler)), but what is the state of Judaism in Palm Beach that if you mention "religion" to these Jewish people they get upset? Isn't Judaism a religion? Am I missing something?
Moving on, here are some more brilliant quotes:
According to AHA officials, symptoms of PEST are similar to post-traumatic stress disorder. They include nightmares, sleeplessness, hostility, listlessness, and emotional outbursts including threats to leave the country. “There’s an overall sense of emotional helplessness and abandonment,” said Sheila Cooperman, a licensed AHA psychotherapist from Delray Beach. “In psychology, we call it ‘learned helplessness.’ After you zap a caged dog twice, he stops moving because he knows there is no place to go. That’s what happened with these Kerry voters. They’ve been zapped so many times that they’re on the verge of giving up on politics.”
Cooperman, also a practicing psychic, added, “One person today said he thinks the country is now run by fascists. Another felt personally threatened by the president’s love for big business. Many believe Bush is going to draft their grandchildren. The anxiety may not affect them every day, but it affects their energy level.”
I love the quote: "Another felt personally threatened by the president's love for big business..." Classic. Are big business' going to hunt you down and hurt you? Are they sinister, evil corporations, whose only motive is to make money? Jeez, lighten up people.
My final take on this (and probably my most religous take ever):
In my humble opinion these people need religion! They need to not blame religion for their problem, but realize that God's Mercy and Grace is all they need. They need it to help them understand how to deal with disappointment in life. They need to live a life not dependent on the outcome of the election but dependent on Jesus.
I'm sure they would be upset to read that above, but if they don't learn how to be saved, at least they can learn a dose of reality, the election is over, move on with your life.
2 comments:
First off, it’s ridiculous that they have actually been able to make someone think (or let someone think) they have an actual disorder over the election. I think you said it right when you said its disappointment and they just have to deal with it. However 50+ Jewish ladies from Palm Beach probably don't even know what the word disappointment means but just because this is the 1st time they felt it doesn’t make it a "trauma".
But what I don’t get is what you said about religion. What do you mean by, you can’t even mention religion to these people? Why not?
And no, more religion is not the answer, there’s too much of that as it is. People actually think W is god, or has been touched by god or something disturbing like that. Less religion is what this country needs. People need to start believing in things that are real, and that don't divide humanity, and doesn’t spawn more hatred and creep further into our government, media and laws.
Sorry it took a while to post a response, I've been busy and away from the blog. About your comment:
"But what I don’t get is what you said about religion. What do you mean by, you can’t even mention religion to these people? Why not?"
I'm quoting from the article where it says:
"If you even mention religion, their faces turn blister-red as they shout at Bush."
Obviously our opinions of religion differ here and I'm not going to make this response into a evangelistic effort, however, this article and the quote I just listed highlights one of the fundamental problems with the mainstream media's coverage of the election. They believe that religion was the difference in the election. The exit polls results showing morals as a difference in voting does not necessarily indicate religion was the motivation. I believe that even atheists or agnostics would be motivated to vote according to "morals". As I commented in this post, I think it's funny that although this articles points out that these people are religious (last time I checked, Judiasm is a religion), they get upset when someone mentions religion to them.
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