Great article. I touch on some of this in writing about the reporting of de-identified and aggregated LOCAL psychotropic prescribing data. It is much easier to motivate civic engagement with community data than national statistics.
You're right -- so much more happens at the state/region/city/community levels. That said, one of the reasons for that is because national news media have stopped covering key community issues and putting them in the national context.
Thank you for this informative, and instructive, article. I have admired Ralph Nader since I was quite young, for all the reasons you describe here. His analysis of the factors that have so effectively undermined, and almost destroyed public awareness, and activism, since the 1960s and 1970s is spot on. I appreciate your recognition of the common links across various progressive movements (ie. consumer protection, labour, peace, civil liberties): both how this damage has been done, and how to reawaken our collective power and strength by becoming active engaged citizens, who stay informed, speak out, join/support movements, and vote/hold our leaders accountable (while we still can). This is the issue of our times, and we urgently need to hear more inspiring visions, and each find meaningful ways to contribute to the changes we are so eager to see. Thank you, Ralph Nader, Chris Hedges, and Rob Wipond for your courage and truth telling.
Excellent work, as always Rob. I've long admired and been influenced by Mr. Nader's work, since growing up in the 1970s. I have long been critical of the corporate creep that has been a further influence on our political leadership certainly in the United States but also around the World. It's worth noting at present that the head of the World Economic Fund is the literal son of a Nazi, Klaus Schwab. That an unelected de facto leader who meets with corporate and World leaders in person at least once a year to direct the wealth and narrative that lies behind it is quite the scary thought. His most famous quote is "You will own nothing and be happy" and this is the dystopian nightmare he is actively attempting to make reality in a variety of ways, undoubtedly the low key push for furthering the increase of "involuntary commitments" and forced drugging among them. Those policies and procedures, as psychiatry, has its roots in eugenics and unwarranted control under suspect and spurious accusations generally from people with something to hide or something to lose. Much of this is a building upon what was common practices of the Stassi in the former Soviet Union as well as the SS in Nazi Germany.
I'd like to mention as well that it was a brave whistleblower back in the early 1970's in conjunction with a brave journalist who brought to light the ongoing experiments conducted on the black men of Tuskegee. Also the horrors of illicit ongoing experiments of MKUltra on unsuspecting citizens in both the United States and Canada who were seeking help, not further harm and traumatization.
As a lifelong staunch Independent voter, I also became a targeted individual, intentionally used and exploited by abusers both domestic and professionals in the psuedoscience of psychiatry. I spoke up frequently about the abuses I dealt with as an autistic woman who was profoundly impacted by abuse in my family of origin that resulted in CPTSD as well as dealing with Lupus, heart problems while attempting to navigate a horrible for profit sick care system that left me in literally crippling excruciating pain for decades to the point where I couldn't even sit comfortably let alone get around without crutches. Yet I found that when I actively sought out successful alternative treatments, I ended up having past life regression hypnotherapy deliberately misused/misapplied on me so that not only was I being brutally "researched" for Consciousness studies, it cleverly mimiced "psychosis" so those in charge could begin to perjure themselves in court, traumatized me further with repeated unnecessary "hospitalizations" & involuntary commitments under forced pretenenses and repeated attempts at unnecessary and incredibly harmful, demoralizing forced drugging against my known will and wishes with known neurotoxins extremely damaging to the brain and body while returning me repeatedly to a known domestic abuser. All of that of course not only allows criminals and crooks to get away with horrific abusive and exploitative behavior, it enriches them as they continue to line their pockets with blood money and blame the victim.
Again, I cannot thank you enough Rob for helping to point these horrors and abuses out. It is beyond disturbing what has been happening and has low key been happening out of the general public's view and attention for far too long. I applaud and support your efforts and hope that with the activism and intelligence of reports like you along with survivors such as myself and others we will not only bring much needed attention but also changes and alternatives to fix this broken system.
This is a fantastic report. I follow both Chris Hedges and Ralph Nader. I highly recommend watching the talk between Chris Hedges and Ralph Nader. I often see the parallels between pstchiatric liberation and other fights for liberation across the globe. I hope more people see that connection. I hope it motivates people into organizing and responding. Thanks again for a great report.
Great article. I touch on some of this in writing about the reporting of de-identified and aggregated LOCAL psychotropic prescribing data. It is much easier to motivate civic engagement with community data than national statistics.
You're right -- so much more happens at the state/region/city/community levels. That said, one of the reasons for that is because national news media have stopped covering key community issues and putting them in the national context.
Thank you for this informative, and instructive, article. I have admired Ralph Nader since I was quite young, for all the reasons you describe here. His analysis of the factors that have so effectively undermined, and almost destroyed public awareness, and activism, since the 1960s and 1970s is spot on. I appreciate your recognition of the common links across various progressive movements (ie. consumer protection, labour, peace, civil liberties): both how this damage has been done, and how to reawaken our collective power and strength by becoming active engaged citizens, who stay informed, speak out, join/support movements, and vote/hold our leaders accountable (while we still can). This is the issue of our times, and we urgently need to hear more inspiring visions, and each find meaningful ways to contribute to the changes we are so eager to see. Thank you, Ralph Nader, Chris Hedges, and Rob Wipond for your courage and truth telling.
Excellent work, as always Rob. I've long admired and been influenced by Mr. Nader's work, since growing up in the 1970s. I have long been critical of the corporate creep that has been a further influence on our political leadership certainly in the United States but also around the World. It's worth noting at present that the head of the World Economic Fund is the literal son of a Nazi, Klaus Schwab. That an unelected de facto leader who meets with corporate and World leaders in person at least once a year to direct the wealth and narrative that lies behind it is quite the scary thought. His most famous quote is "You will own nothing and be happy" and this is the dystopian nightmare he is actively attempting to make reality in a variety of ways, undoubtedly the low key push for furthering the increase of "involuntary commitments" and forced drugging among them. Those policies and procedures, as psychiatry, has its roots in eugenics and unwarranted control under suspect and spurious accusations generally from people with something to hide or something to lose. Much of this is a building upon what was common practices of the Stassi in the former Soviet Union as well as the SS in Nazi Germany.
I'd like to mention as well that it was a brave whistleblower back in the early 1970's in conjunction with a brave journalist who brought to light the ongoing experiments conducted on the black men of Tuskegee. Also the horrors of illicit ongoing experiments of MKUltra on unsuspecting citizens in both the United States and Canada who were seeking help, not further harm and traumatization.
As a lifelong staunch Independent voter, I also became a targeted individual, intentionally used and exploited by abusers both domestic and professionals in the psuedoscience of psychiatry. I spoke up frequently about the abuses I dealt with as an autistic woman who was profoundly impacted by abuse in my family of origin that resulted in CPTSD as well as dealing with Lupus, heart problems while attempting to navigate a horrible for profit sick care system that left me in literally crippling excruciating pain for decades to the point where I couldn't even sit comfortably let alone get around without crutches. Yet I found that when I actively sought out successful alternative treatments, I ended up having past life regression hypnotherapy deliberately misused/misapplied on me so that not only was I being brutally "researched" for Consciousness studies, it cleverly mimiced "psychosis" so those in charge could begin to perjure themselves in court, traumatized me further with repeated unnecessary "hospitalizations" & involuntary commitments under forced pretenenses and repeated attempts at unnecessary and incredibly harmful, demoralizing forced drugging against my known will and wishes with known neurotoxins extremely damaging to the brain and body while returning me repeatedly to a known domestic abuser. All of that of course not only allows criminals and crooks to get away with horrific abusive and exploitative behavior, it enriches them as they continue to line their pockets with blood money and blame the victim.
Again, I cannot thank you enough Rob for helping to point these horrors and abuses out. It is beyond disturbing what has been happening and has low key been happening out of the general public's view and attention for far too long. I applaud and support your efforts and hope that with the activism and intelligence of reports like you along with survivors such as myself and others we will not only bring much needed attention but also changes and alternatives to fix this broken system.
Thank you for your comments and support, Dana. I don't think anyone should be forced to go through such things!
This is a fantastic report. I follow both Chris Hedges and Ralph Nader. I highly recommend watching the talk between Chris Hedges and Ralph Nader. I often see the parallels between pstchiatric liberation and other fights for liberation across the globe. I hope more people see that connection. I hope it motivates people into organizing and responding. Thanks again for a great report.