Blog Archive

Thursday, December 27, 2018

Humor in Psychology

I just started reading a great book called, Oral Sadism and the Vegetarian Personality, by Glenn C. Ellenbogen, Ph.D. I had read some of the book in the past and hoped at some time in the future I could read further.

The book has nearly 60 essays, all humorous. It's a delightful take on psychology. I hope to do some writing in this vein, because I think it will help me weather the current political climate (and maybe help others, too).

I've read only a few essays so far, but the first essay, "The Etiology and Treatment of Childhood," by Jordan W. Smoller, is excellent. Indeed, it seems like an article one might read in a peer-reviewed journal, just with a lot of funny stuff.

I don't know if laughter is the best medicine, but it surely helps.

***

Wednesday, December 12, 2018

Trouble Brewing

It seems more and more evidence is piling up against President Trump. So much so that the public (myself included) can't make sense of the deluge of information, and disinformation from the president.

Yet, out of this morass, one thing appears important to note. That there is much evidence that the president payed hush money to two women, "hush money" in the sense that if he did not pay out, he would have likely lost the presidency.

This is a felony.

No amount of sophistry or expert lawyering is probably able to eradicate this.

***

Wednesday, December 5, 2018

Touching to See

With the passing of George H. W. Bush recently, a number of nice stories have come out about him. Indeed, I think that is one thing missing from political debate--the commending of politicians of all stripes when some good act is done, whether it's a bipartisan move or just a kind gesture.

There was a story of the late president where he shaved his head in solidarity with a child who had leukemia. The child was the son of a Secret Service agent in Bush's security detail. The other agents shaved their heads for the child, so Pres. Bush did too. He said it was the right thing to do.

***