A glimpse into darkness

I know I lead a sheltered life. I know it because every once in a while I get an unwanted peek into quite a different world.

Last Saturday morning, the LWW and I were eating breakfast at the Izaak Walton railroad hotel on the south border of Glacier National Park in Montana, surrounded by mountains clad with gloriously golden tamarack trees interspersed with deep green pines. As peaceful and relaxing a place as one can find.

We were happily munching on huckleberry pancakes in the dining room when a pleasant enough looking middle-aged lady at the next table looked up from her constant prayers spoken in an underbreath to let us know in the space of about 10 minutes:

• She was an investigative journalist getting evidence of the trains full of shackled political prisoners being routed along the Great Northern.
• That the 35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis was deliberately caused by Hilary Clinton in order to get more federal transportation funding.
• That Roswell NM is the site of extensive human genetics experimentation by the military.
• And that all the Yellowstone National Park rangers are on the take since the park officials provide prostitutes, meth, and "hard liquor" to important guests to the park. As a result of her learning this, she was "professionally" poisoned by park officials to keep her quiet from which it took her 6 months to recover.

I am probably forgetting some other of her discoveries, all declared with urgent certainty. We ate quickly, remained polite and headed out as soon as possible, her blessings and warnings following us out the door.

Happily, I don't seem to encounter people whose sad, dark minds are filled with wasps and demons very often. But here's the thing: I bet this lady has a website or writes for one. And I bet there are thousands just like her. What are the odds of kids coming across the "facts" she and other conspiracy theorists produce? Pretty good.

This tripe is as or more harmful than pornography IMHO. And I doubt there is a filter in the world that has a "nut-case" setting.

Are we teaching kids to avoid info-porn?

Oh, the lady did begin her little diatribe by telling me that I was a highly intelligent looking man. While I suggested that looks are often deceiving, it just goes to show that nobody is wrong 100% of the time.

Tamaracks of Glacier Park. October 2008

Comments

[Tom Hoffman]

I would say that this woman is not so much misinformed by mentally ill.

[Dean Shareski]

"And I doubt there is a filter in the world that has a "nut-case" setting." That's a keeper. Always a pleasure reading your stuff that's so filled with insight and humor. BTW, what's a LWW? I missed that one.

[Susan]

Hi Doug,

Having lived with a sister with a mental illness for 15 years, I was struck by your use of the term "nut-case". While I can appreciate that the information she was passing on to you shows a delusional state of mind, I am cautious about the use of terms such as 'nut-case' to describe persons with mental illnesses. Living with a mental illness is an incredibly difficult and frightening experience. It takes a supportive community and excellent health care to provide mentally ill persons with an environment which helps to improve their quality of life and connection to reality. All to often people with mental illnesses are left to their own devices once their families have exhausted their support systems and have run our of money or patience with the all too small health resources. Although I agree we need to help students to sort information for accuracy and validity and our filters don't help them to distinguish delusion from reality, we need to be supportive in words and structures of 'people like her'. 1 in 10 persons in the world suffers from schizophrenia. It's no walk in the park and we need to bring these people out of the darkness which shadows their experience which unlike physical illnesses are also darkened by stigma and shame. I enjoyed your point but not your portrayal of this woman.

[Doug Johnson]

@ Hi Tom,

On reflection, I agree. See the later post for which I was taken to task for my unsympathetic description.

Doug

@ Hi Dean,

The LWW is my lovely wife - the Luckiest Woman in the World.

Thanks for the kind words,

Doug

@ Hi Susan,

On reflection, I agree that I was insensitive to the woman's plight. My first thought was that she would have been a much happier person with some counseling.

Perhaps it was her anti-government stance and paranoia, only slightly less pronounced in much of our mainstream media, that made her seem more politically driven than mentally/emotionally imbalanced.

Thanks for reminding me that a more compassionate approach is always the best. I will do better next time.

Humbled,

Doug

[Susan]

You're always thoughtful and thought provoking. I must admit my more personal experience makes me sensitive to the terms used. Thanks for thinking things over and letting the rest of us in on your thinking.