General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsTax records? health records?
I would much rather that anyone who is going to run for our president to have an extensive psychological exam to prove them mentally fit to safely lead millions of people.
asiliveandbreathe
(8,203 posts)Hopefully Hillary will address it, again, at the last debate -
as far as the mental exam -I think we can agree that the court of public opinion, on this candidate, is already reported in..UNFIT! DOES NOT QUALIFY! LACKS TEMPERMENT! - LACKS JUDGEMENT! -DEFINITELY CANNOT GET ANYWHERE NEAR THE BUTTON!
Doreen
(11,686 posts)they need to give the tax records but if they are going to run they need to do the mental exam first. If they do not pass the mental exam we would never have to worry about the tax records because they would not be allowed to run. Save the entire country from all of this crap we have been dealing with.
2naSalit
(86,496 posts)all of the above.
ColemanMaskell
(783 posts)Who writes the test?
As an example of the problem,
Remember that until recently LGBT behaviors were considered mental disorders and listed as such in the primary psychological reference The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), published by the American Psychiatric Association (APA).
In the USSR, Anti-Soviet activists were considered, or at least labeled, as mentally ill.
Mental health or illness is a fluid concept dependent on the prevailing cultural norms. That's one reason the DSM is in its fifth edition, and we can expect many further revisions as norms of behavior change.
There is no objective scientific definition for "mentally fit". The concept can, however, be used as a dangerous political tool to suppress opposition.
You can label all the right wing nut jobs crazy today, but do you want to pass a law that will enable them, when they happen to be in power, to administer psychiatric evaluations that they design? I don't want to go down that path.
Doreen
(11,686 posts)you make a very good point. It just would be a comfort to know we could not be forced to have a sociopath in office.