Listen now | Chris Hedges speaks with the Psychiatrist Dr. James Gilligan about our rash of mass shootings and his book Violence: Our Deadly Epidemic and it’s Causes.
Thanks for this interview. The term "soul death" makes so much sense and also reminds me of the writings of the psychologist Alice Miller. So much violence and evil emerges from people having been abused terribly in childhood. The Gilligans--both James here and his wife, the feminist psychologist Carol Gilligan--are treasures in the field of psychotherapy.
It's good to hear James Gilligan. He is surely a great counselor.
His wife Carol Gilligan surely is also. I admire their books which I seriously sample.
The high violence numbers in America might be an after effect of Jim Crow, Custer's last stand, and notions of liberty.
"In fact, racism is quintessentially American. And America is an exceptionally violent society. These two truths are not often discussed in tandem, especially within dominant public health narratives":
I do not know what insanity is. The say I am autistic and don't know what that is either. I live in a world of logic and I ask the same question Kinky asks "Who are we to say the boy's insane?"
Here in Quebec we are secular humanists (deists) The question we ask is does a society dedicated to the welfare of the individual and family benefit. In Quebec the law serves justice and we write the law. Corporations and institutions have no human rights . They feel neither joy nor sorrow. They are pieces of paper. What is it exactly psychiatrists are trying to figure out? The combinations and permutations are beyond human comprehension . Right now it would present an unsolvable calculation for Big Blue.
Psychiatry is to psychology as Tarot reading is to astrology.
What an elemental lesson about harshness producing what’s worse. With that understanding, that's counter-intuitive to us, Norway's prison system focuses on rehabilitation rather than punishment. Here's my blogpost about it: https://suespeaks.org/enlightened-imprisonment. Understanding that would move us into being a compassionate society instead of a vengeful one. It's the system change that we need.
So where can that come from? Dealing with each of the ills that plague us keeps us busy with struggles, but virtually all of them stem from one causal situation. If we addressed income inequality, so much of what ails us wouldn’t exist.
Chris, I have a wild idea about turning our situation around, and don't know whether I should go public with it. Would you take a look? Email me: suzanne@mightycompanions.org.
This is powerful stuff. Helped me understand why Salvador Ramos chose to murder mercilessly 19 Hispanic children and two likely Hispanic teachers in a Hispanic school when he is himself Hispanic. USA is a hateful nation. So sad.
In the world of materialistic pleasures money reigns supreme, and material wealth is more important than life itself. This is where we have come. Devoid of all spirituality, the western world with its predatory capitalism, Imperialistic expansionism like a cancer, and the constant hypocrisy of political position versus the actions taken leave humanity in disbelief and highly critical of so-called Leaders. Public Servants who lose sight of their roots and Dominate the masses, give rise to conflict. Our warring nature fueled by the capitalistic pressure of weapons dealers, makes killing look like a sport or game. Life, which should be sacred, is relegated to the level of "collateral damage" the price we pay for our excesses and spiritual bankruptcy. And we wonder why the US is crime ridden? It would not be this way if all of us knew that we are all connected to the same source and to kill another is like cutting our own hearts out of our chests, especially on another level where all is seen with clarity.
Humanity is going through an eschatological change right now we are in the midst of it. New energies are hitting the planet increasing consciousness and destroying the matrix of lies and deceit of centuries that have kept humanity down for so long. Read and understand the Vedas and you will see the cycles our solar system and galaxy go through. Slow constant birth, death and rebirth. schooling for the soul. What looks like the end is only the beginning my friends, a beginning to a new universally peaceful and cooperative world. It can be no other way, because we do not want the other option. The few Fascist corporate state controllers want this but they are being exposed and they will go down kicking and screaming, because they know no other way. Kindness and Compassion will dominate our future and these qualities will be the desired qualities of those who serve the public. There will be no war, as we are growing out of that for good. Namaste to all. EWC
Thanks for this interview. The term "soul death" makes so much sense and also reminds me of the writings of the psychologist Alice Miller. So much violence and evil emerges from people having been abused terribly in childhood. The Gilligans--both James here and his wife, the feminist psychologist Carol Gilligan--are treasures in the field of psychotherapy.
It's good to hear James Gilligan. He is surely a great counselor.
His wife Carol Gilligan surely is also. I admire their books which I seriously sample.
The high violence numbers in America might be an after effect of Jim Crow, Custer's last stand, and notions of liberty.
"In fact, racism is quintessentially American. And America is an exceptionally violent society. These two truths are not often discussed in tandem, especially within dominant public health narratives":
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2021.676783/full.
There are probably more books on violence than any other subject.
A recent one, Philip Dwyer - Violence_ A Very Short Introduction-Oxford University Press (2022), says:
"The United States is the exception to the industrialized world;
Americans are two and a half to eight times more homicidal than
people in any other affluent democracy. ... As for homicides, black Americans represent the majority of
victims, disproportionately killed by other blacks. In fact, black
Americans are 10 times more likely to die from homicide by gun
than a white American. ... there is also a tolerance for violence in America that is
not found in any other affluent country. According to Roth, for
various reasons, around three-fifths of killers in the United States
escape punishment ... The problem lies deeper than simple gun possession
and is tied to both social and distinct cultural-ideological traits. ... "
Parents irresponsibly bought a gun for their obviously very troubled and abused son who subsequently shot 12 ,killing 4 students - say to the court "don't blame us" : James, Jennifer Crumbley ask appeals court to toss case: Our son did this, not us.🤬 https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/oakland/2022/07/19/jennifer-james-crumbley-appeal-oxford-school-shooting/10096276002/?fbclid=IwAR0CRHb7K-f-niqXad_8xmIqsf-PDr7evtxOzshYaZJK4EUTqKqlsR1dTKk
I couldn't learn much in school. I guess I am one of those witches Cotton Mather's Harvard is still looking for.
Kinky Friedman sang the Ballad of Charles Joseph Whitman in 1970. The shooting in 1966 still ranks with the worst school shootings.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wU-UI4lHjds
I do not know what insanity is. The say I am autistic and don't know what that is either. I live in a world of logic and I ask the same question Kinky asks "Who are we to say the boy's insane?"
Here in Quebec we are secular humanists (deists) The question we ask is does a society dedicated to the welfare of the individual and family benefit. In Quebec the law serves justice and we write the law. Corporations and institutions have no human rights . They feel neither joy nor sorrow. They are pieces of paper. What is it exactly psychiatrists are trying to figure out? The combinations and permutations are beyond human comprehension . Right now it would present an unsolvable calculation for Big Blue.
Psychiatry is to psychology as Tarot reading is to astrology.
Have psychiatrists ever heard of Darwin?
What an elemental lesson about harshness producing what’s worse. With that understanding, that's counter-intuitive to us, Norway's prison system focuses on rehabilitation rather than punishment. Here's my blogpost about it: https://suespeaks.org/enlightened-imprisonment. Understanding that would move us into being a compassionate society instead of a vengeful one. It's the system change that we need.
So where can that come from? Dealing with each of the ills that plague us keeps us busy with struggles, but virtually all of them stem from one causal situation. If we addressed income inequality, so much of what ails us wouldn’t exist.
Chris, I have a wild idea about turning our situation around, and don't know whether I should go public with it. Would you take a look? Email me: suzanne@mightycompanions.org.
This is powerful stuff. Helped me understand why Salvador Ramos chose to murder mercilessly 19 Hispanic children and two likely Hispanic teachers in a Hispanic school when he is himself Hispanic. USA is a hateful nation. So sad.
Unfortunately Andrew Vachss has left us, but he was amazing on child abuse.
In the world of materialistic pleasures money reigns supreme, and material wealth is more important than life itself. This is where we have come. Devoid of all spirituality, the western world with its predatory capitalism, Imperialistic expansionism like a cancer, and the constant hypocrisy of political position versus the actions taken leave humanity in disbelief and highly critical of so-called Leaders. Public Servants who lose sight of their roots and Dominate the masses, give rise to conflict. Our warring nature fueled by the capitalistic pressure of weapons dealers, makes killing look like a sport or game. Life, which should be sacred, is relegated to the level of "collateral damage" the price we pay for our excesses and spiritual bankruptcy. And we wonder why the US is crime ridden? It would not be this way if all of us knew that we are all connected to the same source and to kill another is like cutting our own hearts out of our chests, especially on another level where all is seen with clarity.
Humanity is going through an eschatological change right now we are in the midst of it. New energies are hitting the planet increasing consciousness and destroying the matrix of lies and deceit of centuries that have kept humanity down for so long. Read and understand the Vedas and you will see the cycles our solar system and galaxy go through. Slow constant birth, death and rebirth. schooling for the soul. What looks like the end is only the beginning my friends, a beginning to a new universally peaceful and cooperative world. It can be no other way, because we do not want the other option. The few Fascist corporate state controllers want this but they are being exposed and they will go down kicking and screaming, because they know no other way. Kindness and Compassion will dominate our future and these qualities will be the desired qualities of those who serve the public. There will be no war, as we are growing out of that for good. Namaste to all. EWC
Thank you!