Just For Fun

Factoids and Fun

A Soliloquy Paraphrased
From Shakespeare's Merchant Of Venice:
"Consumer" = "person diagnosed with mental illness"

Hath not a consumer eyes?
Hath not a consumer hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions?
Fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer?
If you prick us, do we not bleed?
If you tickle us, do we not laugh?
If you poison us, do we not die?

Mad Hatters

Did you ever wonder where that phrase "mad hatter" came from?

It came from England. A long time ago, English people used to assume that if you were a hat maker you were mentally ill.

Actually, they were not too far off the mark. Hatters of the day used to use chemicals, including mercury, to make their hats.

The problem is, when we do not know the cause of a person's behavior, we naturally assume that it's something INSIDE the person. But it wasn't the hatters who were mentally ill, it was the chemicals.

They weren't mad hatters. They were environmentally damaged hatters.

Factoid

Four different living places, in high-to-low order of their cost to taxpayers:

Psychiatric hospital
Jail
Homeless Shelter
Supportive Housing

(Supportive housing usually consists of a hotel or other large building converted to apartments, with professional help available on the premises.)

The Blues
Anonymous

You know how they say that, in order to sing the blues well, you have to be there?

I've been there.

I've had the Man's Gone and Left Me blues.
I've had the Man Won't Leave Me Alone blues.
I've had the Seeking Independence blues.
I've had the Want Mamma to Hold My Hand blues.
I've had the Everybody Must Get Stoned blues.
I've had the So Stoned Cold Busted I Can't Even Get My Shoes Shined blues.

I've had the Mentally Ill blues,
the Infectious Hepatitis blues,
the Can't Have Kids blues,
the Don't Want Kids Anyway blues,
the Too Fat blues,
and the Levee's Gonna Break blues.

I've had the Nasty Sibling Who Wrecks My Reputation blues,
the Social Security blues,
the Stay Away From My Man or I'll Bust Your Chops! blues,
the Car Got Towed blues,
the I Didn't Know You Were That Old blues,
the Mam, Mam, What, Are You Deaf, Lady, You Can't Park Here! blues,
and the Acute Psychotic Breakdown blues.

Satisfied?

Factoid

In his or her life, the average person:
-knows the names of 2000 people
-calls 150 people "friend"

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