I was lecturing on the history of disability today in my "What is Normal" class and we got up through the Middle Ages and to the beginning of institutionalization. After I got home from my daughter's soccer game tonight I was doing the dishes and listening to an old Townes Van Zandt CD. All of a sudden Townes' classic song "The Sanitarium Blues" came on and I was immediately struck by how well he captured the modern predicament of individuals institutionalized for mental illness. Townes' ragged voice and experienced tone only made the song more poignant as I thought back to a lot of the images I'd been showing in class from Christmas in Purgatory (click the link to see some of the images). It was a moment that required me to shut off the water, put down the dish towel and just listen to Townes' poetry.
Townes was in and out of rehab and institutions for much of his life as a result of his addictions, so he definitely knew what he was talking about. It still amazes me that we do this to people in the U.S. and that families choose to do this to their family members. It seems to me that with all the money we're spending on wars and financial bailouts that we could find a little cash to support rehabilitation programs and community based mental health supports for individuals and families. Sometimes I have to wonder what is wrong with this country....then I get depressed thinking about all the people we're failing in the U.S. But, this isn't the place for a post on the things that depress me. I just wanted to share Townes' great song; a song that is borne on Townes' own painful experience. Perhaps that's why the song is so powerful. So, in the interest of sharing, I thought I'd post the lyrics here for your consideration:
The Sanitarium Blues by Townes Van Zandt
(follow this link to hear the song)
The folks, they just can't take no more
Throw you in the back seat, slam the door
No stoppin' as down the road you go
Got no time to lose
Gigantic one way gate ahead
You're thinkin' man I'd as soon be dead
They decided to give you life instead
The sanitarium blues
Big ole nurse all dressed in white
Slaps you on a table in the middle of the night
Then he straps you down real tight
You're wonderin', what'd I do?
They hose you down, make sure you're clean
Wrap you up in hospital green
Shoot you full of Thorazine
The sanitarium blues
Could be TB or maybe a tumor
Eavesdropping on the doctors, listening to the rumors
Can't see your friends, hear the hum of the wheels
Hey my man, you know how it feels
Like the sanitarium blues
Then upon some sunlit day
They figure there's no need for you to stay
They're pretty sure you can't be cured
So they send you on your merry way
You hit the pavement, hang around
Nobody's on the outside to be found
You're just tryin' to stay above the ground
You start to thinkin', what's the use?
The sanitarium blues
Monday, September 29, 2008
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Watch this Movie!: WarDance
Okay, I don't usually go out of my way to promote films, but last night my wife and I watched Wardance and I was literally blown away. I pride myself in being pretty tough and standing strong in the face of some pretty disturbing things...I have to in the field I work in...but this film brought tears to my eyes and left me speechless. The cinematography is beautiful and brings to life the beautiful countryside of northern Uganda, but even more compelling are the stories told by the children documented in this movie.
The movie primarily focuses on three children from the Acholi tribe of northern Uganda, a region of Africa that has been subject to terror and violence at the hands of the Lord's Resistance Army, under the guidance of Joseph Kony, for almost 20 years. Over that time the LRA has targeted the children of the Acholi as recruits and sex slaves. The stories told by the children in this movie are devastating and leave you speechless. You see these young kids, some as young as 8 or 9, who have killed people, served as sex slaves, and have seen their parents killed in front of them and yet still they manage to get on with their lives. I was particularly touched by the story of Rose. Maybe it was her beautiful face, or her soft voice, or the calm resolve that she displayed every day, but she left the deepest impression on me. I could listen to her voice for hours...the lilting, melodic phrasing of the Acholi language off her tongue is hypnotizing....
Okay, okay, I know I'm gushing and I know that this doesn't seem to have anything to do with disability...but it does! I watched these kids and about halfway through the movie I said to Lianne: "Why don't these kids seem to display any of the outward signs of PTSD?" Surely, there are the occasional breakdowns and struggles, but in general the kids documented in this film seem to get along just fine as they work through the stresses of the music competition that forms the focus of the film. As I have thought about this issue today, I have come to realize that maybe the PTSD was 1) not shown by the film makers, or 2) not present to the extent it would be in a Western child because what these kids had gone through was the "norm" in their region of the world. Now that's a terribly disturbing thing to say, but because everyone in the school and refugee camp had gone through similar experiences there was a built in support group, but also a tacit expectation that you get on with your life. This got me to thinking further: "Could PTSD also be socially constructed depending upon the societal "norm" where you live?" What do you think?
So, here's my challenge to you: watch the movie and then let me know what you think. Even if you don't want to let me know what you think, WATCH THIS MOVIE! DO IT! TONIGHT!
As an added bonus, much of the music on the soundtrack comes from one of my favorite artists of all time: Geoffrey Oryema (here's his MySpace page). Geoffrey is also an exiled member of the Acholi tribe documented in this film and his music is absolutely transcendent. Just another reason to watch this film...
Here's the trailer:
The movie primarily focuses on three children from the Acholi tribe of northern Uganda, a region of Africa that has been subject to terror and violence at the hands of the Lord's Resistance Army, under the guidance of Joseph Kony, for almost 20 years. Over that time the LRA has targeted the children of the Acholi as recruits and sex slaves. The stories told by the children in this movie are devastating and leave you speechless. You see these young kids, some as young as 8 or 9, who have killed people, served as sex slaves, and have seen their parents killed in front of them and yet still they manage to get on with their lives. I was particularly touched by the story of Rose. Maybe it was her beautiful face, or her soft voice, or the calm resolve that she displayed every day, but she left the deepest impression on me. I could listen to her voice for hours...the lilting, melodic phrasing of the Acholi language off her tongue is hypnotizing....
Okay, okay, I know I'm gushing and I know that this doesn't seem to have anything to do with disability...but it does! I watched these kids and about halfway through the movie I said to Lianne: "Why don't these kids seem to display any of the outward signs of PTSD?" Surely, there are the occasional breakdowns and struggles, but in general the kids documented in this film seem to get along just fine as they work through the stresses of the music competition that forms the focus of the film. As I have thought about this issue today, I have come to realize that maybe the PTSD was 1) not shown by the film makers, or 2) not present to the extent it would be in a Western child because what these kids had gone through was the "norm" in their region of the world. Now that's a terribly disturbing thing to say, but because everyone in the school and refugee camp had gone through similar experiences there was a built in support group, but also a tacit expectation that you get on with your life. This got me to thinking further: "Could PTSD also be socially constructed depending upon the societal "norm" where you live?" What do you think?
So, here's my challenge to you: watch the movie and then let me know what you think. Even if you don't want to let me know what you think, WATCH THIS MOVIE! DO IT! TONIGHT!
As an added bonus, much of the music on the soundtrack comes from one of my favorite artists of all time: Geoffrey Oryema (here's his MySpace page). Geoffrey is also an exiled member of the Acholi tribe documented in this film and his music is absolutely transcendent. Just another reason to watch this film...
Here's the trailer:
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