A misconception, that you did not repeat but I'll mention it here as it applies, is that the State hospitals kicked the patients out to save money. This is not true. They kicked them out, and rightfully so, because the groups like the ACLU sued the hell out of them.
The result was, basically, if it couldn't be proven that you were an immediate threat to yourself and other people, and you could vocalize your desire to be let out, they kicked you to the curb.
Unfortunately, they got kicked to the curb with little support and few legal methods to demand they remain in treatment, as well as no funding to ensure they remained in treatment.
Then, there was the rampant abuse that was going on in many of the facilities. The stories are full of atrocities and those came to light. Suffice to say, State run mental health facilities had/have some serious optics issues.
As to your comment about their jovial nature... I think I can shed some light on that? However, I'm not an expert.
I've had the chance to visit the war torn, impoverished, and even the combat zones. I have traveled a lot and paid for my education by serving in the military. Specifically, I spent eight years in the Marines.
In that time, and as a civilian, I got to visit numerous places where death from starvation was a serious risk, where combat actions took the lives of civilians, and where every single central government agency had failed the citizens. In short, I've visited some places where the situation was pretty terrible.
The striking thing is, in all those places, the children still mustered enough energy to laugh. In all those places, people still sang and danced. They still shared what they had. They still celebrated life. They still had weddings and celebrated love. They still wrote poetry, drew pictures, and told jokes.
I guess there's a point where those things stop happening at all, at least for the truly destitute. The siege of Stalingrad is an example, though I guess even that wasn't entirely without people expressing joy. People still got married in the Nazi concentration camps.
My conclusion is that we humans are pretty resilient. We are pretty tough. Even when faced with daily horrors that most can't even really imagine, we still can maintain some humanity. It seems that, no matter where I go, people are people.
I've heard children's laughter immediately after people stopped firing their weapons. I don't know if they were laughing during it, but I know they laughed and played afterwards. So, even the homeless retain some humanity. They laugh, cry, sing, and enjoy art - just like the rest of us.
Sorry, I'm no philosopher and I'm not a psychiatrist. So, I don't have a better way to describe it.
> Sorry, I'm no philosopher and I'm not a psychiatrist. So, I don't have a better way to describe it.
You described it very well. Thanks for answering and sharing your experience.
Yeah people seem to find a reason to laugh or be happy even in the worst conditions.
It interestingly goes the other way too -- people who seemingly have everything and more sort of get used to it and still find ways to be unhappy and resentful. Even over the littlest things, like say the barista making the wrong coffee or someone cutting them off when driving.
The result was, basically, if it couldn't be proven that you were an immediate threat to yourself and other people, and you could vocalize your desire to be let out, they kicked you to the curb.
Unfortunately, they got kicked to the curb with little support and few legal methods to demand they remain in treatment, as well as no funding to ensure they remained in treatment.
Then, there was the rampant abuse that was going on in many of the facilities. The stories are full of atrocities and those came to light. Suffice to say, State run mental health facilities had/have some serious optics issues.
As to your comment about their jovial nature... I think I can shed some light on that? However, I'm not an expert.
I've had the chance to visit the war torn, impoverished, and even the combat zones. I have traveled a lot and paid for my education by serving in the military. Specifically, I spent eight years in the Marines.
In that time, and as a civilian, I got to visit numerous places where death from starvation was a serious risk, where combat actions took the lives of civilians, and where every single central government agency had failed the citizens. In short, I've visited some places where the situation was pretty terrible.
The striking thing is, in all those places, the children still mustered enough energy to laugh. In all those places, people still sang and danced. They still shared what they had. They still celebrated life. They still had weddings and celebrated love. They still wrote poetry, drew pictures, and told jokes.
I guess there's a point where those things stop happening at all, at least for the truly destitute. The siege of Stalingrad is an example, though I guess even that wasn't entirely without people expressing joy. People still got married in the Nazi concentration camps.
My conclusion is that we humans are pretty resilient. We are pretty tough. Even when faced with daily horrors that most can't even really imagine, we still can maintain some humanity. It seems that, no matter where I go, people are people.
I've heard children's laughter immediately after people stopped firing their weapons. I don't know if they were laughing during it, but I know they laughed and played afterwards. So, even the homeless retain some humanity. They laugh, cry, sing, and enjoy art - just like the rest of us.
Sorry, I'm no philosopher and I'm not a psychiatrist. So, I don't have a better way to describe it.