# Medicalizing irresponsibility: a term as ridiculous as "affluenza" **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 23, 2017, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medicalizing-irresponsibility-a-term-as-ridiculous-as-affluenza/782824 "2017-03-23T11:33:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2017, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medicalizing-irresponsibility-a-term-as-ridiculous-as-affluenza/782824/181 "2017-05-02T20:07:47Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > Yes, because a gun or a laptop is as important as a human infant :rolleyes: To a spy without a baby, a laptop is at least as important, probably more, because the information on the laptop can affect thousands of people, can in the wrong hands start a war that kills ten thousands of people. Also: the air marshal might have been sleep-deprived - like many parents. ---
**Author:** ![Human\_Action](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@Human\_Action](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Human_Action)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2017, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medicalizing-irresponsibility-a-term-as-ridiculous-as-affluenza/782824/182 "2017-05-04T14:09:30Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > Yes, because a gun or a laptop is as important as a human infant :rolleyes: "Memory is a machine,” [David Diamond] says, “and it is not flawless. Our conscious mind prioritizes things by importance, but on a cellular level, our memory does not. If you’re capable of forgetting your cellphone, you are potentially capable of forgetting your child.” I’m sorry that the human brain doesn’t work the way you want it to, but them’s the breaks. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2017, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medicalizing-irresponsibility-a-term-as-ridiculous-as-affluenza/782824/183 "2017-05-04T16:36:28Z")
> [@Human\_Action](#): > > "Memory is a machine,” [David Diamond] says, “and it is not flawless. Our conscious mind prioritizes things by importance, but on a cellular level, our memory does not. If you’re capable of forgetting your cellphone, you are potentially capable of forgetting your child.” > > I’m sorry that the human brain doesn’t work the way you want it to, but them’s the breaks. I’m sorry YOUR brain doesn’t work like others do, but them’s the breaks. Mine functions fine. ---
**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2017, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medicalizing-irresponsibility-a-term-as-ridiculous-as-affluenza/782824/184 "2017-05-04T21:02:40Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > I’m sorry YOUR brain doesn’t work like others do, but them’s the breaks. Mine functions fine. If you do have children, then I see a high possibility that you will severely damage them. Not in a physical way, if they are older than babies, but: you refuse to accept biological facts about the human body, as found by scientists, which means you will likely not accept other facts about the human body you assign moral issues to biological functions you have no empathy at all or patience with people who make mistakes or errors you refuse to accept the biological and historical proven fact that humans - all humans - are not 100% perfect all the time, but rather make errors both intentionally and unintentionally (because of biological factors) and you are blind to the fact that you make errors. So what happens when your child(ren) make errors? When they have uncomfortable biological functions (e.g. boys having nightly emissions during puberty, or getting a stiffie when looking at Grandma?) What happens when one of your children points out that you made a mistake, or told something that he heard an opposite fact elsewhere? The demand to be always perfect; the inability to accept facts; the inability to reflect on oneself (therefore, instead of recognizing errors and fixing them, continually making mistakes over and over again) in an adult responsible for children is damaging to their psyche and creates likely terrible adults. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2017, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medicalizing-irresponsibility-a-term-as-ridiculous-as-affluenza/782824/185 "2017-05-04T22:44:42Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > I’m sorry YOUR brain doesn’t work like others do, but them’s the breaks. Mine functions fine. I would have to disagree. Considering the idiocy you’ve displayed in this thread, and the intransigent clinging to a delusional interpretation of the article over in the climate change thread, as well as equally delusional interpretations of examples that other posters have patiently provided over there to try to explain things to you, I take major issue with your self-evaluation as having a well functioning brain. What I think we have is a classic display of the Dunning-Kruger effect. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2017, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medicalizing-irresponsibility-a-term-as-ridiculous-as-affluenza/782824/186 "2017-05-05T00:34:53Z")
> [@constanze](#): > > you refuse to accept biological facts about the human body, as found by scientists, which means you will likely not accept other facts about the human body Do I? Please point out a study that says memory functions exactly the same for every single human being on the planet. A reporter’s opinion doesn’t count. > [@](#): > > you assign moral issues to biological functions Do I? I’m not aware of doing that. Please point it out. > [@](#): > > you have no empathy at all or patience with people who make mistakes or errors I have no empathy that’s true. I have no patience with people who make mistakes and try to blame other factors. > [@](#): > > you refuse to accept the biological and historical proven fact that humans - all humans - are not 100% perfect all the time, but rather make errors both intentionally and unintentionally (because of biological factors) I accept the fact that humans make mistakes, sometimes even unintentionally. I just don’t accept that forgetting your keys is the same as forgetting your infant child. Sorry, I just place more importance on my children then I do on my keys. And I alter my behavior based on that importance. > [@](#): > > and you are blind to the fact that you make errors No I’m not. But I own up to them and don’t blame others for errors I make. > [@](#): > > So what happens when your child(ren) make errors? When they have uncomfortable biological functions (e.g. boys having nightly emissions during puberty, or getting a stiffie when looking at Grandma?) What happens when one of your children points out that you made a mistake, or told something that he heard an opposite fact elsewhere Really? If my children said “Hey I read that something is different than what you said” I would ask them where they read it and if a legitimate source, change my knowledge of that subject. I don’t lie to my children, and give them the best information I have. If I am mistaken, then I tell them that. Don’t you? > [@](#): > > The demand to be always perfect; the inability to accept facts; the inability to reflect on oneself (therefore, instead of recognizing errors and fixing them, continually making mistakes over and over again) in an adult responsible for children is damaging to their psyche and creates likely terrible adults. The only “fact” in this thread that I refuse to accept is that because some people are idiotic enough to leave their kids in their car, that means we all are susceptible to leaving our kids in the car. And I disagree, despite that a reporter says “it could happen to anybody” ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2017, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medicalizing-irresponsibility-a-term-as-ridiculous-as-affluenza/782824/187 "2017-05-05T00:36:12Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > I would have to disagree. Considering the idiocy you’ve displayed in this thread It just kills me that knowing I wouldn’t leave my children in a hot car to die is “idiocy” The fact that you think anyone could do that is moronic in my view. Wow, insulting people is fun! :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2017, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medicalizing-irresponsibility-a-term-as-ridiculous-as-affluenza/782824/188 "2017-05-05T01:04:17Z")
No, the idiocy is in the vast and pompous assumptions you make about people and circumstances that you know nothing about. I can just picture you as an accident investigator for the NTSB: “Obviously the guy was an idiot. Everyone should be smart like me. Next!” Rulings would certainly be quick. And, most of the time, fact-free, wrong and useless. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2017, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medicalizing-irresponsibility-a-term-as-ridiculous-as-affluenza/782824/189 "2017-05-05T01:09:54Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > No, the idiocy is in the vast and pompous assumptions you make about people and circumstances that you know nothing about. I can just picture you as an accident investigator for the NTSB: “Obviously the guy was an idiot. Everyone should be smart like me. Next!” > > Rulings would certainly be quick. And, most of the time, fact-free, wrong and useless. Yes, “it could happen to anyone” is a standard we should use for all accidents. “That guy fell asleep and plowed into a busload of nuns and orphans. But, you know, falling asleep at the wheel could happen to anyone. He was tired from working all day, so he’s not responsible” “That guy didn’t look for cars in his blind spot and he swerved into a carload of puppies going to the vet. He was tired from talking on the phone all night because his company might fold. It could happen to anyone!” :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2017, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medicalizing-irresponsibility-a-term-as-ridiculous-as-affluenza/782824/190 "2017-05-06T14:26:11Z")
> [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](#): > > “There but for the grace of God”–no, I don’t think so. > > Yes, I have made some parenting mistakes, even including almost roasting a kid in a hot car, not because I left him there–I was in the car too–but because I didn’t realize what effect it was having on him. I realize that most people would not do this. > > But leaving a tiny child in the car and forgetting they were ever there? No. > > I do think these people are fundamentally different from me. > > Some of you have likened this to misplacing your glasses. I have to conclude that you don’t really, REALLY need those glasses. I have to say, during 60-some years of wearing glasses I have never once misplaced them, because they are always within my reach, because without them I can’t see. So they’re important to me. This is not to say I haven’t dropped a contact lens down the sink, but that’s different (and also rare). I don’t actually understand that one either, how do you misplace your glasses? > > However strongly my specs were important to me is NOTHING compared to the way I felt about my children. This is pretty much why I can’t visualize myself ever leaving them in the car. A screw-up as to who’s gonna pick up which kid at which place, okay, I’ll cop to that. But–forgetting the kid is in the car with me? And just going off and leaving him there? Unthinkable. > > Now I read the article, and I guess I admit that some busy and absent-minded parent might do this, innocently, and for those (thankfully extremely rare) times, I do feel for the parent. Except for the guy whose car alarm went off multiple times while his dying infant tried its best to make its presence known and he fucking ignored it. I don’t know how that guy lives with himself. I actually can’t imagine any of my children, especially when they were babies, being that far out of my mind. > > I do think the punishment they give themselves for this callous disregard is enough and they shouldn’t go to jail. Even that one guy. It’s possible these people genuinely are fundamentally different to you - that you’re far more vigilant than average. That makes you the outlier, not them. Some people really are hyper-vigilant and hyper-organised and good for you that you’re one of them. Most people aren’t. Like someone else said, you have an alarm system for your glasses in that you can’t see without them. But can you go to work without your children if you don’t usually take them to work? Don’t you do that every day? And when it comes to importance, I absolutely need my asthma inhaler everywhere I go and it’s an extremely rare occasion that I don’t remember to take it with me. The few occasions when I have not taken my inhaler with me were when my routine changed, usually due to changing clothes and bags when the seasons change and not realising that the bag I’m using does not have the usual inhaler in it. It’s a rare occasion for me to be out for more than a very short trip and not need to use my inhaler, and asthma attacks are unpredictable - usually I get some warning and there’s a gradual escalation, but occasionally it’s gone straight to the stage where I can’t speak at all, see everything through a haze of blue and can’t lift the inhaler myself, then need to puff half of it into me before I can start to recover (bear in mind that the usual emergency asthma inhalers use the same drug they use at hospitals, just in lower doses - it’s a more powerful drug than its commonplace use would lead you to believe). Without an inhaler available then I would die. Even emergency services might not get there in time. I know people who’ve died of asthma attacks. And I know all this and I don’t want to die. But still I have forgotten my inhaler a handful of times over my 41 years, usually because I was using a different handbag. It’s pure luck that I haven’t had one of those sudden bad attacks coincide with one of the rare occasions I don’t have an inhaler to hand. Your kids are usually more important to you than your own life, but still, if you can forget something that’s important to you actually being able to breathe then you can forget your child too. Perhaps you would never ever forget that either, but you’d be unusual in that respect. > [@Slash1972](#): > > Yes, “it could happen to anyone” is a standard we should use for all accidents. > > “That guy fell asleep and plowed into a busload of nuns and orphans. But, you know, falling asleep at the wheel could happen to anyone. He was tired from working all day, so he’s not responsible” > > “That guy didn’t look for cars in his blind spot and he swerved into a carload of puppies going to the vet. He was tired from talking on the phone all night because his company might fold. It could happen to anyone!” > > :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes: Well, both of those - the falling asleep at the wheel and the not looking for blind spots due to tiredness - do happen to lots of people. That’s why there are laws against driving while over-tired and laws against making employees work hours where this is likely to happen, like truck drivers needing rest stops. It’s recognised that tiredness can cause accidents. Unfortunately when there’s little parental leave and the parents still need to go to work to pay for their child’s upkeep they sometimes have to function on less sleep than they should. Truck drivers get mandatory rest breaks but parents of babies don’t. It’s not an excuse, but it is a mitigating circumstance especially when the parent has already suffered by the loss of their child. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2017, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medicalizing-irresponsibility-a-term-as-ridiculous-as-affluenza/782824/191 "2017-05-09T01:50:57Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > It’s not an excuse, but it is a mitigating circumstance especially when the parent has already suffered by the loss of their child. A mitigating circumstance I would agree. Deflecting blame to “It could happen to anyone” is not something I agree with. ---
**Author:** ![Human\_Action](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@Human\_Action](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Human_Action)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2017, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medicalizing-irresponsibility-a-term-as-ridiculous-as-affluenza/782824/192 "2017-05-09T15:30:41Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > I’m sorry YOUR brain doesn’t work like others do, but them’s the breaks. Mine functions fine. Of course, you have a superbrain that, on a cellular level, categorizes things by importance to you. Why not? **manson1972** 1, neurology 0. Lots of people believe lots of stupid things, you’re just one more on the pile. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2017, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medicalizing-irresponsibility-a-term-as-ridiculous-as-affluenza/782824/193 "2017-05-09T15:34:53Z")
> [@Human\_Action](#): > > Of course, you have a superbrain that, on a cellular level, categorizes things by importance to you Can I use this quote as my signature block? ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2017, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medicalizing-irresponsibility-a-term-as-ridiculous-as-affluenza/782824/194 "2017-05-09T18:23:18Z")
> [@Human\_Action](#): > > Of course, you have a superbrain that, on a cellular level, categorizes things by importance to you. Why not? **manson1972** 1, neurology 0. > > Lots of people believe lots of stupid things, you’re just one more on the pile. You seem to be saying that unless you have some kind of “superbrain” you might, for instance, sit down at the bridge table and after a few tricks forget you’re playing bridge and think you’re playing poker? Because that seems like the same kind of thing we’re talking about here. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2017, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medicalizing-irresponsibility-a-term-as-ridiculous-as-affluenza/782824/195 "2017-05-09T18:36:34Z")
> [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](#): > > You seem to be saying that unless you have some kind of “superbrain” you might, for instance, sit down at the bridge table and after a few tricks forget you’re playing bridge and think you’re playing poker? Because that seems like the same kind of thing we’re talking about here. I believe the answer you will get here is along the lines of “You get constant feedback that you are playing bridge, therefore you wouldn’t forget and start playing poker. When a sleeping baby is in your backseat, there is no constant feedback, so you, or anybody really, could forget you have the baby in the backseat and leave it in there to die.” Of course this misses the point of “I know that I have an infant child. That knowledge is constant feedback alerting me that I should know where my infant child is. Like non-stupid people would do” ---
**Author:** ![Human\_Action](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@Human\_Action](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Human_Action)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2017, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medicalizing-irresponsibility-a-term-as-ridiculous-as-affluenza/782824/196 "2017-05-09T19:26:18Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > Can I use this quote as my signature block? Go nuts. Some people believe crystals cure cancer, or in physic surgery. You have your own nutty beliefs. No shame in it, either make peace with it or try to change. > [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](#): > > You seem to be saying that unless you have some kind of “superbrain” you might, for instance, sit down at the bridge table and after a few tricks forget you’re playing bridge and think you’re playing poker? Because that seems like the same kind of thing we’re talking about here. Here’s a crazy thought: if you’re wondering how the brain remembers things, instead of coming up with daffy analogies, **ask an expert** , someone who **studies how the brain remembers things.** Memory is a machine,” [Diamond] says, “and it is not flawless. Our conscious mind prioritizes things by importance, but on a cellular level, our memory does not. If you’re capable of forgetting your cellphone, you are potentially capable of forgetting your child.” … The human brain, he says, is a magnificent but jury-rigged device in which newer and more sophisticated structures sit atop a junk heap of prototype brains still used by lower species. At the top of the device are the smartest and most nimble parts: the prefrontal cortex, which thinks and analyzes, and the hippocampus, which makes and holds on to our immediate memories. At the bottom is the basal ganglia, nearly identical to the brains of lizards, controlling voluntary but barely conscious actions. Diamond says that in situations involving familiar, routine motor skills, the human animal presses the basal ganglia into service as a sort of auxiliary autopilot. When our prefrontal cortex and hippocampus are planning our day on the way to work, the ignorant but efficient basal ganglia is operating the car; that’s why you’ll sometimes find yourself having driven from point A to point B without a clear recollection of the route you took, the turns you made or the scenery you saw. Ordinarily, says Diamond, this delegation of duty “works beautifully, like a symphony. But sometimes, it turns into the ‘1812 Overture.’ The cannons take over and overwhelm.” By experimentally exposing rats to the presence of cats, and then recording electrochemical changes in the rodents’ brains, Diamond has found that stress – either sudden or chronic – can weaken the brain’s higher-functioning centers, making them more susceptible to bullying from the basal ganglia. He’s seen the same sort of thing play out in cases he’s followed involving infant deaths in cars. Look, I get it. People like to believe [that their mind is some separate thing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind%E2%80%93body_dualism) (and have for a loooong, loooooong time), a part of their soul or whatever. They **don’t** like the idea that their mind is the product of their brain, and their brain is just a bodily organ, that messily evolved over aeons, and has a vast array of flaws and quirks. That’s how you get to the nonsensical beliefs of **manson** , who, when confronted with the knowledge that the basal ganglia can override the conscious mind, refuses to even consider that it might be true. The truth sucks sometimes, and the truth is that your brain is a [glitchy](http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/your-brain-flawed-12-scientific-reasons-human-beings-are-wildly-irrational) [biological](http://www.macleans.ca/society/science/your-brain-is-flawed-irrational-and-paranoid-thats-why-it-works/) [computer.](https://www.brainpickings.org/2013/10/30/daniel-kahneman-intuition/) Making up a fairy tale wherein your mind isn’t subject to the basal ganglia’s influence, or your brain cells remember your child differently than your keys, or whatever nonsense **manson** apparently believes, is comforting, like all folk myths. It’s also horseshit. That’s all I have to say on the matter. Read [_The Ghost in the Machine_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ghost_in_the_Machine) if you want a basic introduction to this topic, and are willing to be a grownup and face uncomfortable truths. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2017, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medicalizing-irresponsibility-a-term-as-ridiculous-as-affluenza/782824/197 "2017-05-09T19:40:57Z")
It **couldn’t** happen to “anyone”. Not everybody has kids. Not everybody has cars. Ha ha! Case closed! I win! ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2017, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medicalizing-irresponsibility-a-term-as-ridiculous-as-affluenza/782824/198 "2017-05-09T19:49:59Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > It **couldn’t** happen to “anyone”. > > Not everybody has kids. Not everybody has cars. Ha ha! Case closed! I win! You’ve clearly forgotten that you have kids, AND a car, AND that you drove to work today with kids in the car and you’ve left them there to walk home (because you forgot you had a car at work) to post your winning ways on this message board! Take that, basal ganglia! ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2017, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medicalizing-irresponsibility-a-term-as-ridiculous-as-affluenza/782824/199 "2017-05-09T19:51:23Z")
> [@Human\_Action](#): > > That’s all I have to say on the matter Thank God. I’m tired of parsing through your nonsensical, blame everyone but the parents, idiotic attitude. ---
**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2017, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medicalizing-irresponsibility-a-term-as-ridiculous-as-affluenza/782824/200 "2017-05-09T19:54:20Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > I have no empathy that’s true. And that’s why you should stay away from children and all other living things (and never be allowed to make rules for anything). We used to call people with lack of empathy sociopaths and psychopaths, because we thought that 1% of the population had some damaged wiring in the frontal cortex where in normal humans empathy is located. But then it turned out that some people are born with this brain defect - they can not on an emotional level feel deep empathy with other humans - but recognize that this is wrong, and train themselves to feel empathy, and act like normal humans. And people born with normal brains have meanwhile trained themselves out of empathy. So now we call people who lack empathy and don’t understand why that is wrong “Jerks”; and people who have neurological problems but try hard not to be jerks we call “people”. > [@](#): > > I have no patience with people who make mistakes and try to blame other factors. If you have no patience, you should not be near children or living things. And patience is different from empathy (though both can be connected). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medicalizing-irresponsibility-a-term-as-ridiculous-as-affluenza/782824.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medicalizing-irresponsibility-a-term-as-ridiculous-as-affluenza/782824.md?page=11)