Yes, in case you're wondering, I do get tired of repeating myself. No, in case you're about to suggest it, I'm not going to shut up.
Sandra Bullock obtained a 3-year restraining order against a woman accused of stalking her and attacking her husband, TV show celebrity mechanic, Jesse James. The woman has been found lying in front of Bullock's garage, has screamed obscenities at James and his children, and apparently tried to run him over with her truck! Authorities are debating whether or not to charge the woman.
Let me make this very easy, very quickly, and let there be no mistake about it:
If you, for any reason, decide you somehow "know" or "connect deeply" with a celebrity you've never actually met or hung out with, you might be right; that celebrity may embody some quality(s) you appreciate in yourself or wish you had. That's as far as that goes. If, for any reason, you somehow determine that this celebrity feels the same about you or even has any idea you even exist at all, you should know that that doesn't make much sense and you should seek some help. Most of us have that little whatever - "voice" or "guide" or "common sense" - inside us that tells us, "Hey, that's a silly/weird/ridiculous/dangerous idea." Not everyone does and sometimes that little whatever seems to just... "break" in even the best of people.
This is called "mental illness."
Punishing the mentally ill is exactly equivalent to kicking a paraplegic out of his wheelchair and telling him, "It's the only way you'll learn to walk!" It's the equivalent of telling Stephen Hawking, "You're voice sounds stupid and if you won't change it, you should just shut up." See, the word "illness" has a very specific connotation - much like the word "sex," unless you're, say, Bill Clinton - if you take the word "illness" off of "mental illness," you are left with "mental." Even this one word is used pejoratively as slang for the mentally ill.
People who do not comprehend this very basic concept of life are called "stupid." Stupid people can't really be punished either; they're just too stupid and/or mean for it to "take." You just throw stupid people away - that's what prisons are for: to separate stupid, careless, thoughtless assholes from the rest of society - not to house the mentally ill.
You're supposed to try and care for the sick. Sometimes, they can't be helped and they have to be kept separate from society for everyone's safety - including their own; this is a tragedy, not a "got what they deserve" situation.
For some reason, we throw away the sick and provide for the thoughtless, careless, and stupid.
It's the System, Stupid! It's broke - has been for a very long time.
Sandra Bullock and her family deserve to be protected from this woman, but punishing this stalker for doing literally what she'd be paid to do if she had a camera isn't going to solve anything and is a waste of money, time, effort, and resources. It also makes me an accessory to Stupid and I want no part.
Why do we let things get this far without trying to stop them, then punish the person for not helping them sooner - even when they ask for, or are forced to receive, care? Why do we support people who refuse to stand up for change in their own countries, but are more than willing to come here and demand we make concessions to them?
Why did I not get any free comics from anyone!?
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