Have you heard the the phrase "liberalism is a mental illness"?

Question

I try to read a wide variety of political viewpoints, but one interesting thing that has caught my attention lately is the idea that 'liberalism is a mental illness' coming from the extreme right. I have seen it on blogs (on two right-wing psychologists blogs) on right-wing radio and from right-wingers themselves.

What do you think of this phrase and it's implications, taking into account the political atmosphere, the large scope of generally normal people who are being treated in the mental health system, the mistreatment of the mentally ill and it's stigma and the actual feasibility of one political faction abusing the psychiatric system to gain power over the opposing faction? Does this mud-slinging have more wieght to it when it's mouthed by individuals in the psychiatric proffession? Are there enough protections in place for the rights of individuals to prevent the psychiatric system from being abused politically on a large scale?

Answer 1

Well, it's better to be clinically insane than just plain stupid.

Answer 2

Desperate right wingers grasping at straws. It's pathetic and just makes the mud slingers look like idiots. Rather than face the reality of the war in Iraq, a disastrous Bush administration, etc... they are using diversionary tactics to appeal to the lowest common denominator. Remember junior high school?

Answer 3

If liberalism is an illness, and if the right-wing government continues to raise the bar to adequate health care, they're going to have a lot more very sick people voting them out of office.