Forget my lazy and forgetful ass, I had an itch to do some blogging tonight (!) And I do intend to try and do some regular posts and also get Akismet activated on this blog – spam comments must go…I’ve had enough mentions of sex, porn, dildos and viagra.
Talking about viagra, my most recent book I’ve just finished is Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest. Probably made popular by Jack Nicholson in the movie of the same name – which I have not seen – the blurb on the back made it sound at least at least quite interesting. Put nut house and electro-therapy together and it sounds like one hell of a read. I must admit though that this was my second time that I’ve picked this book, and this time, succeeded until the end. It was a bit slow to start of with and a bit of adjusting with the way it was written. But overcoming that, it was an engrossing read.
I’ve done a bit of Psychology study at Sydney Uni and yes I cannot believed that they used to use electro-shocks as an acceptable way of treating a patient. Scary, when you think about it! But even now, I do believe that mental health is a big money making business because frankly, patients rely on the drug they are given and it is so easy to diagnose. Feeling a bit emo? Oh that’s just depression, we’ll subscribe this pill to you! Crazy. So despite not having electro-shocks, we’ve got another form of medication that maybe perhaps could be questionable down the track. Psychology is fundamentally a science, a very young science in which we don’t know a lot about.
So anyways back to the book, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest was written in 1962 and yet it feels so timely. Definitely ahead of its time, Kesey’s ‘inspiration’ for this novel came from his time working the graveyard shift at – you guessed it – a mental hospital. His apparent friendship with the wardens determines the sympathetic approach of his characters. At times, you almost feel that the people outside this ward are more crazy than the actual wardens. It’s a journey of freedom and realization of self being and fulfillment. Encompassed in the 60′s hippie free spirit culture, this book is a humorous yet thoughtful look at what is it that defines and determines if people are crazy, pyscho and plain mental.
Jack Nicholson stars in One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest:
