Friday, December 7, 2012

political lunacy

The House of Representatives voted 398-1 on Wednesday to excise the word "lunatic" from federal legislation. The oh-so-sensitive reasoning was that in there should be a more clear-headed appreciation of insanity in the 21st century. "Lunatic" and "lunacy" are derived from the Latin word for moon and the belief that it could affect mental health.

The sole holdout in the House vote was Texas congressman Louie Gohmert, who issued a statement that said in part:
Not only should we not eliminate the word 'lunatic' from federal law when the most pressing issue of the day is saving our country from bankruptcy ... We should use the word to describe the people who want to continue with business as usual in Washington.
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1 comment:

  1. Patricia IvanDecember 8, 2012 at 4:19 PM

    Right. Calling someone 'disordered' and fitting them with a label pulled form a diagnostic manual is so much more clear-headed and sane.

    Just an FYI:
    The world “lunatique” is alive and well up here in French Canada. My 10-year old son is regularly called “lunatique” by his teachers. Being an anglo, I was quite taken aback by the suggestion that my son needed to see a shrink, until I learned that it means “moony” not crazy.

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