Apparently I'm dense...
Through an apparently completely unintentially ironic choice of words, the diagnosis of Waaah-fter Election Blues was named Post-Election Selection Trauma. I didn't realize it until LGF abbreviated it, but it comes up as PEST in short-form. Just how unintentional was it though?
I can well imagine a therapist getting sick and tired of listening to his patients whine after the election about their candidate losing and coming up with a way to differientiate the PESTs from the real patients. It seems that such angst would be pretty superficial at best since voters tend to care about who's President every four years or so. Today's BEst of the Web has more on the story, including a quote from one of the patients of the doctor who coined the phrase:
How easy would it be for a trained hypnotherapist to plant a few suggestions that Karen's life isn't really going to go in the shitter because of who the President is? Wouldn't calming her inner "fury" be a pretty simple matter of post-hypnotically suggesting that she simply go on with her life and try to do the best she can to promote her own interests? All hypnosis does is ease the transition from where a patient is to where the patient wants to go. Especially considering this was done in one session, I think this was one therapist's internal joke that went off the reservation when one of the PESTs sent this tidbit to the newspaper.
I like the idea of calling those who can't help but wail and shriek and moan about how their cushy upper-middle-class lives are going to end because Bush got elected and they don't have the support or gumption to secede and Canade won't let them defect PESTs. That will be my new word-of-choice.
I can well imagine a therapist getting sick and tired of listening to his patients whine after the election about their candidate losing and coming up with a way to differientiate the PESTs from the real patients. It seems that such angst would be pretty superficial at best since voters tend to care about who's President every four years or so. Today's BEst of the Web has more on the story, including a quote from one of the patients of the doctor who coined the phrase:
"I was so invested emotionally, watching the debates, and was very disturbed whenever I heard a Marine has been killed. I thought Bush's actions were war crimes. But I'm sleeping again since the therapy and have felt better ever since. I don't know what will happen now, but I'm going to take it day by day and see what happens." - Karen I-Don't-Want-To-Give-My-Last-Name, Boca Raton, Fl.
How easy would it be for a trained hypnotherapist to plant a few suggestions that Karen's life isn't really going to go in the shitter because of who the President is? Wouldn't calming her inner "fury" be a pretty simple matter of post-hypnotically suggesting that she simply go on with her life and try to do the best she can to promote her own interests? All hypnosis does is ease the transition from where a patient is to where the patient wants to go. Especially considering this was done in one session, I think this was one therapist's internal joke that went off the reservation when one of the PESTs sent this tidbit to the newspaper.
I like the idea of calling those who can't help but wail and shriek and moan about how their cushy upper-middle-class lives are going to end because Bush got elected and they don't have the support or gumption to secede and Canade won't let them defect PESTs. That will be my new word-of-choice.
posted by Mister Bixby | 11/15/2004 01:43:00 PM
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