I am no fan of prudie and make no secret of the fact. However, some of the people criticizing her over miscellaneous random things pretty thick themselves, as well as know-it-all jerks. So the idioticy is on both sides.

What I find the most annoying about prudie is her know-it-all-ness (is that even a word, if not I don't care anyway) and her sense of infallibility. Its not even her opinions, but how she goes about it. Its ok to disagree about things, but theres a way to go about it. And prudie does it badly-- as so do some of her critics.

More to the point is how science works, which I take it most people have a poor grasp of it. Science isn't about giving us definite answers, its about a process that constantly refines itself. Human psychology is a very young science, if even science to begin with, and very poorly understood. Look, we all (well, not me, but just about everyone else) look up to shrinks / advice columnists to have all the answers; but reality is, they're almost as clueless about human psychology as you and me.

They're nothing more like ancient day prophets proclaiming to know the truth. Sure, they got it right sometimes, and wrong other times, but overall their track record was close to everyone elses. Except that prudie-- and some of her critics-- takes it a step further. They take on the same attitude the RCC takes-- "we're infallible because we say we are."

Case in point is the armchair psychologists saying that that girl has Asper's Syndrome--- something very poorly understood to begin with and they haven't even met the girl and I am also guessing they have a poor understanding of how statistics work.

But thats just MY take. I COULD be wrong.

most things are stupefying simple. Bertrand Russell once said that truth is "falling down the steps." It's that damn simple. I don't understand why a person can't look hard at a problem and just solve it. The solution is like 99% totally obvious. There are a few moral dilemmas, such as, should you kill 5 people if it meant saving the lives of 10 others? That's a real moral dilemma. What these letter writers face is nothing like that.

Psychologists definitely help people. My impression is that they're at their best when describing human relationships in maybe new ways. And it really does help people to state their problems out loud. My issue with them is that almost everyone has to have a disorder. Didn't Frued say something to the effect that only when you accept how terrible your life is can you begin to live well? See, I just don't accept that. I don't think my life is terrible and I don't think I have any disorders. Maybe there's a connection between the two.

I've gotten pretty good at dealing with my own emotional weather. I even play little tricks on myself, and I love screwing with other people and social expectations.

Well, you'd THINK it would be simple to know the truth, wouldn't you? But I think people don't WANT to accept the truth, if it means that they don't get to have their way.

Some people will tell a lie until they believe it themselves.

Remember OJ when the court camera panned over at his face while Johnny Cochran was defending him, his expression was like "Damn...maybe I didn't kill Nichole!"

Psychologists have to give disorders to people or the insurance will refuse to pay. I had one therapist tell me when I was 19 ish 'I'm going to put down that you have PTSD. I don't really think you do but that is the easiest way to go about this.' Fine with me.

After several run ins with school mental health "professionals" growing up, I would have to agree. There was nothing wrong with me, I was merely an angsty, hormonal teen who needed to be challenged in my schoolwork more.

What drove me nuts is that they all decided that I had an eating disorder because I was skinny. My father graduated highschool at 5'11" and 125 lbs, my mom did so around 5'7" and 110 lbs. So I was skinny. It was genetic. I hated constantly being hounded by them.

Can't a kid be skinny, have weird color hair and be a little strange without someone deciding that she or he has a problem that nees to be medicated away?

Physics, be glad you weren't male. You'd have been "diagnosed" as "ADD" or "ADSD" or "AFFD**" and drugged to your eyeballs before you could say "boo".

*Another Fucking Fake "Disorder"

Maybe I started to go a bit off in the 4th grade, but somehow having a medication which made me wet the bed never did much for my self-esteem. Accursed psychiatrist! I never even got the bannana split you promised!

AND GET THOSE BUGS OUT OF MY HAIR!! THEY WON'T STOP SQUIIIIRMIIIING!!!