The emergency department; where social revolutions fall apart at edwinleap.com
…I feel comfortable saying that we have shown.with remarkable precision that the more radical social revolutions of the 20th century were shameful, stunning failures. …
Dr. Leap s on a tear, and I cannot help but agree with the premise.
My wife has spent 27 years in child support. Another friend has spent decades in church sponsored gang programs, both would agree this is spot on.
Steve Lucas
Some truth there, some distortions, some either (already) antiquated or opinionated stuff.
The problem with doling out pain meds as I try to understand it, is that ED docs have to get through their day, and getting through their day requires some expediency. They are not in a position to manage or treat the ills of society, just these ED patients, one at a time. So while they recognize the problems of drug addiction, recognize the frequent flyers, so many times it will be more expedient to give the drug and get the person out of the ED. This isn’t to say that they don’t from time to time try to intervene, but you have to have the energy and the time to do that.
On the “value of education”: well, recent trends suggest this is losing its luster, so it’s becoming less clear that more education leads to higher paying jobs. So the message to the disadvantaged is all the more, “doesn’t matter what you do, you’re screwed.”
And finally: there’s more to supporting the grieving than religion. In a more generic sense, there is a need for some kind of spirituality, or philosphy of life, that certainly can be helped from a religious perspective, but religion is not the sole source of such help. The best of our chaplains can manage to comfort and help even the confirmed atheist, and not by expecting him to become a believer.