clues at the scene

clues at the scene

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

The Boy's Not Right

At left, one of two buildings left from what was once a 900 acre estate for the insane in Detroit, Michigan.

D.E. Johnson has a lovely book set in the time the facility was operating: Detroit Breakdown.

Where I come from, crazy is not an excuse. We had the crazy right there in the community. The harmless were called "peculiar" and the dangerous were called "strange." You didn't go to the door of anyone who was "strange" even if you were on fire and needed a glass of water to put it out.

Now, I would prefer my criminals and malefactors to be completely sane. I know that isn't entirely popular; but, it is what I prefer. I know it is easy to portray a criminal mind as somehow twisted.

I find the prospect of a reasoned and deductive bent towards the pursuit of mayhem somewhat more frightening.

It is as if Einstein postulated the end of the world in 2015. First we'd question is reasoning and logic. However, if a good counter-argument cannot be found, New Year's Eve at the end of 2014 would be a very big party. The track record of reason makes the predilection of harm so much more the frightening.

So if you go to kill Pickman and find the basement full of chewed bones, you might believe what he paints was not purely a fictitious composition.

Mind the crazies. Better the killer is reasoned and sane. It isn't the product of a madman to want to do his neighbor in. It's the product of a little yappy dog.

Read some D. E. Johnson. Have an ice cream. In this heat, anyone can go a little nuts. The ice cream helps.

Well, it doesn't hurt.

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