The Lettuce Fake Blindness Poll

[Malthus]

He's doing his best to out crazy me.

Ever eat from a trash can during class? No? You lose.

The real issue is this: if someone goes out of their way to think up new ways of appearing crazy are they, in point of fact, actually crazy? To what extent does the effort become the accomplishment?

[DGuller]

I absolutely have to clarify. It wasn't trash, just on account of being in the trash!

The ISS monitor was rightfully widely regarded, so somebody knocked on the door and offered him an entire pizza. With great relish, he opened the pizza and took a large bite from one slice, eating about half of it in one go. He made loud sounds of appreciation, and then, reflecting that he never could finish a pizza, he tossed the entire remainder in the trash over the protests of the class.

I hadn't eaten much in the last few days at the time, and I could scarcely stand by and watch the pizza go to waste. It was delicious. High school trash bins are mostly just paper anyway, right?

Eh, that one I'll let slide.  Caliga has done much worse.

[HVC]

He's doing his best to out crazy me.

Ever eat from a trash can during class? No? You lose.

The real issue is this: if someone goes out of their way to think up new ways of appearing crazy are they, in point of fact, actually crazy? To what extent does the effort become the accomplishment?

Hmm. very philosophical question. i guess the point is if they're going out of the way to appear insane for attention, or they're just finding new interests and ways of expressing themselves which just happen to be bat shit insane.


I mean Raz is nuts too, but at least he knows it and takes means to lessen his craziness or at least the more damaging potential outcomes. A crazy man who recognizes it is less dangerous then they person who doesn't recognize it and doesn't stem it.

[Malthus]

Hmm. very philosophical question. i guess the point is if they're going out of the way to appear insane for attention, or they're just finding new interests and ways of expressing themselves which just happen to be bat shit insane.


I mean Raz is nuts too, but at least he knows it and takes means to lessen his craziness or at least the more damaging potential outcomes. A crazy man who recognizes it is less dangerous then they person who doesn't recognize it and doesn't stem it.

I guess to answer my own question, I'd draw the line at manifestations of craziness that actually threaten or harm people. As far as I know, Lettuce never does this, and so his hobbies fall more into the "artistic eccentric" camp. 

[lustindarkness]

I am glad that Lettow is doing his part to keep Languish from dying.

[The Brain]

Harmless. No sane person could object.

[OttoVonBismarck]

I absolutely have to clarify. It wasn't trash, just on account of being in the trash!

The ISS monitor was rightfully widely regarded, so somebody knocked on the door and offered him an entire pizza. With great relish, he opened the pizza and took a large bite from one slice, eating about half of it in one go. He made loud sounds of appreciation, and then, reflecting that he never could finish a pizza, he tossed the entire remainder in the trash over the protests of the class.

I hadn't eaten much in the last few days at the time, and I could scarcely stand by and watch the pizza go to waste. It was delicious. High school trash bins are mostly just paper anyway, right?

I'm pretty sure you're stealing this anecdote from Seinfeld.

Next to garbage, is garbage.

[Admiral Yi]

Uh-oh.  Biscuit is in MythBusters mode.  Watch out.

[Berkut]

Is this a real question, or some kind of inside joke I am not aware of?

[OttoVonBismarck]

I guess to answer my own question, I'd draw the line at manifestations of craziness that actually threaten or harm people. As far as I know, Lettuce never does this, and so his hobbies fall more into the "artistic eccentric" camp. 

The diagnostic criteria for mental illnesses aren't based on whether the person is a threat or not. I would probably agree Lettow isn't a threat to others, he may be a threat to himself. Neither of those things are evidence for or against mental illness. He obviously would need to be diagnosed by a professional. But none of the things said here are used by diagnosing psychiatrists to decide if someone is or isn't afflicted with a certain mental illness.

Most people with schizophrenia for example know they have schizophrenia and know on an intellectual level what that means. Based on their personality type they may be raging attention whores who do things for shock value.

A key to remember and it is oft-repeated in the behavioral health fields "patients are not their disease." Someone who has schizophrenia is just as able as you or me to create an internet "crazy person" troll persona, that is entirely the product of their personality and not a product of their disease. The fact that they can do that doesn't mean they are or are not schizophrenic (or [insert disease here].)

In Lettow's case I get the "vibe" (which is all any of us can get) that he is not acting entirely for our benefit, I think he probably enjoys some level of attention here but I also think he has improper impulse control, irrational thought patterns, disorganized thinking, unhealthy obsessions, generalized social anxiety, and several other things that to a layman who has had some experience in this part of the medical world suggests that if a psychiatrist knew him IRL he'd probably want to spend some time alone with him in an interview setting to determine his mental state.

[Valmy]

I am glad that Lettow is doing his part to keep Languish from dying.

Unlike you

[OttoVonBismarck]

Uh-oh.  Biscuit is in MythBusters mode.  Watch out.

There's an episode of Seinfeld in which George is at a girlfriend's mother's apartment. Someone has thrown an eclair into the trash, it is sitting at the top of the open receptacle, the eclair is on a paper plate and not touching any of the rest of the garbage, and it has one bite taken out of it.

George takes it out of the trash and the girlfriend's mother walks in and catches him, awkward situation ensues (full disclosure: I've eaten food off the floor so an eclair on a paper plate resting on top of garbage I'd also probably eat.)

In the ensuing dialogue when George is relating the story to Jerry George insists it isn't trash "just because it is in the bin", but Jerry insists "next to garbage, is garbage." While not an exact mirror, I see a strong influence in Lettow's story and his phrasing.

[Admiral Yi]

There's an episode of Seinfeld in which George is at a girlfriend's mother's apartment. Someone has thrown an eclair into the trash, it is sitting at the top of the open receptacle, the eclair is on a paper plate and not touching any of the rest of the garbage, and it has one bite taken out of it.

George takes it out of the trash and the girlfriend's mother walks in and catches him, awkward situation ensues (full disclosure: I've eaten food off the floor so an eclair on a paper plate resting on top of garbage I'd also probably eat.)

In the ensuing dialogue when George is relating the story to Jerry George insists it isn't trash "just because it is in the bin", but Jerry insists "next to garbage, is garbage." While not an exact mirror, I see a strong influence in Lettow's story and his phrasing.

I thought you were trying to nail Lettuce as a bullshitter, a la Hockey.

[Tamas]

I knew punks who were happy to have dinner by recovering leftover McDonalds food from a trashcan.

[Lettow77]

 Uhh.. Seinfeld is a bit before my time. That'd be something of an obscure reference for me, also- who watches amerifat shows?

I absolutely love eclairs, though. Best form of donut.

Edit: I guess it won't do to mention when some people still think I might be a sockpuppet, but really the idea that I would invent a story is very alien to my behaviour. I've always been an honest person. I am proud of my integrity, and rank it one of my better traits, behind my loyalty. Loyalty is my favourite trait in myself or others- I am endlessly fond of loyalty and think everyone should cultivate it.