• Boddhisatva@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    62
    ·
    2 days ago

    But other accounts show increased black-and-white thinking on issues such Israel’s massacre of Gaza, which has alienated many of his staffers, and an inexplicable show of support for certain Trump administration polices,

    Is this finally evidence that brain damage can turn you into a conservative?

      • AlecSadler@sh.itjust.works
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        8
        ·
        2 days ago

        There is no think. One of my jobs deals with lead exposure data and education data and demographic data and general political data.

        There is absolutely a correlation between lead exposure and red counties. I’m not saying it’s a direct cause, but there is definitely an unavoidable correlation.

        • ilinamorato@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          1 day ago

          There is no think.

          There is for me, I’m no expert. Glad to have confirmation from one, though.

          I’m not saying it’s a direct cause,

          Certainly can’t help.

      • Geetnerd@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        20
        ·
        2 days ago

        I think a lot of my generation (born '71) has mild brain damage, and aggression issues, due to being exposed to leaded gasoline and paint. Known symptoms of lead poisoning. The little metal Army men we played with were made of lead, and painted with lead paint.

          • Geetnerd@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            10
            ·
            2 days ago

            Yep, looks about right. Fistfights were extremely common in my youth, much more than today.

            • andyburke@fedia.io
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              12
              ·
              2 days ago

              I am staggered that my kids don’t have more horror stories from school and I am starting to think our generation maybe went through a special hell.

              • Geetnerd@lemmy.world
                link
                fedilink
                English
                arrow-up
                10
                ·
                2 days ago

                Yep, I don’t have kids, but I’ve noticed these last couple of generations are nowhere near as casually violent as mine was.

                But then, we didn’t have school shooters, either. Just knuckleheads who liked to fistfight for fun.

              • thedruid@lemmy.world
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                2
                ·
                2 days ago

                No. I was bullied as a kid. I’ll say this, life is harder for kids today in so many ways.

                And social media is the new ring of preference for bullying and torment

          • Libra00@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            3
            ·
            edit-2
            2 days ago

            Yup, I’m right in the middle of that peak, but I’ve never been in a fight in my life, so… exception that proves the rule?

            • Geetnerd@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              7
              ·
              edit-2
              2 days ago

              You’re lucky.

              Being a teenager in the mid to late 80’s, EVERY male was going to get into a fight at some point, voluntarily, or not. At least, where I grew up in the rural South. It’s just the way it was. Especially at a party. A lot of guys got set up to get their asses beat that way.

              • Libra00@lemmy.world
                link
                fedilink
                English
                arrow-up
                3
                ·
                2 days ago

                I went to high school from 86 to 90 in Oklahoma (so south-ish.) I’ve been pushed and shit, but I’ve never thrown a punch or had one thrown at me. It was less luck than just not being a very violent person (not wanting to hurt other people as much as not wanting to get hurt.) Also I got picked on a lot as a kid so I learned to have a foul mouth and a rather sharp sense of humor as a means of deflecting or defusing situations that might’ve otherwise led to fights.

                I fully realize that I’m the exception though, fights were pretty common when I was in school, but I just attributed that to being high school cause I’ve seen like 3 actual fights in the ~35 years since then.

      • Libra00@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        4
        ·
        2 days ago

        I grew up in the 70s and 80s when leaded gas was still common, and I’m about as far as one can get from conservative without falling off the edge of the political spectrum.

        • floofloof@lemmy.ca
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          3
          ·
          2 days ago

          It’s statistics, so it doesn’t mean everyone shows lead-poisoned characteristics to the same degree. We’d probably be better off if we hadn’t breathed so much lead though.

          • Libra00@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            1
            ·
            2 days ago

            Sure, I realize it’s not universal, I’m just saying counter-examples exist because I am one.

            I’m also a pretty non-violent person, I’ve never been in a fight or thrown a punch in my life, even as a kid. But yeah that’s probably not the norm.

        • ilinamorato@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          3
          ·
          edit-2
          2 days ago

          Some people come out of it better than others. You likely overcame a significant challenge in becoming so.

          • Libra00@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            2
            ·
            2 days ago

            Not as far as I know? I was always pretty liberal, and then in the last 10 years or so I’ve slid sharply to the left as the bullshit in the world has increased. shrug

          • Libra00@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            1
            ·
            2 days ago

            My ‘extremist’ views are a rather late development, in the last 10 years or so, so that seems suspect as well. shrug Maybe I’m just a special snowflake or whatever.

  • givesomefucks@lemmy.worldOP
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    47
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    2 days ago

    We do not know if he is taking his meds and his behavior frequently suggests he is not,” Jentleson wrote, adding that “Fetterman was avoiding the recommended regular checkups with his doctors. He also wrote that the senator was driving his car recklessly, often speeding while texting, making FaceTime calls, and reading entire news articles behind the wheel.

    One month after the letter, Fetterman got into a car accident, driving home from the airport after an early morning flight well over the 70-mph speed limit on I-70. His wife in the back seat suffered a pulmonary contusion and spinal fractures, and Fetterman told one of his staffers that he had fallen asleep while driving.

    In an incident earlier this year, Fetterman was filmed on a flight to Pittsburgh arguing with the pilot about wearing his seat belt correctly.

    “If you want to go to Pittsburgh, it’s simple,” the pilot told him. “You’re going to have to follow our instructions or be asked to get off the airplane.”

    His brain is fucked…

    • Diplomjodler@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      12
      ·
      2 days ago

      Looks like the problem is going to take care of itself sooner or later. Let’s hope no innocents are hurt when it happens.

  • ExtremeDullard@lemmy.sdf.org
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    6
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    2 days ago

    He’s far from the only mentally challenged politician in the US gravitating around the orange utan, but at least he has a good reason and he’s excusable.