My Million Dollar Ideas – The second edition, Pt 4: Pre-incarceration preventative therapy -- el fin
In addition to teenagers claiming the heavily troubled titled of “emo,” there’s two more groups of individuals that would benefit society by being mandated to preventative therapy. (Well, two and counting.)
1) People that obviously look like creeps
Have you ever noticed on Dateline MSNBC that the majority of the people getting arrested look like absolute weirdos? Sure, I know right now you’re saying “some of them look completely normal! There’s a doctor, and a bus driver, and a minister …” They say Americans are judgmental, yet somehow I don’t quite think they’re judgmental enough. I caught a piece of E! Entertainment’s 101 Sexist People countdown or something and they’re listing people on that program that I would not only refuse to look twice at, but that I would generally prefer stay at least 20 feet away from me at all times. America’s judgmental? No, America’s easily swayed. Just because someone has money and summer blockbuster appeal doesn’t mean I go blind. And that’s the case with your MSNBC doctor and bus driver. Just because they look real adorable on paper -- or on screen --doesn’t mean I’m going to take all their red flags, weave them into a Christmas sweater and call it good.
2) Anyone that takes sleeping pills on a long term basis
Unless you have a severe medical condition -- and I’m talking like, “sleep apnea” NOT “anxiety” or “depression” -- then anyone that winds themself up so bad they can’t even sleep at night is probably crazy.
Anyone watch Paula Abdul’s reality show? Sleeping pill junkie / complete crazy person. Eighty percent of the reasons I found that sleeping pills are prescribed all relate to psychological goings on. I had a client once that was so miserable to everyone around him he could never sleep at night. Big freaking surprise, eh? Elvis was on a smorgasbord of sleeping pills and also -- wouldn’t you know it -- so was Anna Nicole Smith. No, I don’t think everyone that takes sleeping pills overuses them or abuses other drugs. But I do think they should be put in pre-incarceration preventative therapy. You show me one “normal” person that takes sleeping pills and I’ll show you one more reason America’s not observant enough to be judgmental.
Precocious entrepreneur, workaholic and a rabid perfectionist Crystal Starlight knows a thing or two about getting ahead at a young age. Email her at [email protected]