Alice Rühle-Gerstel’s (1894-1943, wife of Otto Rühle (1874-1943)) memories of Trotsky in Mexico. As far as we are aware, her writings are untranslated into English and this memoir is an exception. If you read German try to obtain a copy of her brilliant novel "Der Umbruch oder Hanna und die Freiheit".
Responsibility, accountability and punishment all do have an essential and pivotal role in our society in order to live within boundaries of civility. Unfortunately, contemporary psychiatry views all of this differently. Throughout the course of time, as a society, we have institutionalized mental patients with some form of mistreatment and abuse. Locking patients in a cell, caged in 8’ by 10’ rooms, being subjected to humiliation, mental, verbal, physical and even psychological abuse is not the answer. Reasonable, caring people would definitely disagree. The million-dollar question is why as a civilized society do we not bring about desired changes? Even our elected government officials do not realize that there is room for much improvement. It’s quite obvious, it all has to do with maintaining social control and hold down behaviour to determine what is acceptable and is deemed abnormal, inappropriate, weird/strange, bizarre behaviour. However, we don’t track down, apprehend, lock up, and punish corrupt politicians who constantly implement arbitrary laws that only benefit the rich and ultimately stick it to the poor and other disadvantaged people. Do we go after Wall Street brokers who have literally stolen and screwed working class people’s lives and deprived them of their life savings? If that isn’t two-tier justice, I don’t know what justice is. The history of asylums can be traced back as early as 490 in Jerusalem, Unfortunately, even after all these years, advances in treatments are still lagging behind and are regressive in nature. Psychiatric wards have not fully evolved to treat patients with due respect, understanding compassion. To name a few people, going back in time, French historian, Michel Foucult, condemned the use of institutionalized torture. Former prominent psychiatrist, Franco Basaglia, condemned his own profession of its abuses, including torture, humiliation, clearly stating that it serves as unnecessary punishment and cruelty. Thankfully, the horrific tortures of asylums of the past are history now but there is still much room for improvement Today, at Riverview Hospital and places like Colony Farm in Coquitlam, B.C., patients are not re-habilitated but drugged into a stupor. Doctors, nurses and staff basically just pump their patients with mind-altering, brain/nerve damaging drugs; so therefore, the profession of psychiatry does not have the patients’ best interest at heart. How could those who study and train as medical doctors, swear under the medical oath not to do harm patients end up doing the exact opposite. If the majority of society was well informed they would find it utterly and totally untenable. There are solutions to urban psychiatric wards such as safe houses for people in mental crisis/emotional distress. A couple of examples are a runway house in Germany, Soteria house in California. The cost of “imprisoning” people in psychiatric wards is roughly about a thousand dollars per day per person to run and operate. I encourage and implore people to fully lobby their MP’s and their Provincial MLA’s to bring about progressive measures to treat patients with dignity and the respect they so fully deserve.
Comments
Reading this it gives the
Reading this it gives the impression that the politics of Trotsky and the Rühles weren't really that far apart.
"Come the revolution, we'll
"Come the revolution, we'll all go to Paris together...." Come the revolution—everything revolves around that. Not even this shattered, tormented, frail little woman ever thinks of having a private life—as if it were a game of chance. As someone else might say, "When I win the lottery" or "When my business takes off...."
Line with the most impact right there.
"Nor did he ever show us another article that was brought to our attention, in which without naming names he attacked Otto politically"
Anyone know which article that might be?
" "wouldn't you like to compose a poem about the Fourth International?" I was flabbergasted. How could a man of such culture, such refinement, such familiarity with literature say such a thing in earnest? But he was in complete earnest. For him everything is a means to an end, and there is only one end, world revolution, and the way to world revolution is via the Fourth International. It's obvious! Personal poetry? All well and good. But if a person can write—as he said of me—"magnificent" poems, then let her do something for the cause!"
Makes me think of the admittedly for now basic knowledge I have of the surrealists of Front Noir like Louis Janover and their criticism of the artistic avant-garde being a tool for the political one, reproducing the separations they intended to break from! There's also a criticism of the situationists and Socialisme ou Barbarie on this subject in the review L'Oiseau-Tempête called "dérives d'avant-garde".
"Not that we disagreed with him on the question of Machno, Kronstadt—and methods of political struggle. It was because his tone would inevitably annoy the writer of the letter and this might possibly have embarrassing public consequences for Trotsky"
Uh...what gives here?
"and her place was taken by Ray from America"
Is this Raya Dunayevskaya?
"You, my dear Trotsky, are the worst Stalinist of them all!"
Nice