Comment Moderation

I turned on comment moderation a while ago, after the prairie dog incident. Since turning it on, I think I've deleted 3 comments--two related to the prairie dog thing, and one that was racially vitriolic. This is my blog, and I reserve the right to delete comments, but I prefer to do it only when the comment is particularly vicious, especially when the commenter feels the need to hide behind the "Anonymous" title.

So why did I just allow this comment, on an old post, to be posted? So I could make fun of it.

"If this ding bat that is typing this blog wants to go into psychiatry she has better get used to seeing the same TEN DSM IV’s and I hope she does not wet her pants when she has to consult with a psycologist."

This is priceless entertainment; many thanks to Anonymous. I have copied it in, errors and all. Let's examine this, shall we?

"ding bat that is typing this blog"--how dumb IS a ding bat, actually? Can bats type? If ding bats are ordinarily stupid, and I'm smart enough to learn how to type, then I must actually be ahead of the pack.

"she has better get used"--I'm sure it's a typo, but it still gives this comment that whole "Your base are belong to us" feel which makes it even funnier.

"seeing the same TEN DSM IV's"--As in, I'll see the same TEN books of the DSM IV? Or the same TEN DSM IV diagnoses (which is probably what Anon meant)? I'm sure there is an element of repetition to psychiatry, just as there is with family practice (which is what the post was about), but I personally prefer the repetition of psych to FP. It doesn't offend me if you want to deal with hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia forever, but I choose not to do so, as I find it stifling.

"and I hope she does not wet her pants when she has to consult with a psycologist."--This is my favorite part, not least of which is due to the misspelling of "psychologist", especially as this person appears to be defending the psychologist. Have I ever disparaged psychologists on this blog? If I have, I apologize, and I will correct that post with an apology. I have a bachelor's degree in psychology, and I recognize that practicing psychologists have to have at least a master's degree, if not a PhD. They have a graduate-level education, and then do an internship, before they go into practice. Their training is not so different from mine, then, at least in length. They may be better at things like neuropsychiatric testing, psychotherapy, etc., but I will (hopefully) be better trained in psychopharmacology, neurology, and somatic medicine. I see nothing wrong with MD's and PhD's working together for the benefit of their patients. If I've ever said otherwise, you have my most sincere apologies.

But other than that, why bring this up? If you're poking fun at the potential repetitiveness of psychiatry (compared to FP, like the post), why bring up the idea of me being offended at consulting with a "psycologist?" Where did that come from? This is a brilliant example of a loose association--the first idea has nothing to do with the second. Perhaps our friend Anonymous was trying to demonstrate a formal thought disorder for us, in which case I should thank him or her.

So, I left this comment up. I'm not sure why a post written in February has suddenly drawn such ire, but that's the way it is. I dislike deleting comments, and I will do so with care, but I will continue to do so, if I find them offensive. I might, however, mock them before I delete them. To all the anonymous commenters out there, trolling away, you've been forewarned.