Dan Choi Involuntarily Committed

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 12/15/10 at 5:32pm

In the e-mail to bloggers Pam Spaulding and Rex Wockner, Choi wrote: "I was involuntarily committed to the Brockton MA Veterans Hospital Psychiatric Ward on Friday morning after experiencing a breakdown and anxiety attack.

"I did not initially want to publicize this but I now realize it is critical for our community to know several things: Veterans, gay or straight, carry human burdens. Activists share similar burdens, no activist should be portrayed as superhuman, and the failures of government and national lobbying carry consequences far beyond the careers and reputations of corporate leaders, elected officials, high-powered lobbyists or political elites. They ruin lives.
'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Foe Dan Choi Involuntarily Committed

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 12/15/10 at 5:36pm

I don't believe he considered not publishing that for a single second.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 12/15/10 at 5:40pm

A literal el oh el from me. And yeah, I agree.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 12/15/10 at 5:47pm

I hope he was coherent enough this afternoon to understand that 15 Republicans joined 235 Democrats in the House of Representatives and passed a bill approving repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, 250-175.

Thanks, Dan, for your service to your country and for everything you did to help get us to this day.

[strummergirl]

Posted: 12/15/10 at 5:51pm

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 12/15/10 at 5:58pm

And though we agree it really is all about you, Dan, maybe take a little time away from the issuing of the press releases while you try to get your marbles togther.

xo

[YouWantitWhen????]

Posted: 12/15/10 at 6:09pm

Wait, there wasn't a camera to document it?

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 12/15/10 at 11:22pm

Seriously. Grandstanders can sometimes be tolerable if they have a sense of humor about themselves. But Dan Choi? Eeesh. He's not much more than The Asian Reichen.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 12/15/10 at 11:24pm

You mean Leichen.

[uncageg]

Posted: 12/15/10 at 11:59pm

On THIS day, he is "involuntarily committed". Cut me a break. Namo, I am with you on this.

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 12/16/10 at 1:49am

Wow. He may have flaws, like most anyone, but he's been busting his ass and putting his money where his mouth is.

[SonofMammaMiaSam]

Posted: 12/16/10 at 7:10am

As do many, many people everyday single day without a camera or a reporter in sight.

Posted: 12/16/10 at 9:44am

Was anyone surprised by this?
Not if you'd read this

[Gothampc]

Posted: 12/16/10 at 9:47am

People get computer access when they are in the looney bin?

[PalJoey]

Posted: 12/16/10 at 10:10am

I like his moxie.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 12/16/10 at 10:20am

"I like his moxie."

They serve soda at the funny farm?

Posted: 12/16/10 at 10:52am

Dan Choi certainly has spunk.

[madbrian]

Posted: 12/16/10 at 10:53am

I hate spunk.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 12/16/10 at 11:04am

No Jerby, he put his face where the cameras were and his uniform-clad ass wherever there was cashh to grab. $10,000 per 45 minute speech from what I've read. In many ways he seems to have more in common with Sarah Palin than Leonard Matlovich.

Updated On: 12/16/10 at 11:04 AM

[Calvin]

Posted: 12/16/10 at 11:42am

Well, on a brighter note, Eric Alva had a great response to Amos:
Link

[PalJoey]

Posted: 12/16/10 at 12:18pm

Exactly what's wrong with getting a speaker's fee?

Is a book contract bad too?

I suppose if someone optioned his story for a film, that would even worse?

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 12/16/10 at 12:26pm

No, there's nothing inherently wrong with any of it.

It's just that very often when "heroes" worm their way into "leadership roles" because they sense a vaccuum their narcissism can more than fill, fans and acolytes have a tendency to overlook these things, or to presume that their activism is free from a profit motive.

I think people need to do a real cost-benefit analysis on people like Dan Choi. What exactly is he accomplishing? How much is he making? Who elected him anyway? How much mental illess are we willing to ignore until it's finally impossible to do so?

[PalJoey]

Posted: 12/16/10 at 1:37pm

I think if we start diagnosing levels of mental illness in our "heroes" or demand that public figures be free from narcissism, we will have soon have no one except dullards left at all.

Posted: 12/16/10 at 2:08pm

Exactly. So leave poor Reichen alone!!!!

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 12/16/10 at 2:14pm

PJ, I know that. And that's why I say we have to do a sort of benefit analysis. Is there enough of a payoff in dealing with X's craziness that we see any positive results at all?