A Psychiatric Assessment on Why the Regulators Will Never Relent on Raw Milk...How About Some Group Therapy?
Thursday, February 25, 2010 at 12:38PM 
In Florida, we now have a proposed “Food Freedom Act” that would allow small farms to sell cracked pecans, lettuce, eggs, and chickens direct to consumers such as via farmers markets, free of burdensome regulation covering facilities, packaging, and growing rules (though raw milk seems not to be included in the exemptions).
Wyoming’s “Food Freedom Act”, which does include raw milk (thought there's talk it could be eliminated in final negotiations), has passed the House by a wide margin, and is now pending in the state Senate.
And the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund suit against the FDA is based on rights—those spelled out so clearly in the U.S. Constituion.
Clearly, freedom and rights are resonating with voters and legislators alike. As Bob Hayles points out following my previous post, the hope of advocates for raw milk and other foods lies not in convincing regulators and legislators of their safety, but of our rights as individuals to assume risk and make our own decisions.
Ironically, a psychiatrist provides perhaps the best explanation of why this focus on rights is the only path with hope for success. His focus is on the mind of the regulator, a subject I spoke about last November at the Weston A. Price Foundation’s annual conference.
One point I made in my talk is that the public health and agriculture regulators often feel passionate about restricting our access to raw milk—they see themselves “protecting” people, saving little children.
The psychiatrist, Richard Schwartzman, goes much further in his analysis. A psychiatrist who attended my recent talk at Rutgers University and has expertise on the subject of regulation, goes me one step further. He says many of the regulators are obsessed.
“They believe, in their heart of hearts, what they are doing is right and necessary, he writes (with the italics). "There is always an element of truth that justifies their control over others. It is this truth--the partly right--that creates much confusion…In the case of unpasteurized milk, the assertion of a health hazard causes many decent and openminded people to side with the FDA. Notwithstanding, there may often be a sense something is not right in what the government is doing, but good people can’t place a finger on it.”
Richard Schwartzman diagnoses the problem as something he labels an “emotional plague.”
Here is how he explains it: “The principal element of the plague is a compulsion to control the natural behavior of others. Those suffering with the plague cannot tolerate actions that don’t conform to their rigid ways of thinking. When people choose to live as they see fit, especially when it is in accord with healthy, natural functioning, those afflicted with the plague experience intense anxiety. They cannot tolerate the feelings that rise up in them when people are happy and enjoying life naturally. Their thinking and actions are always extremely well-rationalized as being for the common good…Unlike the neurotic who suffers inwardly without troubling others, 'plaguey' people deal with their emotional upset by attempting to control its source, the behavior of others, which stirs up in them an intense longing for living the natural life that they themselves cannot live. But they just don’t see it. In their minds they must stop 'dangerous' activities and behaviors, never realizing their prohibitive actions are not really for the good of others but rather to make themselves feel better by putting an end to the behavior that makes them intensely anxious.”
In Richard Schwartzman’s view, “One might expect that honorable people with good intentions, on both sides of the table, could somehow resolve the raw milk issue without battling in court…"
"I contend no matter how much proof of safety is presented or what additional information is provided, the government authorities will never relent in their efforts to end sales of unpasteurized milk.”
Why? “The safety of unpasteurized milk and the best interest of the public are not the sole or even primary reason for the government’s attack. It is its stated reason, and because the safety issue does have validity and is partly right, the more insidious underlying aspect of the emotional plague remains hidden.”
My sense is that the psychiatrist is onto something in providing guidance for fighting the battle at hand. It seems that only by pushing, and pushing hard, can progress be made. Pushing means organizing public concern and outrage over the regulators’ attempts to beat back food rights. The regulators will use every means at their disposal, until the public spotlight shines so brightly and intensively on their activities that they are pushed toward the right decision. In Framingham, MA, it seems as if the bright light of public pressure has finally encouraged that town’s Board of Health to relax its push on such stringent regulations that farmer Doug Stephan will be allowed, finally, to sell raw milk.
In Wisconsin, though, the maneuvering goes on. Hearings scheduled for March 16 in Madison in the state Assembly on legislation to allow sales of raw milk from approved farms have been canceled. Instead, Assembly and Senate hearings are now scheduled to be held jointly March 10, in Eau Claire, WI. Sounds good, except Eau Claire is three hours from Madison and far removed from population centers—much less likely to attract throngs of supporters who could make the legislators and regulators uncomfortable.
As the psychiatrist suggests, we are dealing with people who will fight tooth-and-nail to avoid to control our eating habits. Here's a suggestion: let's take up a collection to pay Richard Schwartzman to lead some group therapy sessions for the regulators.
Reader Comments (31)
Laying aside any personal feelings regarding the tea party and town hall actions during the past several months, even those who see us as right wing nut jobs must recognize that, like never before perhaps, US voters have become galvanized...and its over rights and government control, not any particular issue like health care, cap and trade, global warming, or any other issue.
This activism in the last year has been over one thing...a recognition of an overbearing government that exceeds its constitutional bounds...and folks are tired of it.
Folks like us, who believe in nutritional rights, can, indeed MUST, seize on this anger in the general public and use it.
Every time we hear someone talking about an overbearing government, on whatever issue, use the conversation as an opportunity to educate...and to cause further anger.
"Its not just health care "they" force on us...hell, we can't even eat the food we want."...and give raw milk as an example.
"Its not just cap and trade "they" are forcing on us. Did you know you don't even have the right to eat what you want?"...and give the example of farm raised and butchered free range chickens.
Folks...we are pissed off. We have been pissed off for a while...but finally we have a general public that has been asleep...on food rights and on overbearing government in general...that is finally waking up. Guess what? They are pissed off...finally...too.
I don't think they are going back to sleep...but just in case they do, seize the moment and use that anger NOW.
It may be the last opportunity we have like this.
BH
http://www.JuicyMaters.com
it all comes down to people, no matter what type of paradigm we operate under.
So lets stop electing emotionally plaqued people to office...or does the election process and their rarified air positions create plaques in people...or do these positions attract these plaqued out whacked out control freak people....is it the chicken or the egg?
Do they take an oath to be Controlling and Plaquey???
I do know one thing...we have some great representatives in office ....at least in some offices. Senator Dean Florez, Sue Wallis and Ron Paul all come to mind. These people listen to the people, respect and use the democratic process and want to wholistically deal with our challenges. I actually think that Obama is also one of these great people but he is in way over his head and he is drowning in the DC Septic System. For some reason he has lost the the connection and communication he created with his people that got him elected to begin with. He can not see the people any more and his lack of experience does not allow him to focus on the true north that America is needing terribly. He instead is listening to the admininstrative Plaquers next to him. DC is Plaqued Out.
I am very happy to hear that the movie Farmagedon is done and Kristin Canty is hard at work with getting the very best channels opened so that everyone can see it. Congrats Kristin!!!
I am very happy that Liz Reitzig and others have made arrangements to meet with top USDA secretaries in the next weeks to lobby good reason against S-510 and the maniacle crazies at the FDA.
I am proud and excited that activists in the food freedom movement have organized the fourth DC lobby day for March 10th on capital hill and the people will visit their representatives to educate them about the grass roots and real needs out here in reality land.
The rate of growth and accelleration of the grass roots based Food Truth and Freedom Movement is astonishing. By the way.....Plaque has a hard time establishing itself when you drink grass fed raw milk. Emotional Plaque must come at least in part from dead food and bad fats.
Weston A Price would be proud.
Mark
I am always surprised when I talk to europeans who seem able to access raw milk and buy direct from farmers with few problems. Is it because smaller farms and small businesses still dominate the food business there? Everything else there seems to require bureacratic solutions, but food operates in a sacred zone!?! Ahh, that real food would be so honored here.
Whoops....my error.
Emotional Plague vs...Brain Plaque....they are both rampant disease processes in America. The Plague probably has lots of Plaque anyway.
Thanks for the correction....
Mark
http://www.slate.com/id/2245188/
The Chemists's War by Deborah Blum A little known story and for good reason. And no one went to jail.
Lets hope that history does not repeat its self in our struggle to obtain the king of all foods raw dairy.
Not only was the government involved, the medical profession carried this out.
http://www.infoplease.com/spot/bhmtuskegee1.html
In modern America we can find egregious symptoms in our central banking system, aggressive foreign policies, and in the myriad agencies created to control education, communication, healthcare, housing, and of course, food. (A complete list would be depressing indeed.)
The confidence with which we pursue our misguided "good" goals is stunning, but the key thing to realize is that we are ALL, at base, subject to the same tendencies. Here are two quotes that amply demonstrate our double-mindedness, both from Mahatma Ghandi:
“A policy is a temporary creed liable to be changed, but while it holds good it has got to be pursued with apostolic zeal.”
“Good government is the most dangerous government, because it deprives people of the need to look after themselves.”
The answer, of course, is to return to our founding principles, which, in my opinion, are being properly promoted now by many on this blog, and not incidentally also by the FTCLDF.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Please do read the article linked above by Don, about how government officials in 1926 required that industrial alcohol--a base ingredient used to produce bootleg whiskey during prohibition--be poisoned to levels that could not be reversed by the bootleggers. The goal: Deter the use of liquor. From the article:
“…by the time Prohibition ended in 1933, the federal poisoning program, by some estimates, had killed at least 10,000 people.”
Of course, the government does need their minions to assist in this...Lykke and Marler come immediately to mind as minions in this of folks like Sheehan.
I wonder why Marler is so concerned about us killing ourselves with raw milk...hell, the government will do it "for" us if the milk doesn't work.
BH
New post today http://juicymaters.com/blog1/?page_id=395
Isn't it about time that the self righteous antiraw milk dogooders turn around and at least take a peek at the REAL problems lurking in our nations food SYSTEM?
I almost for got there may be a mouse/pig combination coming to our diner tables soon. Canada is reportedly nearing approval of new pigs with mouse DNA added. MADNESS ABOUNDS! Not just emotional plague!!!
Interesting article. And what do we learn from it? Leave aside for a moment the poor nutritional output from even a properly working centralized food processing system...
When we concentrate supplies of anything into massive “hub” businesses, the effect of every error, every wrongdoing, touches countless individuals--individuals who notably have no control at all over what may come rolling down the hill at them. They must, of course, depend on the proper actions of legislators and regulators, and behind them, the benevolence of businesses in the supply chain, to protect them. As we have seen over and over, perfect protection is impossible, and far too often business concerns take precedence over safety and quality, making even a modicum of propriety in food production a pipe dream. (The picture of federal legislators deciding whether the presence of fish genes in tomatoes eaten by millions is worthy of a label, is absolutely nutty.)
Far, far better would be a decentralized food system, which is to say, no “system” at all, but a people meeting the needs of other people, and in the process, making their living.
Driving in to work the other day I took note of all the places where a small garden might be planted, or a couple of cows or goats grazed, but instead are covered with lawn, or weeds, or asphalt. Even today, in our massively hyper-built landscape, there are still many locations that could serve as agricultural oases, to grow a bit of food for those without the wherewithal. How sad is it that we have so ignored our intimate interconnectedness with agriculture (the ultimate expression of “from the earth we were made”) that we have allowed ourselves to become so distant from that which sustains us? That we get our most precious commodities from huge, faceless, factories is a crime and a sin.
Indeed Don, the real problems in our food system are being largely ignored, and often promoted, by those who wield the power to fix them.
Here’s at good article written by Bruce Clark about the plight of the American diet.
cp
The article doesn't reveal if our Ag. Sec. provide the students with a solution to this most important problem or the reason why so much farm land was idled.
http://www.eveningsun.com/ci_14472293?IADID=Search-www.eveningsun.com-www.eveningsun.com
It would be great if Marler Clark could figure out some way to focus some of their legal energy on these huge systemic poisoning risks in the SAD.
Yes, America does have the land. There is gobs of it everywhere siting unused. And we do need more farmers but the real problem is those out there who want to go into farming most often cannot get access to land with which to farm. Even if it is available for purchase it is locked up behind crazy land prices or put out of reach by the cost of debt servicing.