The Shania Twain Defense
The CBC reports:
One of the most notorious drunk drivers in the Ottawa area has been found not criminally responsible on his latest impaired driving charges because of a mental disorder that makes him believe female celebrities are controlling his actions.
The 33-year-old [Matt Brownlee] told psychiatrists that he knew the legal repercussions of his actions, but believed singer Shania Twain was helping him drive.
To my mind, the most salient question is: why focus on Shania Twain? The fact is, even people in Western cultures commonly believe some external entity is helping them in their accomplishments—ever heard the phrase “God is my co-pilot”? But the article simply states Brownlee’s belief, as though that were sufficient to demonstrate his lack of responsibility for his actions.
There is an attitude on the part of society that anyone with beliefs that strange must have something wrong with them. Strange here means unsanctioned by society—if large numbers of people believe something, then that belief is perfectly fine. I think this is at least partially due to uneven media coverage: a person’s unusual beliefs aren’t typically made public unless that person does something newsworthy, and most newsworthy actions are negative. Many, many people go through their daily lives guided by entities they believe to be external, but it never becomes an issue for the media.
If you believe unusual things, think about how you can challenge society’s prejudices. Do you think it is worth it to be more open about your beliefs in order to make society aware that responsible individuals hold them? It is a common opinion these days that one’s beliefs ought to be personal and private, but at one point sexual preference was also considered personal and private. This view had to be challenged in order for people to start working in any sort of organized fashion to change society’s views.
But at least, if you do believe unusual things and you get into trouble with the law, be conscientious enough not to damage the reputation of others who believe similar things by using your belief as an excuse.
7 comments May 22nd, 2006