Dear colleagues,
In terms of doing something- a good friend’s son was involved in this video production on the COVID19 response of the president and his staff. I’ve been told they would like it as widely disseminated as possible. I think it speaks very well to the dangers we are all facing. It is called American Pathogen
Click Here to View American Pathogen
I do think we need to be very careful of both wild analysis and thinking we as analysts are unique in our knowledge and viewpoints. But we must do something and being effective advocates of change and ethics and truth, should be the task of everyone including analysts.
It is a dangerous situation, but not 1933 Germany. It is 2020 which makes it frightening in a different way. The climate issues, systemic racism, ‘alternative facts’, lies and distortions are not analytic issues as I see them. They are survival of our species issues. How they might emerge into the analysis of a patient is our task as analysts. Analysis has a very special purpose, applied analysis a different one. They are both important and valuable, but not the same. Our theory is much better as a clinical theory, I think, than a social/cultural/political one. Our certainty in either poses risks.
Abbot Bronstein