According to her blog, Scatty lives in northern Germany, and homeschools. She has been following the plight of Melissa Amina Busekros, and she parodied the psychiatric report on Melissa by making her own diagnosis of the German educational outlook.
Green fields and open horizons, Northern Germany, 17 February 2007, My diagnosis of the German education authorities
I. Findings
Introduction
Psychopathological Findings
1. Clinical psychiatric syndromes
2. Outlined developmental disturbances of human-rights related talents
3. Results of intelligence
4. Physical symptoms
5. Current abnormal psychosocial circumstances
6. Global judment of psychosocial adjustment
II. Position
Concerning the antique torture devices used to punish unacceptable behavior Scatty mentions under “Current abnormal psychosocial circumstances,” the masks she mentions can still be seen at the Criminal Museum in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, although they aren’t shown online. That style of thinking was also evidenced in early America by the use of ducking stools, and stocks, and riding people out of town on a rail.
posted by Valerie
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The mask I saw was at the torture museum in Prague 7 years ago. It was a real eye-opening moment for me, giving me a new insight into the psyche of the German people.
We toured the Kriminalmuseum … sometime in the ’90s, and our younger doughter and I were badly affected by the level of brutality that was acceptable in everyday life. The bloodthirsty twins thought it was the coolest thing they’d ever seen. :Þ
I don’t know, though, if this way of controlling society was limited to the Germans. I know Bermuda had public stocks for punishment, as well as a ducking stool (they’re now tourist attractions). I’ve heard the same about the American colonies, but haven’t seen those places. Minette Walters has a murder mystery titled _Scold’s Bridle_ that features a device from England (if my memory is to be trusted). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scold's_bridle
Then there was the Inquisition (very big in Spain), and the various forms of “Chinese” torture.
I’m still overcome by the concept of the oubliette, and that was a French technique of disposing of prisoners. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oubliette (not the best article, but there I didn’t see many ‘out there’ on the subject)
And now I’ve got a major case of the willies just thinking about that aspect of human nature. [shuddering]