Unique thoughts on Ferguson.

Before I begin I think I need to give some background on myself.

I live in Saint Louis where Ferguson is a northwestern suburb. I spent much of my childhood going to unincorporated Florissant which is next door to Ferguson. My father grew up in unincorporated Florissant in the 30's and 40's. My father seems to have always been an unhappy camper. He could get angry and stay angry for weeks. Sometime in the 80's he got his hands on extremely potent weedkiller. He never told the doctors he used this weedkiller. He went to the doctors because he developed a rare condition. My father would go blind (literally) when he got angry. This kept occurring until he finally ran out of weedkiller. Thus I have seen extreme affects of adrenaline.

I myself am bipolar. I can get very angry over unrelated issues. Thus, I can get mad watching the news. If I interact with people I will normally calm down. Even when I was young teachers reported that I was withdrawn, did not like to be near people, feared new situations and was depressed. A lot of these conditions are due to having the angry parent and also to being the poster child for being picked on in school. I had no social skills when I was younger. The abuse continued until I grew to 6 feet tall and started showing a temper. I still think my profile is similar to a Gacy or Bundy etc. I am surprised I have not gone down the wrong road. But, I am also intellectual to see the down side of anger and resentment. And that may be my saving grace.

Onto Ferguson. The protesting has not stopped since day one and I would not be surprised if it continues for a long time. With that being said, I questioned what the long term effects of being angry for a long period of time. I pulled up these websites and my suspicions are well founded.

Chronic stress puts your...

Adrenaline, Cortisol....

Adrenal Exhaustion

Stress Effects on the Body

In the articles there are mentions of exhaustion, hypertension, lower immune response, reproductive ability reduction, reduced lung function, reduced mental acuity, etc. due to long term stress.

Unfortunately, the people protesting will never believe that this could occur to them. The symptoms will also probably not manifest themselves for another 20 years. The citizens of Ferguson may never realized what they may be doing to themselves and to their children. Think of the stress that the young are going through living with perpetually angry adults.

And the situation will probably just get worse. Winter is coming and it is predicted that Saint Louis area will see some early snow. If the people of Ferguson end up being housebound for awhile while they are still angry think of the stress that those families will be under. Also, this situation is probably making policemen much more well off financially. There is a ton of Police overtime in the Saint Louis area. Where is the money going to come from? Reduced social services. Less snow cleanup. Less emergency response units, Less transportation for seniors and the ill? The municipality of Hazelwood which is right next door has already declared that there will no longer be specialized mass transit buses used to pick up the elderly or sick for doctors appointments due to budget shortfall.

Hazelwood bus service....

Has there been any studies of the effects of the riots in LA and other areas 20 years later? I just wonder if these protester will think it has been worth it twenty years later?

a reply to: feldercarb

An interesting take that no one I know of has considered. As an ex-sufferer of extreme anger issues I know full well the debilitating effect it can have on a human being, i was so depressed due to it for a lot of years & it took a lot for me to realise that my anger was the cause of most of my suffering. I know that denial played a big part in my issue lasting so long, but once I realised what was happening I was able to fix it. Not aware of any studies but if there are then I'm sure another poster will know.

The caveat is that the stress was present before the protests, and is the
reason for the prolonged protests.

This is a group of people who feel they have been wronged and now
they are taking a stand against that wrong,

A much better stress IMO than the stress of submitting and allowing
the unjust to continue their dominion over you...

I lived in ferguson about twenty years ago and learned about some of the racial tensions then. This has been the same problem for quite a while. I do not know much about the history there but was told it goes back to the 50's because of different gov. programs that forced people to move around like musical chairs. The protesters there are in no short supply givin that many arrested were from east st.louis.

a reply to: feldercarb

Has there been any studies of the effects of the riots in LA and other areas 20 years later?

My own observations say that police learned a valuable lesson from the Rodney King beating and LA riots resulting from acquittal of the officers responsible.

That is exactly what is occurring in Ferguson right now. Seems the law there hasn't learned a thing. But will continue to increase stress levels overall the longer they put off the trial of officer whats his name.

originally posted by: intrptr
a reply to: feldercarb

Has there been any studies of the effects of the riots in LA and other areas 20 years later?

My own observations say that police learned a valuable lesson from the Rodney King beating and LA riots resulting from acquittal of the officers responsible.

That is exactly what is occurring in Ferguson right now. Seems the law there hasn't learned a thing. But will continue to increase stress levels overall the longer they put off the trial of officer whats his name.

Hi intrptr, I am more interested in if there have been any health studies done on those who lived in the area of the riots and also of the people who have participated in the situation. How has the health of the people and their children been affected by the unrest. The police are getting stress but they are also getting overtime. The people of Ferguson are just getting the stress.

originally posted by: intrptr
a reply to: feldercarb

Has there been any studies of the effects of the riots in LA and other areas 20 years later?

My own observations say that police learned a valuable lesson from the Rodney King beating and LA riots resulting from acquittal of the officers responsible.

That is exactly what is occurring in Ferguson right now. Seems the law there hasn't learned a thing. But will continue to increase stress levels overall the longer they put off the trial of officer whats his name.

They haven't learned anything in Los Angeles either. 2 weeks after the King beating they had an ad up in the locker room for the sale of clear plastic invisible batons. That way they couldn't be videotaped. Of course they made them take the signs down but it hasn't changed the thinking any.

a reply to: MarlinGrace

They haven't learned anything in Los Angeles either.

Yah they did. That was funny "clear batons".

Notice any video of beatings there lately? Any officers being indicted? Any media blowing that stuff waaay out of proportion?

In LA, some of the rioting began or was intensified when people on the ground noticed news helicopters hovering overhead.

a reply to: feldercarb

I am more interested in if there have been any health studies done on those who lived in the area of the riots and also of the people who have participated in the situation.

Sorry, i don't have research on that other than my own observation.

Rival's post up the page made sense.