Articles written by Kent Reedy

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About me - Kent Reedy

I'm a native of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and a graduate of the University of Colorado at Denver (with a B.A. degree in Communications). In addition to writing on Helium, I've written short stories and articles on a few other websites as well - including several

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Hobbies & Games > Video Games (Other) Does violence in video games contribute to real life violence?: 4 of 222
Things like violent TV shows, movies, and video games have long been blamed for inciting real life violence, but I think their effect has been greatly exaggerated. American culture encourages violence in many different ways, and the abundance of easily obtainable guns - even automatic weapons - greatly increases the destruct... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Political Issues Should mentally ill people be allowed to vote?: 1 of 43
The title given to this debate is misleading - since the normal, default voting rule for adults in our society is that anyone may vote unless there is some specific reason why they should be prevented from doing so (like having been recently convicted of a felony, for example). A more honest phrasing would be: "Should mental... More..
Creative Writing > Short Stories Short stories: Schizophrenia: 1 of 15
It was a warm summer morning. The last of the ocean fog had burned away, and the air was still. In an old car held together by paint and duct tape, an outcast drove slowly down the street - looking for the address he had been given when he phoned the day before. Soon he spotted it, and then found an open parking space about ... More..
Creative Writing > Short Stories Short stories: Adventures in life: 11 of 50
Franklin, the guy who had been letting me stay in his apartment, had secured another guest - sort of. He had invited a very agitated woman to come up for a visit. But he wasn't there when she knocked on the door, so another house-guest let her in - and then went back to bed himself. She went straight to the telephone. As soo... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Justice System The state should force the mentally ill into treatment even if they are not an "imminent threat" to themselves or others: 8 of 36
Probably the most honest way to respond to this proposal is for each person to ask if it should be true for them - in other words, "Should the state be able to forcibly treat me if the authorities decide I am mentally ill, even if they don't believe I am an imminent danger to myself or to anyone else?" Or more simply, is it ... More..
Health & Fitness > Bipolar Disorder Are children being overdiagnosed with bipolar disorder?: 3 of 13
There is some controversy over whether it is ever a good idea to label a child as being "bipolar" - even many people who accept bipolar disorder as a valid diagnosis for adults don't think it should ever be applied to children. But one thing that seems abundantly clear is that there are now way too many children being given ... More..
Arts & Humanities > Poets & Poetry Book reviews: You Get So Alone, by Charles Bukowski: 1 of 1
Charles Bukowski's "You Get So Alone At Times That It Just Makes Sense" is a collection of approximately 130 mostly very short stories - some so short and focused on a single moment that they are more like vignettes. They are written in a kind of poetic style, but without the rhymes or rhythms of most poetry. The book's titl... More..
Health & Fitness > Mental Health (Other) What is electroconvulsive therapy: 3 of 5
The actual physical procedures involved in giving someone shock treatments, or electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), as it is commonly called, are fairly well-known and clear-cut. Less certain and well-known are how ECT affects the people it is given to - especially how it affects them in the long-term; how many people it is give... More..