Posted on 05/30/2005 5:48:59 AM PDT by Daryl L.Hunter
Joseph Kennedy’s daughter, Rosemary, was considered shy and mentally limited, symptoms of what many thought was dyslexia. For years the family dealt with the problem by sending her away to special schools and convents. By age twenty-one she had her condition had deteriorated, giving way to tantrums, rages and violent behavior. Rosemary was beginning to understand that she would never measure up to her parent’s expectations, and the resulting frustration led to physical fights and, worse, she often disappeared at night when she would be wandering the streets.
Rosemary was seen as a liability to the family's political ambitions, and in 1942, Joseph Kennedy moved to deal with the problem. He arranged for his oldest daughter to have a prefrontal lobotomy
Rosemary's fate and how it was handled was the ultimate Kennedy deception. As late as 1958 the family was maintaining the fiction that Rosemary had become a nun in Wisconsin.
Now Frances Farmer, a beautiful actress from the 1930’s, was thought by her parents to be unruly. "She was a radical political activist, communist sympathizer and possessed a rebellious and aggressive nature. After several squabbles with the authorities, in 1942 she was wrongfully declared 'mentally incompetent' and was committed by her parents to several different asylums where all therapies failed to tame her. In 1948, her parents ordered a lobotomy for her. She was released in 1953 from the hospital, no longer a threat to society.
After reading Frances Farmer’s story one would have to conclude that Joseph Kennedy gave the lobotomy to the wrong Kennedy. Ted Kennedy being an unruly, rebellious, heavy drinking, aggressive, radical political activist, communist sympathizer would have been a much better recipient. It would be awesome if he were no longer a threat to society and the ladies along the Chapaquitic.
| Daryl L. Hunter - Editor |
I knew Frances Farmer had shock treatments, but I had no idea she had a lobotomy. Is this accurate?
There's a very strange episode of, "This is Your Life", the old TV show, with Frances Farmer as the guest.
It was bizarre and cruel. She was stunned by the questions asked and comments made and wasn't sure what to say.
It was really awful to watch.
That is offensive and would be pulled by the moderator.
I thought they were talkin' about Ted. He's been giving himself a liquid lobotomy for decades now. One more highball, and he'll be only marginally more lucid than a turnip.
Is that a frontal lobotomy or a bottle in front of me?
Prefrontal lobotomieswere not that uncommon in the old days. Science has thankfully advanced. We now have excellant medications and therapies. This article is just a slam. I do give the Kennedy's credit for the efforts on behalf of Special Olympics etc. Just because you don't like someone or disagree with them politically doesn't mean you rule out anything positive that occurred in that family.
Ted always told his dad that he would rather have a bottle in front of him than a frontal lobotomy.
Americans that undermine America's foreign policy deserve a good slamming!
While Rosemary’s true medical condition will never be fully known, after her lobotomy she regressed instead of progressed. Farmer’s situation was different, she was labeled a trouble marker for speaking her mind and in an effort to conform her to the cookie-cutter standards of the mid 40’s, she was given a trans orbital lobotomy by Walter Freeman, the so called pioneer of the lobotomy procedure.
"she was given a trans orbital lobotomy by Walter Freeman, the so called pioneer of the lobotomy procedure"
I had no idea. Thanks for the info.
(already knew about Rosemary's lobotomy)
I agree they should be slammed about a WHOLE lot of things.
But on the mental health issue they get credit.
"Americans that undermine America's foreign policy deserve a good slamming".
In wet Teddy's case, it's an Islam dunk.
Maybe you could enlighten us on what Ted Kennedy or for that matter Joe Kennedy has done for mental health, Ted Kennedy tests mine on a regular basis!
As a former hippie myself, I'm guessing that you haven't quite completed your journey. I have done some stumbling down the trail to the right myself.
| Daryl L. Hunter - Editor |
So what you are saying is Ted Kennedy tried to subvert the good mission of Camp Perry to one of a possible lobotomy factory?
Yes, indeed. It was just after Bobby was killed. in 1968.
I think very little of any Kennedy, but your comment is completely uncalled for. The fact that you don't like the Kennedy's doesn't give you license to say any outrageous, unfounded thing about them that pops into your head.
Yes I agree, there is a reasonably good chance that they draw the line at incest.
Could you just respond to the post with your arguments.
I am fully recovered into conservatism as far as I am concerned and have the journey, a la Horowitz, to prove it to myself. Which is all that counts.
Now to the Kennedys. As much as I loathe Joe Kennedy Sr and also Ted Kennedy the point I am making is that Rose Kennedy and the Kennedy girls did a LOT to bring mental retardation into the public limelight in a positive way. Whether you want to give them credit or not is up to you.
However, at a time when there were no special Olympics and mentally retarded people were locked up or away, as a prominent family they pushed for an acceptance of the mentaly retarded.
If you want to rail on about the Kennedy's go ahead. That's not the point I was making.
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