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At 07:18 PM 3/29/98 -0600, you wrote: >"With relative uniformity, PD patients are described as industrious, >rigidly moral, stoic, serious and non impulsive." > >Twice this past week I've had to remind someone close to me about my >"Parkinson's mask." Although I may be insanely happy, unless someone >knows me what they see is a very serious face - stoic, rigid. The voice >they hear is not the voice with which I speak. > >Given a test, most of us would not pick the answers that reflect an >uninhibited lifestyle, not because we don't want to, but because we just > >flat out can't. I'm no longer the "life of the party." Once I would >check yes to that question. Not anymore, because I know that people tend > >to wander away from conversations with me. I don't "look" like I'm >having a good time or that I'm laughing at jokes so, when asked, I would > >have to say "not very much" about my level of social activity. I wonder >if those researchers took this aspect of PD into consideration, or they >just assumed that the PD face and the PD desire to stay home bears the >true reflection of our personality. Humans, and other animals for that >matter, take the physical clues of personality into consideration before > >we interact with others. The way we walk, hold our hands, the expression > >on our face, are all acting as a subconscious signal to others about our > >moods and that is reflected back when others interact with us. > >And if the analysis of their research were based on personality tests, >which they claim, why would they assume that we have always had the same > >personality? There are "personality types" for smokers, drug users, >Republicans, people who buy white bread, even for people who write to >listservers. Statistics can prove anything. Ninety-nine percent of the >people who develop PD drank milk when they were children. One hundred >percent of us have inhaled fumes from motorcycles. > >Totally unscientific, but a better measure of personality, would be the >study of the emotional content of the messages posted here. Of the 1,300 > >(is that right?) folks registered on this list, probably fewer than 100 >are repeat contributors. Those 100, while not a true cross-section of >the PD community, just flat don't fit the "rigidly moral, stoic, serious > >and non impulsive" stereotype with which the researcher try to stamp us. > >One thing that really upsets me is for scientist (and sociologist and >psychologist and all the other "..ist") to fit me into a mold. We are as >varied as the weeds in my yard and, for that, I am thankful. We may look >stoic. We may sound serious. However this is one time that, just because >something walks like a duck and sounds like a duck, it isn't necessarily >a duck. > >It's enough to make you quack up. > >-- >Jerry Finch >The Official PWP Dumpster Gang Hideout >http://www.newcountry.nu/pd/ > face mask. this is don or the I.Y.Q. kid i will tell you what i did to get smile on my face as you see on my web page i took vivian hand mirror grinned till my teeth hurt tried to smile now it did not happen over night if i reamed it took almost year of greeting my teeth and all know what i got smile i was clown of of our group. kissed all girls danced was just one big clown. but after 26 years of pd my nero says 32 any how i don't live my house much now but try like i did nothing to loose let me know some day hang in there we are same person I.Y.Q.