Challenge #01804-D343: One Confusing Afternoon Over Mocktails at Nik's
aliens learn about the dangers of human psychopaths and other mentally ill humans -- Anon Guest
[AN: Speaking as someone who is mentally ill -ASD+Anxiety- I personally find this kind of prompt offensive as fuck. Please knock it off, Nonny]
"So these people profited off those they considered Other," said Forfax, trying to get a grip on this particular human's explanation.
"Oh aye," said the Ambassador. "They had loads o' ways."
"And then they called these Othered people lazy and insisted that they worked for medication that would help them at least feel normal."
"Aye. An' they hiked th' prices, too."
"And because these people were Othered, they could not gain a full wage... because these people passed laws that allowed them to also penalise these Others for being Othered in the first place."
"Yup. Could'nae hold more'n two thousand dollars worth o' property, assets an' money all up. Or they'd have tae go through the whole red tape obstacle course all over again an' starve fer two months on top o' it all."
Forthax ran that through a mathematical translator. "That's just short of two and a half Weeks. That's not even an emergency fund for a Human. One serious illness and it's all wiped out."
"The cost o' livin fer a family of four was up about thirty-six thousand dollars a month, fer reference."
"And then these profiteers of suffering increased the prices of everything that the Othered citizens needed..."
"Aye, they did that."
"Even for the mentally infirm?"
"Especially for the mentally infirm. And they shut down all the 'ospitals that could'a helped. Leavin' all o' these poor helpless sods wi' nowt and nowhere tae be."
"This is irresponsible behaviour to those of Diminished Responsibility," Forfax cried.
"Na, na. We called it 'good business' back in the day. 'Cause the assylums were costin' the government pennies on t' dollar tae run. An' if there's anythin' a businessman hates, it's handin' out money he'd never get back ye ken."
"And this was endorsed?"
"Aye, it raked in th' cash. Nevermind the poor buggers washin' windows on the turnpike for a wee bit o' cash. An' it gets worse."
Forfax boggled. "It can not possibly have got worse... People would have revolted."
"They made it illegal tae be homeless an' chucked 'em all in prison. An' then told everyone else they were dangerous criminals an' fed the belief tha' insane equals dangerous."
Forfax couldn't comprehend a society that would do that to its disadvantaged. "The people that did the Othering and the profiteering..."
"Aye?"
"When were they diagnosed with severe impairment?"
[Image (c) Can Stock Photo / eZeePicsStudio]
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