Clinic for Scumbags

 

When I was in my twenties, I had an acquaintance who was a scumbag. He always said something aggressive and sarcastic to me and even harassed me. I didn’t like him. I didn’t keep in touch with him. About ten years passed.

I saw him for the first time in ten years at a big party. He was talking with a friend of mine. I thought he didn’t remember me. The friend didn’t know I knew him personally. There was no reason for me to join their conversation. I left them.

I joined another group in the party and enjoyed talking with them. A while later, the friend who had talked with the scumbag joined our group.

The first thing she said was “I met Mr. X after a long interval. He was as much a scumbag as ever!”

I didn’t say anything, but I was surprised. I had assumed the scumbag hated me because of personal reasons. He had said sarcastic things to me and even harassed me. Actually, he had been a scumbag to everyone for ten years.

If this was so, I thought it might be an amazing thing. Was he a scumbag 24/7? Was he a scumbag indiscriminately? He could be a patient who needed medical care.

I am addicted to nicotine. The first thing I think of when I wake up is “I want to smoke.” I have a friend who is an alcoholic. The first thing he thinks of when he wakes up is “I want to drink.” The first thought of the scumbag when he wakes up might be “I want to say something sarcastic to and harass someone.” Being a scumbag might be an addiction.

We have clinics for addictions to nicotine and alcohol. I suggest that we should have clinics for scumbags. Nicotine and alcohol might be harmful. Saying sarcastic things and harassing people are nuisances. I am sure it causes negative effects to the scumbag himself. If it is a treatable illness, we need clinics for them.

Once, I was a patient of a clinic for nicotine addiction. Unfortunately, their medical treatment didn’t work on me. I am still a smoker, but I know many people who quit smoking because of the clinic. It may work. It is covered by insurance in Japan.

I wish the scumbag would be cured through some kind of medical treatment. The insurance should cover that.

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Picture by K-goi・K