U.S. Representative David Wu of Oregon is facing calls for resignation after stories of erratic behavior have surfaced. Wu has cited an ongoing mental health issue (the specific diagnosis still private) as the reason for his recent behaviors, but also insists that his condition does not prevent him from being able to do his job.
The allegations of his lack of fitness to continue in office stem from strange behavior at the end of his 2010 election campaign, which included sending pictures of himself, in a tiger costume, to staff members. Multiple staffers resigned as a result of the incident. Wu owned up to the allegations, stating the incident was “unprofessional and inappropriate”. During the campaign, Wu also suffered a “severe episode” stemming from a reaction to mental health drugs.
Portland newspapers insist the call for resignation is not due to his mental health challenges, but due to his lack of forthrightness concerning his treatment.
Where do you stand? Should Wu be forced to resign? Should Wu be held culpable for his behavior, despite his mental illness? Does Wu, as a publicly elected representative, have the same privileges to privacy regarding the condition of his mental health and any subsequent treatments he may be receiving? Comment below.
You can also view the original Associated Press story which served as the basis for this post.
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March 1, 2011 at 2:22 pm |
as long as the behavior has not hurt himself or others than he has a right to work irregardless of whatever mental health diagnosis he has , which is no ones business in and of itself. People need to not feed into the labels and social stigma attached to anyone with any diagnosis…gosh I dislike having to constantly defend the rights of individuals who happen to have a disability…but until it is different for the majority–it is a must!!
March 2, 2011 at 11:10 am |
I agree mostly with Carol: Congressman Wu’s mental health conditions matter only to the extent that they affect his ability to do his job. He’s asserted that it doesn’t affect his ability to perform job tasks, so, until there is evidence to the contrary, there shouldn’t be a question about if he should continue working. If properly treated and monitored, a person with a mental health condition can live as normal a life as someone who has any number of physical health conditions. I’d bet this wouldn’t be a question of his fitness to work if he had diabetes.
Also, I’m inclined to think that the key to understanding his behavior lies in the context of his behavior. Have you seen the tiger picture? It’s a guaranteed smile, but there’s not much inappropriate about it. Wu claimed the picture was taken around Halloween, which seems reasonable (especially given the date the email was sent and the fact that on typical days he doesn’t dress up like a tiger to amuse himself). The only point of possible inappropriateness would be his decision to send it to his staff. Wu’s intentions could have been as simple as trying to cheer up his team. “Thanks for all your hard work! Have a laugh at my expense!” “Go get ‘em, Tiger!” It could have even been an inside joke or a bet. The point is that I really don’t know in what spirit Wu sent the email/ tiger picture. Therefore, it isn’t responsible for me to base my opinions on what I can only make assumptions about. I’d argue that it’d be irresponsible for others to base a call for resignation on their own personal assumptions as well.
Personally, I think it’s rather sad social commentary that the staff members who resigned were so concerned with their own public images that they distanced themselves from him publicly. Since when, as a society, have we decided that having a sense of humor is a bad quality in a leader? Each person has individual qualities and traits; this is beneficial to society because we can each contribute in our area of strength. So to expect uniform behavior among people is neither reasonable nor desirable.