What the devil is "Psycho Doughnuts" the world wants to know? Psycho is a small, cheerul, themed doughnut shop--you figured that out yourself, did you?--in my small town near San Jose, California. They bake and sell doughnuts with cutsey names such as "obsessive compulsive" and "clinically depressed". Said items are decorated with way too much sweet frosting and colorful candies. The cashier wears a nurse's outfit and there's a table called something like "the rubber room".


Local mental health advocates, that is, folks who advocate on behalf of the mentally ill, not those who advocate becoming mentally ill, have been on the warpath. They've picketed. They petitioned City Hall to force the shop to change the evil message it conveys to the community that mental illness can be a joke. So far they have not succeded in shutting the shop down.


Beignets? Yum, but not these cloying artery busters. Yet, I wave, I honk for "Psycho Doughnuts" because the MH-ers are stepping on our right to be vulgar, to be silly, to be even a little mean-spirited. Come on, righteous MHers. Laugh and get over your hurt feelings.

If you don't like "Psycho" on a sign, don't go there. Tell your friends not to go there. But don't ask my/our city to shut them down. I don't like pornography or adult video stores that sell them but I wouldn't shut them down. Where would that lead? Censoring movies at the local 7-plex?

Of course mental illness is an unfortunate condition and of course underfunded (who isn't?) but a good laugh is often the best medicine. Sweeten up!