Here’s a suprisingly candid comment from an MRA in the Men’s Rights subreddit, challenging the misogyny within the movement:
Oh, wait, that’s not from the Men’s Rights subreddit. HalfysReddit did originally post this to the Men’s Rights subreddit, but the mods deleted it, and so now the only reason it’s still available is that there’s a bot that automatically reposts all self-posts to the Men’s Rights subreddit.
Before it was deleted, HalfysReddit’s post did inspire some discussion amongst the Men’s Rightsers. Well, it was “discussion” only insofar as a bunch of comments telling HalfysReddit to stuff it counts as discussion. Here’s one thoughtful comment:
Sorry, did I say “thoughtful?” I meant “delusional.”
Though I’m pretty sure he’s right that feminists aren’t going to fight for anonymity for rape defendents or the “right of paternal surrender.”
Oh, and here’s a guy comparing Men’s Rightsers to the Black Panthers.
The Men’s Rights subreddit, where the notion that MRAs should tone down the misogyny a bit is too radical to even debate.
And I do use crazy for myself (and nuts, and batshit, depending how much I’m joking instead of freaking out) — I think it is just the internalized “at least I’m not that nuts” which is quite obviously not an attitude that’s helping anyone! Bad Argenti, go sit in the ableist corner of shame! (I totally deserve it right now)
Kitteh — white wolf malkavians (the um, clan that’s seen as insane) have a dementation power. But seeing how it’s a damned good way to get out of fights, I’m always amused any time I can fit dementation into conversation. (They’re only sort of insane, more like they see too much of reality for anyone else to comprehend…it’s complicated, and entirely RP minutiae)
Outside RP, not really as far as I’ve heard. Or maybe I don’t even notice it.
Every time I see “batshit” I think of a) Republican wingnuts or b) Bat Guano from Dr Strangelove. 😛
They sound like an updated version of the Berserkers. Are they given to chewing their shields? 😉
Okay, must head off to work now … backbrace, check. Knee brace, check. Walking stick, check.
But a word like “nuts”… does that really have much to do with mental illness? I get mad (haha) when people use “psychotic” as a slur, because in my experience this use goes together with actual prejudice against psychotic people. People who say this think that having some kind of psychosis disorder=irrational and stupid, and that’s why they use “psychotic” as a slur. But I think some terms are just slurs, period, they’re not really connected to mental illness or disability any longer, even if they once were. Take a word like “idiot” – a long time ago it was actually a medical term used to describe mentally handicapped people. Nowadays it’s a MERE slur. At least I think so (you might think I shouldn’t discuss finer linguistic points in a language which isn’t my mother tongue, but when it comes to “idiot” we have the exact same word in Swedish).
At the end of the day, it’s always gonna be the case that people sometimes get pissed off at others and say something angrily at them – there are always gonna be words for that. Which means that although we should totally criticize people who use, say, “retarded” or “psychotic” as slurs, it’s more or less impossible to cut out all words from a language which have SOME connection, however historical or loose, to mental illness or disabilities. (And no, I don’t know exactly where to draw the line.)
At least that’s my two cents on the matter.
Kitteh — they’re vampires, it’s their particular strain of blood curse.
@Argenti
RE: crazy – I use it for myself and with close friends who also use it, otherwise no. Sometimes its the only word that describes ones symptoms, really.
(BTW, about therapists – have you tried bringing along someone to collaborate, at least for your first session? It’s crap that your therapist doesn’t believe you like they should but having a second person saying “yeah, it’s really like that” can help. You can say they’re there for moral support or something.)
Problem is I live with rape apologists I’m not about to tell anything. And my not-an-ex is such because I moved 500 miles away when I moved back in with my parents (cuz broke, cuz unemployed, cuz crazy)
@Argenti
That really sucks 🙁
*hugs and other comfort if wanted*
@ Some Gal
Dang! I hoped it wouldn’t come off like I was saying that I think other people should feel the same way about the terminology or that one way is objectively better, I’m just really involved in anti-stigma stuff at the moment and the way the media projects this totally biased and false view of mental illness. I thought about changing the wording when I wrote it, and I probably should have.
@ Everyone else kind enough to greet me and reply:
My undergrad major was human anatomy and biology, but I’m completing a graduate’s diploma before applying for grad school where I want to major in science communication, with a special emphasis on the dissemination of information about health. Bioethics has its own (small) department and its an open undergrad paper that students from all disciplines can take; I feel really old sometimes and it really makes me cringe to hear people with limited or no experience with the science behind healthcare preaching that, for example, diabetics living below the poverty line would be better off if they had to rely on private health insurance “because it provides a financial incentive to not be ill”.
Thankfully, the lecturer that said the off colour things about mental illness gave a single introductory lecture only and is a very elderly man who doesn’t have much contact with the students, and I spent a long time debating whether or not to talk to the course coordinator before eventually deciding to wait and see if things got better.
Ah, so that just leaves douche, sort of good. At least he’s not a respected authority figure and might get challenged by either classmates or lecturers/profs. Is just burying your head in an electronic device an option?
And optional bioethics course = awesome! I, for one, would be thrilled to discuss your class topics, if you like.
… You can’t bribe a pancreas and immune system to get along, I tried that (with chocolate) and it just made the problem worse 😛
WritingStudent, was that written by someone who thinks a) one become diabetic because one’s FAT, and b) if FAT people are given the right incentive, they’re gonna magically go thin and c) with magic thinness comes perfect health?
I guess it would completely boggle that person’s mind to tell zir about type 1 diabetes.
emilygoddess: congrats, that’s an awesome job!
Emily: Woo! *fistbump*
I couldn’t handle a job like that; all the poor hurt animals would make me too sad.
So…I walked in, she asked how things were, I said that considering this seemed to be pointless, maybe there’s someone else I can see? She was thinking the same thing, the head of the clinic has a recommendation and the receptionist will call me to schedule.
Here’s hoping new-psych is a better match!
Argenti: congrats! I hope the new psych is a much better match.
Man, I have been staring at and working on a spreadsheet all day. My brain is f-r-i-e-d.
Argenti: Good for you!
Good for you, Argenti!
Perfectly handled, Argenti!
Argenti – yayyy! That’s great!
O_O wow. That’s a really bad thing for anybody to be doing (the “your body gets used to it” thing) and from a psych…gah. I mean, they’re suposed to help you >:(
O_O I’m not reacting much your psych just sounds really bad 🙁
@katz
Thanks for info 🙂 I am at least debating trying it, but idk where I’d get it, and my d.a.r.e. programming is kicking in 😉 And my pains been relatively okay recently 🙂 My depression stopped flaring up and is back under control, and my back is some better. I got diagnosed with vitamin D deficiency, which in theory taking supplements will help. Good news is I went to a specialist and I don’t have fibromialgia or early arthritis. Bad news still don’t know if anything is wrong.
Sorry to derail about me (so skip if you don’t want to read :)) but I actually had a very good doctors appointment. Two doctors who were woman (reason I’ve been super un-easy around guy doctors recently, could post a link to help explain why, but partly is just a me thing). The first one was asking me about my depression and recognized when it was making me uncomfortable and actually asked if I wanted her to stop. Maybe that should be standard of decency, but so unusual for doctors I’ve seen recently. The last ones I’d seen who weren’t my regular one tended to ignore everything I said and just went with their original assumptions about the problem. Anyhow /me derail
@emmy
WTF. Just…bwuh. May he step on all the legos. Sorry you had to meet that person 🙁
And sorry you had to meet that douche too 🙁
Hugs if you want. Lots of hugs.
I missed when the spanx got added XD
Must ask corset wearers something! Those who would like to answer, does it stabalize your back any? I’d like something for back support but it’s so hard to find any braces for mid-upper back.
@emilygoddess
Yay for your dream job! 😀 Congratulations.
O_O wtf.
@argenti aertheri
Yay! Good luck finding a new psych 😀
I missed this too. But clearly, Spanx aren’t added to the welcome package because we want people to wear them. It’s just that we’re so proud of them because apparently Spanx are the only thing ever invented by a woman. 😀 (Also because in a pinch they could be used to slingshot any MRAs away from your general vicinity.)
My bff wears a corset when she’s at conventions, Renaissance Fairs and the like (she’s a write so is stuck there for hours) and says they really do support her back a lot. She says she can almost lean into hers like a chair back, iirc.
If you google “upper back support” a list of stuff comes up – lots to be bought online. It’s a pain how difficult it is to find things in actual physical shops, though!
@kittehs
Thanks for info 😀 I have actually checked out braces online, but couldn’t find any, though. Well, I found some, but just didn’t like much XD They all looked rather uncomfy, especially around the boobs, which is why my mind went to corset XD