Thoughts

December 21st 2008
There are so many examples of how hegemonic masculine norms help justify ignoring mental illness.
I’ve said this so often I sound like a broken record, but until it’s heard and understood I won’t stop saying it.
Mental illness (Depression, Bipolar, Schizophrenia…) are the only medical conditions which non-sufferers can justify not believing through ignorance (the old “I haven’t had it so I don’t know”).
Men are defined as such (IE. “MEN”) only AFTER they have “succeeded” (IE. Made money), or show some physical “toughness”.
What do we (as a society) generally say of Ernest Hemingway, Hunter Thompson, Kurt Cobain, Dédé Fortin? They were brilliant artists, expressed themselves (in different ways) through their art. What do we do to make their existence worthwhile? We buy books and records!!! When will we accept that they were troubled, inherently sad, and that by our accepted standards of “manhood”, they were WEAK?

What do we say about men like Ted Turner, Pierre Péladeau, and Howard Hughes? What great businessmen they are / were. We also call them “eccentric” which is a nice way of saying they’re “crazy”, but since they’re “successful” (IE. Have lots of money), and aren’t a “burden”, we are right in doing nothing.

This afternoon I was walking along Davie St. in Vancouver, among the people there was this fellow who stood out in the crowd as he was saying out loud “people are so nice” in an aggressive and sarcastic way. He was basically saying the same thing I have thought for a long time (and am saying here!!!) but coming from “someone like him” it’s seen as rambling. The exact same thing said by someone with letters at the end of their name, or who has “succeeded” (by societies hegemonic masculine norms) would be welcome as a great new way of thinking, and a new way of explaining mental illness.

Fear is often given as justification for the ignorance of mental illness. If people are so “fearful” of mental illness, where did their strength and toughness go?

Don’t ask why depressed people don’t “snap out of it”
Ask what you can do to help them.

Depression is a very lonely existence. That’s way getting involved is so important.

People have said that I am purposely contrarian, but that’s not true. I just see the world differently.

The help currently available for Depressive men is definitely lacking. The only role “recovery” plays is getting a man back to “functionality” (IE. Work, pay his bills, and no longer be a burden). In other words, “Be like the rest of us (a consumer) and shut up”.

Despite (not because of) having gone through the hell of Depressive, I’m more interested in helping depressives than anything else.