TAW122
Emissary of the right to die.
- Aug 30, 2018
- 6,871
While this isn't particularly a new topic and I perhaps may not be the only one who has written such a topic before in other circles, my rendition of this topic would tie in the right to die and bodily autonomy concepts into this very thread. As we know in our day to day life, especially during the modern era, we are bombarded by many messages promoting psychotherapy and mental health stuff as well as many people who act morally superior to those who don't share their views! Then those very same people (particularly normies) even go as far as to infantilize, dismiss, invalidate, and/or otherwise try to act morally superior by throwing such backhanded retorts. It's almost like a 3-in-1 for the normies, because what better way to dismiss and invalidate, ignore the person's issues, do next to nothing to rectify certain people's suffering and plights, and then in the end still earn the praises of their fellow peers and collective society?
Just for the record, there is a subreddit that is somewhat like a safe space for people who were harmed by psychotherapy and/or allows critical opinions of psychotherapy and psychiatry as well, which is named r/Therapyabuse. In there, people often give their stories of the harms done by the industry and the field without being gaslit, shamed, or even probed about their intentions. It also bars the unsolicited promotion and pushing of therapy onto others, which many subreddits and other spaces often don't have. Reading some of the horror stories on there only confirms the reality of the field and the people who have been harmed by them.
Anyways, back onto the main topic again. For many other social issues (especially the mainstream ones), we don't really see many normies and common people gaslighting or otherwise shaming and blaming the victim for the victim's plight. In fact, anyone doing so is immediately shunned, ousted, and (in today's modern world) 'cancelled' for doing so.
Example Scenario 1: The pretty lass who is lecherous
Suppose there was a pretty lass who liked to dress provocatively and lecherous in demeanor, but still has boundaries. Then some scumbag pervert goes to sexually harass her and she feels uncomfortable. Society itself (especially nowadays) wouldn't automatically blame the pretty lass for her provocative dress (with the exception of some conservative puritanical assholes – but I'll get to that in a bit), but instead will hold the scumbag pervert accountable and/or at least attempt to seek retributive justice against said perpetrator. And just about anyone who seems to blame the pretty lass for being a victim of sexual harassment would instead be vilified, socially shunned, even "cancelled". Of course, there are some people who would do just that, which are typically devoutly religious conservatives, or the 'Puritanical asshole' in this case. So society would shun the puritanical asshole and the majority of the masses would do so too, and not take the 'puritanical asshole's opinion seriously. Sure, while therapy and counseling could be suggested to the pretty lass, it would not be the first thing to be pushed onto her, and her sexual freedom would be celebrated and promoted even. Anyway, this example just shows how ridiculous of a double-standard society is when it comes to whether respecting one's opinion on various topics and social issues while treating other (important) issues with blatant contempt.
Example Scenario 2: The proud obese person (medically unhealthy)
The other example is about those who are proud of their body (despite it being medically unhealthy and also rife with potentially medical problems like higher risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, etc.). In our current culture of body acceptance and fat acceptance, (Just for the record, I'm overweight and almost obese myself, but even I don't think that it is 'healthy' or good for one's body to be grossly overweight and/or leading an unhealthy lifestyle, thus I strive to try to live healthy in general for my sake, but I won't push anyone to do either as it's their body their choice!) society (at least in the West and particularly in the US) seems to accept that obesity is a good thing and is accepted. Despite what many medical experts and doctors claim that obesity itself is harmful and what not, they catch a lot of flak and criticism for daring to even promote healthy living, are demonized, and/or shunned by the people who actually support and enable that kind of lifestyle. So instead of encouraging and seeing obesity as a problem, it is lauded as an acceptable state to be and that one's body acceptance at any size is deemed to be more important than actually healthy lifestyle for people. Not that one is not allowed to be unhealthy (it's their life and their business), but society at least for the US seems to be like "muh freedum, muh boodeh, etc." and anyone that opposes it is automatically seen as the enemy; they are branded fat shamers, body shamers, assholes, and many other labels. However, those who lead objectively (and scientifically proven) unhealthy lives not only are NOT being shamed (not that they should be, I don't agree with shaming just for the record), but are even being promoted and praised for doing so!
Additionally, even more insulting are that these professionals and also normies are arrogant, presumptuous in assuming and automatically jumping to conclusions (before hearing the evidence or any contrary view) that if their subject (the person they are patronizing or otherwise targetting) isn't being helped (let alone harmed) by said MHPs, they daftly assume that they just simply need to find another MHP! It's very insulting and dismissive because not only do they ignore the actual cause and reason for one's problems, they incorrectly and presumptuously assume that just throwing them to another MHP will just solve the problem or that MHPs will just somehow solve the problem! We don't do that for others kinds of issues, but it just seems like the goto for effectively gaslighting, dismissing, and sticking it to the person (while receiving praises from one's own peers and such) is just to suggest therapy, ignore whatever the other person says, and if the said person wasn't helped, then blame the said person for not being helped or not finding the right MHP! Nothing more insidious, insulting, and arrogant than that!
For example, if someone who was unemployed and unable to earn income to help themselves is told they just need to get a job and then shipped off to some job recruiter, but then failed to get it, but instead of focusing on "why" they couldn't get it and ignoring that fact, the judgmental person instead, just claims that the bum just needs an attitude adjustment and "bee (pun intended) positive" despite going nowhere, having no luck, and just "try harder", most people wouldn't accept that response or that outcome! This is because the person who hadn't managed to become gainfully employed, likely has many different causes and people can relate (at least ones who are sympathetic and understanding enough that is, not a lot of normies though). Instead, people would start to backtrack, to look into why said person couldn't, maybe it was lack of skill, perhaps it was lack of opportunities, maybe lack of stable living conditions, lack of support system to help them get back on their feet, etc. Nobody who is serious and actually empathetic would blatantly and arrogantly suggest that it's all on said person's responsibility or that their mind is just defective, nor would they suggest that it's simply said unemployed person's fault!
Anyways, I hoped my examples and explanations made sense as I tried to bring up why the mention of go seek 'help' or 'therapy' is nothing more than a cop-out for pro-lifers and anti-choicers to dismiss, invalidate, and/or gaslight those who share contrary opinions while receiving the praise of their peers. It is an important issue that we face almost on a day-to-day basis and quite frustrating how on top of the many challenges that we pro-choicers face already, we have additional complications with those who ignore out plights and seek to dismiss us without giving us any due process.
Just for the record, there is a subreddit that is somewhat like a safe space for people who were harmed by psychotherapy and/or allows critical opinions of psychotherapy and psychiatry as well, which is named r/Therapyabuse. In there, people often give their stories of the harms done by the industry and the field without being gaslit, shamed, or even probed about their intentions. It also bars the unsolicited promotion and pushing of therapy onto others, which many subreddits and other spaces often don't have. Reading some of the horror stories on there only confirms the reality of the field and the people who have been harmed by them.
Anyways, back onto the main topic again. For many other social issues (especially the mainstream ones), we don't really see many normies and common people gaslighting or otherwise shaming and blaming the victim for the victim's plight. In fact, anyone doing so is immediately shunned, ousted, and (in today's modern world) 'cancelled' for doing so.
Example Scenario 1: The pretty lass who is lecherous
Suppose there was a pretty lass who liked to dress provocatively and lecherous in demeanor, but still has boundaries. Then some scumbag pervert goes to sexually harass her and she feels uncomfortable. Society itself (especially nowadays) wouldn't automatically blame the pretty lass for her provocative dress (with the exception of some conservative puritanical assholes – but I'll get to that in a bit), but instead will hold the scumbag pervert accountable and/or at least attempt to seek retributive justice against said perpetrator. And just about anyone who seems to blame the pretty lass for being a victim of sexual harassment would instead be vilified, socially shunned, even "cancelled". Of course, there are some people who would do just that, which are typically devoutly religious conservatives, or the 'Puritanical asshole' in this case. So society would shun the puritanical asshole and the majority of the masses would do so too, and not take the 'puritanical asshole's opinion seriously. Sure, while therapy and counseling could be suggested to the pretty lass, it would not be the first thing to be pushed onto her, and her sexual freedom would be celebrated and promoted even. Anyway, this example just shows how ridiculous of a double-standard society is when it comes to whether respecting one's opinion on various topics and social issues while treating other (important) issues with blatant contempt.
Example Scenario 2: The proud obese person (medically unhealthy)
The other example is about those who are proud of their body (despite it being medically unhealthy and also rife with potentially medical problems like higher risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, etc.). In our current culture of body acceptance and fat acceptance, (Just for the record, I'm overweight and almost obese myself, but even I don't think that it is 'healthy' or good for one's body to be grossly overweight and/or leading an unhealthy lifestyle, thus I strive to try to live healthy in general for my sake, but I won't push anyone to do either as it's their body their choice!) society (at least in the West and particularly in the US) seems to accept that obesity is a good thing and is accepted. Despite what many medical experts and doctors claim that obesity itself is harmful and what not, they catch a lot of flak and criticism for daring to even promote healthy living, are demonized, and/or shunned by the people who actually support and enable that kind of lifestyle. So instead of encouraging and seeing obesity as a problem, it is lauded as an acceptable state to be and that one's body acceptance at any size is deemed to be more important than actually healthy lifestyle for people. Not that one is not allowed to be unhealthy (it's their life and their business), but society at least for the US seems to be like "muh freedum, muh boodeh, etc." and anyone that opposes it is automatically seen as the enemy; they are branded fat shamers, body shamers, assholes, and many other labels. However, those who lead objectively (and scientifically proven) unhealthy lives not only are NOT being shamed (not that they should be, I don't agree with shaming just for the record), but are even being promoted and praised for doing so!
Additionally, even more insulting are that these professionals and also normies are arrogant, presumptuous in assuming and automatically jumping to conclusions (before hearing the evidence or any contrary view) that if their subject (the person they are patronizing or otherwise targetting) isn't being helped (let alone harmed) by said MHPs, they daftly assume that they just simply need to find another MHP! It's very insulting and dismissive because not only do they ignore the actual cause and reason for one's problems, they incorrectly and presumptuously assume that just throwing them to another MHP will just solve the problem or that MHPs will just somehow solve the problem! We don't do that for others kinds of issues, but it just seems like the goto for effectively gaslighting, dismissing, and sticking it to the person (while receiving praises from one's own peers and such) is just to suggest therapy, ignore whatever the other person says, and if the said person wasn't helped, then blame the said person for not being helped or not finding the right MHP! Nothing more insidious, insulting, and arrogant than that!
For example, if someone who was unemployed and unable to earn income to help themselves is told they just need to get a job and then shipped off to some job recruiter, but then failed to get it, but instead of focusing on "why" they couldn't get it and ignoring that fact, the judgmental person instead, just claims that the bum just needs an attitude adjustment and "bee (pun intended) positive" despite going nowhere, having no luck, and just "try harder", most people wouldn't accept that response or that outcome! This is because the person who hadn't managed to become gainfully employed, likely has many different causes and people can relate (at least ones who are sympathetic and understanding enough that is, not a lot of normies though). Instead, people would start to backtrack, to look into why said person couldn't, maybe it was lack of skill, perhaps it was lack of opportunities, maybe lack of stable living conditions, lack of support system to help them get back on their feet, etc. Nobody who is serious and actually empathetic would blatantly and arrogantly suggest that it's all on said person's responsibility or that their mind is just defective, nor would they suggest that it's simply said unemployed person's fault!
Anyways, I hoped my examples and explanations made sense as I tried to bring up why the mention of go seek 'help' or 'therapy' is nothing more than a cop-out for pro-lifers and anti-choicers to dismiss, invalidate, and/or gaslight those who share contrary opinions while receiving the praise of their peers. It is an important issue that we face almost on a day-to-day basis and quite frustrating how on top of the many challenges that we pro-choicers face already, we have additional complications with those who ignore out plights and seek to dismiss us without giving us any due process.
