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anxiety, blog, community, diagnosis, doctor, language, mental illness, mentally ill, OCD, psychiatrist, racism, stigma, Voice, writing
I belong to a blogging group on Facebook where bloggers can ask each other questions about traffic, fonts, product endorsements, etc. One blogger, a medical student, posted that she received an e-mail from someone on the Internet saying that her blog name was offensive. The blog name was a play on the diagnosis of OCD.
I am not going to reveal the name of the blog here, because I don’t need to cause myself any problems, but she asked the members of the group if they thought the name of her blog is offensive (she even said the psychiatry students thought it was “cute”). There were nearly 200 comments on this thread and some people tried to explain that, yes, the name is offensive, because it makes a very serious issue something light, fun, and playful. Most people (probably 99%) wrote that they thought people needed to stop being so sensitive, and to stop being so easily offended and basically to lighten up.
This was one clear example of trying to keep the status quo, and trying to keep a marginalized and voiceless community in their place. I don’t think anyone would dare tell a person of color that something they considered to be racism wasn’t really racism and they just needed to lighten up, stop being so sensitive and quit being offended by “every little thing.” The very act of telling a person of color those things is racism.
People don’t get to define what life is like for those of us with a mental illness. They don’t get to define what language we find offensive, hurtful or cruel. Many times in my life a person who is gay or a person of color has asked me not to use a certain word. I have always apologized, and discontinued the use of the word. I don’t try to defend myself by saying, “lighten up” or “stop being so sensitive.” I have believed those people’s experience of the world and of language. It is time to start believing people who have a mental illness.
After the medical student with the blog, asked her question about the name of her blog, she wrote, “Do you think I am just being paranoid?” I think this proves she has bigger problems than just an offensive blog name. I think she needs to go to sensitivity training before becoming a doctor. She proudly wrote to everyone in the group that she had already gone through her “psych rotation” All I can say is those poor patients. Honestly.
I agree with you!
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Personally, I love her blog and started following her because of that post. I think some people did take the name of her blog wrong, and not necessarily for the right reasons. Coming from a family chock full of mental illness (and with a mental illness, myself), I have no problem with her website.
I understand what you’re saying and you have some totally valid reasons for why certain things should not be said lightly. There are things I will not say because I know people I care about might take it poorly. There is an issue about sensitivity, but there is also an issue about too much sensitivity that is gradually making living in this country ridiculous. Oh well.
Heck, I’m sure I wouldn’t mind if she was my nurse or doctor as long as she can do a proper needle stick without making me into a fleshy pin cushion.
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I think people on the inside of a group get to decide what is offensive, not people on the outside. Most of the comments were from people who don’t have a mental illness, and I don’t think people without a mental illness should be deciding what is and what is not sensitive to those of us who do. Just a difference of opinion. I have no problem with your opinion though, and am glad you felt comfortable enough to share it!!!! 🙂
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I definitely see your point, though I have not viewed the blog or the name of the blog. 🙂 I think some issues get coated with humor and in the process we forget about the people who actually have to deal with the issue. Learning to see things from others’ perspectives is a start.
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I think you are right!
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Maybe you should send her a private message that repeats what you’ve said in this post. She sounds like she needs a REAL teacher. Maybe this is opportunity knocking. She could be the change (a tiny part) we wish to see in the world.
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Some people on that thread let her know their concerns. I didn’t want to get involved because people had already expressed pretty much what I thought. The majority of people told her to not listen to people who were “sensitive” “easily offended” etc. So, if she was going by majority rules, then she will be keeping the name. That’s fine, I pointed out what I felt about it here, many will agree with me, and many will disagree – I have no problem with that 🙂
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Our society has definitely gone overboard on the “politically correctness” issue, but this does not seem appropriate behavior for someone that will be dealing with people in crisis. If a review board were to see this item her employment situation/plans could seriously be affected.
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I thought it was insensitive for a doctor who we would hope would take our issues and illnesses very seriously.
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Most definitely! I certainly would not want her as my physician, and definitely would not have her as a therapist.
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I agree!
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All I can say on this is that when someone tells me to quit being so sensitive, which has mainly come from family members, I get extremely upset. Anyone who researches a bit on schizophrenia will often find “sensitivity” listed as a symptom: I’m thinking, “What? So if a person wears their heart on their sleeve there is something inherently wrong with that?” I am proud to be sensitive. You don’t find many people these days that are, given all the violence the media loves to stream from our television screens.
Another one the gets me is when I see a staff member, be it a doctor or RSS or nurse, cracking a joke about “going crazy and killing someone.” I have been very assertive of my feelings for it IS NOT funny! If you were to take a five minute walk in my shoes, as a person who did go insane and kill someone, you would feel horrified to think that someone finds death funny. I can recall the first time I heard a person say this, I cried silently. Then I went to him later and told him what upset me. Next thing I knew, HE was crying and was sincerely apologetic for even though he knew my crime before the joke, he didn’t think before he stuck his foot in his mouth and he was so sorry.
Anyways, I always feel a person has a right to their opinion. If they want to base it on a “majority rules” factor, that is their right, but to me, it also goes to show they haven’t got much faith or courage in researching and coming to their own conclusions. Good post as always, LaVancia
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I think telling someone not to be “so sensitive” is a way of shutting that person down. It is a way of silencing a person.
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And sadly enough, it comes from people that enjoy two things: control and conformity. Like they all want us to be good little robots.
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Ugh!
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Poor patients indeed. I can’t think of any statement I hate more than, “stop being sensitive/lighten up”. I automatically loose my cool when I hear those words. But people would say am being too serious. I’m wondering if its so hard to differentiate seriousness and insensitivity.
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I’m not sure. I know that telling people they are being too sensitive or to lighten up is a way to silence them.
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Yeah. And I refused to be silenced by anyone. Don’t you?
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Being silent used to be the norm for me, but I am trying to change that now.
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I’m doing same.
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Keep it up dear. Cheerio.
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I am surprised that more people hadn’t mentioned it being offensive before now.
Dr’s of all people, need to be above certain things.
In my opinion, She may be a very good doctor…or will be…Skill wise.
Yet, if she isn’t ready to understand how the name of her blog can and does offend a group of people then she is the ONE With the problem.
She is being INSENSITIVE here.
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I agree!
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