Monday, December 17, 2012

In the Cross Hair of Stereotypes: Mental Illness, Being Goth and Republican

Another random shooting, another round of stereotyping begins (again).

Adam Lanza, the bastard who committed the murders up in Newton, is already being classified by his mental illness and the fact he was a Goth.  

As someone who DOES have Mental illness and is a Goth (and has been stereotyped by Goths as the worst of the GOP -- no one is immune from stereotyping), let me explain what helps or hurts the situ right now. (My Birthday post is next).

First, let's tackle Mental Illness.

The DSM-IV has multiple mental disorders that anyone can suffer from.  Very few people with a Mental Illness are going to follow in Lanza's footsteps, or  Loughner, or Holmes.  But sometimes when I introduce that I have bi-polar depression, I sometimes see the shadow behind the eyes asking: Will he hurt me?

If you want to know about THIS person who deals with Bi-polar depression and Aspergers: I am more suicidal then homicidal.  

The way I deal with my illness is simple:

1) I take my pills;
2) I go to my Talk Therapy;
3) I go to my Psychiatrist to judge how (1) is doing; and
4) I make or go out for some Pasta -- it keeps me happy.

If you know someone with Mental Illness, they need to do all these things.  I wanted to keep my head on straight because I understand politics and policy; If I went off my pills or stopped talk therapy, I could not be of use within those realms.  And some people with my disease look for the "Conspiracy Politics,"  

That's not me. 

If you meet someone who deals with Mental Illness, don't stereotype unless they act out -- then you must realize that the person needs their meds.  The Meds bring the one with illness close to normalcy.  

When it comes to the question of institutionalisation, Mental health has many degrees of socialization.  I'm lucky to be at the high end, I can talk and negotiate with people who work on Capitol Hill and Sacramento.  I can dance and talk with beautiful Muses. 

Others, such as the many homeless who are about, cannot do these things.  There is a hole in the Social Security system to that hurts those with mental illness, but that is a discussion for another day.  Those who cannot handle the normal social setting do need time in an institution, under doctor's care. 

Those are the ones who might find the way to the guns.

Now, we tackle stereotyping Goths.

Catherine Urso, of Newtown, said her college-age son knew the killer and remembered him for his alternative style. "He just said he was very thin, very remote and was one of the goths," she said.

No, as I described back here all Goths want is to be left alone to enjoy their art, their music, and their Dancing. Goths may look like human porcupines, but we have many different styles, just like Republicans.  Look at this:




And finally, to help you understand, watch this video:



Now the third and final part to this post:

How Goths stereotype Republicans.

 As the picture above showed many different Goths, Republicans are different from State to State, County to County.  

Also, as someone who has been involved in politics since I was 15, i am annoyed that people who venture into my world, stereotype us all, then judge me for the words of those who don't even live among us here in the Southland.  

If you look to the sidebar --> the simple ideal of the GOP is "Commerce, Democracy and Rock & Roll,"  There is a future post about the many myths of the two parties, one of the myths is that Abortion will go away. 

Here is some reality:

If a Republican Congress with a Republican President and a Republican  Supreme  Court  did not overturn it, why does anyone think it will be overturned? 

The precedent is set, the American people have lived with Abortion since 1973.  The rest is just Emmanuel Goldstein hype by the Democrats.  Smart people should know when they are being fooled by supposed allies. (And we on the Right support the concept of Precedent in Law and in Congress,)

I'm a Social Libertarian. The Government should have nothing to with our wallets or our bedrooms.  But if you think every Republican is a Social Conservative, then why should I fight for your cause?

Americans come in all manner of shades, sizes and ideals. 

One of the first lessons I learned in NYC was not to stereotype anyone. 

All I can hope for is that we are treated as individuals, not as a group.  Whether it is for my mental illness, or my Gothiness or being a GOP Activist, all I ask is to be treated like an individual.

Or to quote MLK, Jr.:


"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

My question: Have you ever been stereotyped? Do you stereotype anyone? 

2 comments:

  1. The problem is that you haven't had a CONSERVATIVE Congress, Supreme Court, or President. There's a reason the term RINO came into the language.

    In addition, you seem to have bought into the Left's lie that overturning Roe would make abortion illegal. No. It would return the power to the states to choose that, just as Jefferson and the 10th Amendment stated.

    ReplyDelete
  2. SDN,

    Not every reader in the Valley is Conservative. Some are local liberals or those leaning Left.

    Before we can get to the "pure" GOP, we are going to need more voters, and to get more voters sometimes we have to blow up mythos about our party.

    So, if I take a scare tactic from the Left and show that it is a scare tactic, that opens the door....to future voters.

    Purity counts in politics when you've had decades long majority.

    ReplyDelete

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