Mentally ill, crazy, schizo, psycho, nut job, loony, whack job, insane
April 5, 2014 7:06 PM Subscribe
Is it unreasonable to expect people to refrain from using these terms in the same way that I expect people not to use words like dyke, fag, homo, lesbo, negro, nigger, chink, spic, kike, redneck, retard etc.?
One of the extraordinary things about AskMetafilter is that it provides a forum where people can anonymously request guidance on major life challenges and receive excellent advice and support (for free). An issue that gets good coverage here is the whole panoply of inter-relational and mental health matters. There are numerous really solid threads that discuss depression, anxiety, lack of motivation, heartbreak, job loss, bipolarity, feelings of ugliness, fear, undesirableness, paranoia and schizophrenia. But recently I have noticed that there are quite a few posts where people ask for advice about "dealing with" a friend or loved one who is "mentally ill," and "mentally ill" is presented as a damning characteristic that implies dangerousness. I think this might be hurting the feelings of quite a lot of people who come to this site for guidance. Also, the term mentally ill is vague and it feels (to me -- a person who struggles with mental health issues) like a slur. How can we persuade this community (and the larger, world-out-there community) to take a less damning view of individuals with mental health issues? Is this an unreasonable request?
One of the extraordinary things about AskMetafilter is that it provides a forum where people can anonymously request guidance on major life challenges and receive excellent advice and support (for free). An issue that gets good coverage here is the whole panoply of inter-relational and mental health matters. There are numerous really solid threads that discuss depression, anxiety, lack of motivation, heartbreak, job loss, bipolarity, feelings of ugliness, fear, undesirableness, paranoia and schizophrenia. But recently I have noticed that there are quite a few posts where people ask for advice about "dealing with" a friend or loved one who is "mentally ill," and "mentally ill" is presented as a damning characteristic that implies dangerousness. I think this might be hurting the feelings of quite a lot of people who come to this site for guidance. Also, the term mentally ill is vague and it feels (to me -- a person who struggles with mental health issues) like a slur. How can we persuade this community (and the larger, world-out-there community) to take a less damning view of individuals with mental health issues? Is this an unreasonable request?
This post was deleted for the following reason: Site discussions need to go to MetaTalk not here. -- jessamyn
I think including slurs above the cut is a party foul.
I also think this may be better for MetaTalk since it is a site guidelines thing.
posted by spunweb at 7:12 PM on April 5, 2014 [2 favorites]
I also think this may be better for MetaTalk since it is a site guidelines thing.
posted by spunweb at 7:12 PM on April 5, 2014 [2 favorites]
Hey there. You'll probably get a note on this soon from a mod, but this question is one that would be more appropriate for MetaTalk.
posted by SpacemanStix at 7:12 PM on April 5, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by SpacemanStix at 7:12 PM on April 5, 2014 [1 favorite]
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This should go to MetaTalk.
posted by blueberry at 7:11 PM on April 5, 2014 [2 favorites]