tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post9093761618550787772..comments2023-10-25T05:30:54.507-04:00Comments on Oh Get A Grip!: Demons in White CoatsAshe Barkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03390519279886657608noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-24741994411296636592015-10-11T19:15:08.941-04:002015-10-11T19:15:08.941-04:00Thank you, Annabeth.Thank you, Annabeth.Jean Robertahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08805088081675965859noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-87020918650285943872015-10-07T16:59:06.283-04:002015-10-07T16:59:06.283-04:00Jean, this is an incredible and chilling post, as ...Jean, this is an incredible and chilling post, as people said above. The spec fic story hits hard, and your personal fear of demons in white coats hits hard, too. I have had the experience of having my experience questioned so much I began to doubt myself, and I often now start doubting myself right away—did I perceive wrong? interpret wrong? Etc. It is scary to think that I live in a world where people would sometimes rather I think I'm crazy than see the truth of an event. I've sometimes thought it's worth questioning that often-applied adjective "healthy." I spent a while scrutinizing myself to determine whether my reactions were "healthy" or "unhealthy," and later came to feel like that was just throwing me into weird circles. Anyway, thanks for writing this!Annabeth Leonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07455191827664110878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-89920233190818596802015-09-27T10:54:09.309-04:002015-09-27T10:54:09.309-04:00That's what I think too, Sacchi. At least now ...That's what I think too, Sacchi. At least now there is particular focus on rape in colleges/universities, where a concentration of young women & young men makes it more likely than in, say, nursing homes for the elderly. And now some critics are pointing out that colleges are money-making institutions that tend to suppress any news that might damage their reputations and thus their ability to attract paying students. Use of the term "rape culture" gives me great relief, because that's what I was trying to describe (probably in a fairly incoherent way) at age 19, when I was asked over and over again why on earth I would try to kill myself. (It wasn't just a reaction to one event.) At the same time, post-secondary education seems to be quickly becoming more corporate and profit-oriented than ever before, so I don't expect the conflict to be resolved any time soon.Jean Robertahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08805088081675965859noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-53790107980856624982015-09-26T23:46:23.363-04:002015-09-26T23:46:23.363-04:00There seems to be a movement, if not quite a trend...There seems to be a movement, if not quite a trend, toward challenging the "rape culture" and believing what victims say, but it's a tough battle. Even in "progressive" areas like colleges in New England there's foot-dragging, but at least they get called out on it. Maybe there's hope.Sacchi Greenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10801164916418570059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-17884690468854484902015-09-26T01:39:36.065-04:002015-09-26T01:39:36.065-04:00Thank you for commenting, all. And Lisabet, you ar...Thank you for commenting, all. And Lisabet, you are right: being diagnosed with a mental "disease" raises all kinds of self-doubt. My spouse Mirtha once suggested that I might have mild Asperger's (like Dr. House on TV), a condition in the "autism spectrum." She was referring to my sometimes (not always) uncanny memory for details, even years after an event. I don't think I was born with this "condition." When I was young, I started writing things down, trying to be as objectively accurate as possible, because I was so often "gaslit" by adults. If I came home from school and complained that the teacher was mean or some other kids left me out of their games, my parents (& other relatives when they were around) usually told me I was wrong, I was letting my imagination run away with me, and I must have misunderstood because no one would ever deliberately mistreat me. When I began dating boys who made remarks about the general stupidity of girls and expected me to agree with them, once again, my parents suggested that my vivid imagination caused me to hear things that weren't said. This continued into my adult relationships, including my melodramatic (but not imagined) marriage. In that case, my husband would accuse me of lying, then after I escaped, other people (mostly acquaintances) accused me of lying about him, or grossly exaggerating our cross-cultural misunderstandings. I still have my own detailed written account of the last week I spent with him before escaping. I wrote it in the women's shelter where I found sanctuary, and included everything I could remember, thinking this document might be useful for legal purposes. (It was never used for that, but it served to remind me of what I had left.) Since I started teaching a generation ago, I've been very grateful to colleagues and students, who tell me I interpret written material (literature and student assignments) logically and impartially. So demons can apparently become angels.Jean Robertahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08805088081675965859noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-75339203309026951202015-09-25T12:55:48.778-04:002015-09-25T12:55:48.778-04:00A chilling look at the future, and I wish I could ...A chilling look at the future, and I wish I could say it will never happen.JPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10305127219838784688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-39577803586953620932015-09-25T10:23:34.597-04:002015-09-25T10:23:34.597-04:00As frightening as this is, there are elements here...As frightening as this is, there are elements here that our religious belief systems (fairy tales) would just love.Daddy Xhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12927663248424944119noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-82928895331443288652015-09-25T06:27:56.589-04:002015-09-25T06:27:56.589-04:00Chilling, Jean, all the more because it's so p...Chilling, Jean, all the more because it's so plausible. Indeed, falling into the hands of the psychiatric establishment is the classic Catch-22. If you admit you need help, you obviously need treatment. If you deny you need help, then you're clearly delusional or in denial and need treatment.<br /><br />Your post, though, made me think of a parallel, or maybe a mirror, to this demon -- the creeping, terrifying fear that you ARE insane, or are likely to become so. I know people who have a genetic predisposition to schizophrenia. They scrutinize their every thought and action for signs of the disease in themselves. When you have reason to believe you might go crazy, normal emotions like grief, anger or the blues become threatening and suspect, because they might be symptoms of the pathology lurking within your mind.<br /><br />Very scary.<br /><br />Sounds like the germ of a story, though...Lisabet Saraihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05162514190572269660noreply@blogger.com