Long time lurker (since 2004), recently registered and writing this first diary:
There is a diary on the rec list calling Rudy Giuliani “INSANE” because of his comments on Hillary Clinton’s “health problems”; comments which are wholly divorced from reality and reflect the extent to which he has long since sold his soul in his increasingly desperate quest for the political relevance which rightly eludes him. In the comments there are a great many references to “mental illness,” politicians being “crazy,” and even disparaging references to the kinds of mood stabilizers (in this case specifically lithium, the most well known mood stabilizer and the one with by far the longest track record) used by those of us, like me, living with/ struggling with bipolar.
I understand the temptation to reach for these sorts of low hanging insults, which convey the increasing distance between the GOP and reality, as well as the extreme (and highly bigoted) departure from acceptable public discourse and behavior represented by and culminating in Trump and Trumpism. The lamentable resurgence of public and demonic expressions of racism, sexism, homophobia, Islamaphobia (a manifestation of racism, though not always recognized as such, going back to the very construction of the idea of “race” in 13th and 14th century Europe), nativism, and so much more is so offensive and dangerous that it demands condemnation of the strongest sort lest they become a part of mainstream political discourse, further endangering some of the most vulnerable among us.
However, what is overlooked in this casual bandying about of “crazy,” “insane,” “mentally ill,” “bipolar,” “schizophrenic,” “certifiable,” as well as references to the need for therapy, drugs, etc. is the extent to which using these terms as insults to one’s political opponents — however repugnant those opponents may be — traffics in and even increases stigma against the mentally ill. In conflating mental illness with dangerous and evil politics, the threat posed by today’s Trumpian GOP, this furthers the common connection between “mentally ill” and “dangerous.” This goes beyond merely causing offense, a category which places the moral burden on those offended, who must defend their being offended. Stigma is actively dangerous, threatening the life, health, and well-being of those already rendered vulnerable by medical conditions and the social stigma that has accompanied the diagnosis and visible presentation of such illnesses.
Put more simply, stigma kills. It kills because it increases social isolation and concurrently decreases one’s likelihood to seek diagnosis and treatment. In my case, I was first diagnosed with bipolar over a decade before, after a suicide attempt, I finally accepted the diagnosis and began treatment, including the therapy and drugs maligned in this casually ableist and stigmatizing language. I reached the point of such nearly-fatal crisis precisely because I bought into these stigmatizing stereotypes of mental illness. I couldn’t be bipolar, I reasoned, because I wasn’t “crazy” in these dangerous and even morally sanctionable ways. I wasn't one of those “lunatics” who were so likely to shoot up buildings full of children (never mind that the mentally ill are significantly more likely to be victims of violence rather than perpetrators of violence).
This reflexive reaching for ableist insults is the product of both ignorance and laziness. I say that not to condemn anyone in particular, but rather as a general comment. The use of these insults is so prevalent, and the stigmatization they both reflect and legitimate so common, that it is useless and beside the point to single out any individual instance. I’m not mad at anyone, and, even if I were, the legitimacy or illegitimacy of this point is not determined by the presence or absence of anger. I’m simply sick go living in a world in which people like me are so casually stigmatized that most don't even notice that it is happening. In response to this, I wrote the following on my Facebook page a couple of weeks ago. While it mentions only Trump, it applies broadly to all such stigmatizing language. I humbly request that you consider it:
"Asshole" is not a medical diagnosis, and you don't need to engage in ableism or stigmatize the mentally ill in order to rightly apply it to him. If "asshole" is too mild or imprecise for you, feel free to reach for those famous Scottish insults, like "weapons grade plum," "Gobshite," "witless fucking cocksplat," "weaselheaded fucknugget," "mangled apricot hellbeast," "clueless numpty," "bloviating fleshbag," "toupéd fucktrumpet," or, my personal favorite, "tiny fingered, Cheeto-faced, ferret wearing shitgibbon."
Do better. The words you need are right in front of you.
Edited to add (8-22-16 at 8:38pm Central): I see that while the family and I were enjoying the First Church of Roller Coasters (aka Six Flags Great America) this diary made the rec list. That, to say the least, was a surprise. I’m grateful for that. I’m grateful for all of the thoughtful comments. And I’m also grateful for those comments that, without a hint of irony, demonstrated perfectly the ableism I’m concerned about. I mean that last one sincerely, too. Candor is a good gift. So thank you to everyone who has interacted with this, in whichever ways you have interacted with it. It never fails to surprise me when my words, in whichever form they are published, make an impression on others.