Latest / Mechonomist Podcast / I have schizoaffective disorder… let’s talk about privilege discourse

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I have schizoaffective disorder… let’s talk about privilege discourse · Mechonomist Podcast

• 0:01
  SPEAKER_00: But I want to talk about privilege discourse.
• 0:02
  SPEAKER_00: And,
• 0:03
  SPEAKER_00: you know,
• 0:03
  so I sort of say nobody would really want to have
• 0:06
  schizoaffective disorder,
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_00: right?
• 0:08
  SPEAKER_00: So there is a bit of privilege associated with not having a disability.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: I get that.
• 0:16
  The problem I have is that there's like this implication that
• 0:19
  people who don't have
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_00: disabilities are required to do something about it.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: It makes no sense because there's nothing you can do about it.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_00: There's very little power that any of us have to do about it.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_00: Would I like for there to be better mental health available to me?
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_00: Sure, I have good mental health, but a lot of people don't.
• 0:46
  Would I like for not to have gone through the trauma that I
• 0:51
  went through that caused it?
• 0:52
  Absolutely,
• 0:53
  and I suppose that's a privilege,
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  but I don't see how somebody...
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_00: with those privileges is obligated to try to make my life better.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_00: If they want to help,
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  if they want to be my friend and be in community with me and
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  help me deal with my
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_00: struggles,
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_00: that's,
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  SPEAKER_00: I welcome it and I will value it,
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_00: but it's not an obligation.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_00: But ultimately,
• 1:16
  the person who's responsible for my mental health and for being
• 1:20
  happy and for
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  SPEAKER_00: getting through life and for taking care of myself,
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: ultimately,
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  SPEAKER_00: the person who's responsible for that is me.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: And I have done the taking the necessary steps.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_00: to deal with my mental health.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: I go to counseling.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_00: I have a large community that I built of support,
• 1:37
  large loving community that supports me and helps me get
• 1:41
  through day-to-day life.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_00: I take my medicine.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_00: I get sleep.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_00: I take care of myself, you know?
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: And,
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  SPEAKER_00: you know,
• 1:52
  to act like it's the privileged responsibility to make my life
• 1:57
  better or make my
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  SPEAKER_00: life easier is just...
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: You know, ridiculous.
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  SPEAKER_00: And then even more ridiculous is if,
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_00: you know,
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  SPEAKER_00: some people say the language people use is traumatic.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: Like if somebody says crazy, that's a triggering language.
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  SPEAKER_00: You know,
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  some people are assholes and there's not necessarily a systemic
• 2:17
  cause to people
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_00: being assholes.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_00: Some people are just assholes.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_00: Some people don't know better.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, you got to give people grace.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_00: And I don't even try to really educate people on that stuff.
• 2:29
  It just goes in one ear and out the other when somebody says,
• 2:33
  oh,
• 2:33
  man,
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  that person's crazy.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_00: They're bipolar.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I know they don't mean anything by that.
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  And I'm not trying to get my panties in a wad because somebody
• 2:43
  uses language that's off color or
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_00: Something like that.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I don't want people walking around on eggshells around me.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_00: I want to have friends and family.
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  SPEAKER_00: They love me and support me.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_00: And I love and support them.
• 2:57
  And I just don't think that there is an obligation on people
• 3:02
  without disabilities.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_00: With the exception of maybe voting.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_00: But I mean, what does voting do?
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_00: You know, not much.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: And with the exception of voting,
• 3:17
  I don't think there's any real obligation on people with very
• 3:20
  little power to do
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: anything about their privilege to use that,
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_00: you know,
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_00: use your privilege to make my life better.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_00: Well, most people don't have that kind of power.
• 3:34
  And I think that's where people get so upset is because you're
• 3:38
  asking them,
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  you're saying they have a moral obligation to do something they
• 3:42
  have no power to
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  SPEAKER_00: do.
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  And they feel powerless and they feel like a bad person because
• 3:47
  they're powerless.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_00: So anyway, that's my little short one for today.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_00: Be kind to each other.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_00: Give people grace.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_00: And take care of the people in your community.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_00: And don't be an asshole.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_00: And things will go a lot better than they have been going.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_00: Anyway, we'll see y'all later.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_00: Peace, y'all.