Posted by Zo on April 24, 2002, at 0:22:11
In reply to On Being Blocked, and Walking On Eggs, posted by Zo on April 22, 2002, at 19:55:01
Okay, here's the deal. How and why I think the present politics of the board genuinely s**k.
(Not to mention these f***** asterisks.)
Dr. Bob is stuck with the role of Parent, the Dysfunctional Parent (sorry Bob, nothing personal.) It's his place, we are allowed to be here only so long as he is pleased, as long as we follow his rules, which are never made clear, we never know when we might get kicked, it's his way or the highway, etc etc etc.
And, in order to be here and stay, we take on the role of Child. Bad child, Good child, Wrong child, Angry chlld, Passive child, Grown Up child, Cooperative child - but forever, if you look at how it really works, without power. Never sure how far to go, in any direction. What will please the Gods. Dependent.
I'm not saying some people don't just shrug this off--they do.
But I AM saying, This is a hell of a dynamic to present to Mental Health patients! To a population already *outrageously* infantilized, marginalized, rejected, unsupported--and never, ever heard.
A large part of the gift we give each other, here, is to be taken seriously. To be given the benefit of the doubt. The gift of Trust.
For example, I trust JohnX's (hi, JX!) incredible intelligence; it is a given, here, that one can have mood swings and also be smarter than a lot of pdocs .
I don't know anywhere else, offhand, where this kind of illness and this level of trust coexist . Not for people like us.
Nonetheless ---it would be wonderful, really much more supportive of Mental Health, if the board could be restructured. . .. to be less Me Big-You Little. . .and a lot more We.
Zo
poster:Zo
thread:4374
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20020420/msgs/4484.html