So, do we take this to Skinner as a group, or just sit and tell happy stories?

[HereSince1628]

The mentally ill-US-shouldn't be a target of this sort of bigotry by DU members.
It goes on all the time, and the mods never seem to respond to alerts.

We are good enough for our donations, but not good enough to have our status as ill treated with dignity?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=9545506&mesg_id=9545524

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=9545506&mesg_id=9545565

[HereSince1628]

1. Hmm, I guess we do.

THAT is VERY disappointing colleagues!

I guess we accept that we are the equivalent of ignorant bigots.

We need some help.

[Tobin S.]

2. This forum usually moves pretty slow

This group has a couple of functions. The main one is for people who are distressed. They can come here and safely say what they want and expect support and empathy.

Another function is that it exists also for the enlightenment of others. The next time you see a misinformed person spouting ignorant garbage, just give them a link to this group. If it's blatant bigotry hit the alert button.

If you would like to write a letter to Skinner regarding this matter, I'll be happy to put my input into it and sign along with you.

[HereSince1628]

3. Yeah, I did. DU SUCKS on this issue and people on DU give a SHIT

about it.

[HereSince1628]

8. It's pretty clear that support in this forum doesn't extend to this.

More weight to that side of the balance that says most of the "views" for this forum are for vicarious satisfaction.

[HereSince1628]

4. Please read the following and if you agree give me a PM

I will collect your DU id's and forward them to Skinner along with the following statement.

We, the followers of the DU Mental Illness Support group, find the regular disparagement of the mentally ill in postings and replies on DU discouraging. We urge the Administrators and Moderators of DU to see the mentally ill as a class of real persons. We are members of DU and we are persons who are stereotyped and repeatedly equated with all variety of disparagements against rhetorical and political 'bad guys.' We find bigotry against the mentally ill, even employed as a tool against other social and political bigotry, abhorrent and ask that greater efforts be made to prevent the adverse stereotyping of the mentally ill.

Thank-you.

[postatomic]

5. The mentally ill are easy to target

I just think of it as a way for many people to coverup their own mental health issues. Not unlike the homophobic that fear their own gay feelings and hide it by being rabid anti-gay.

But, you're right. There should be some level of understanding and compassion. I would just chalk it up to ignorance and fear. Not sure how anyone who calls themself a progressive could act this way other than the fact that they are not a progressive. Or they are just stupid and fearful. That way of thinking is something I'd expect more from the Tea Baggers.

[mopinko]

6. i highly recommend that you post about this in ata

put the links, which can be followed back stage to the deleted messages.
imo there does need to be work done to make sure that member and mods get the issues straight.

you will get an answer. drop me a pm and give me a heads up when you do it. i will check in if i can.

[HereSince1628]

7. That was done two days ago.

[mopinko]

9. i will ask about that.

i share your concern about this. i think it is an area where some enlightenment would be useful. i think mostly people just don't think.

[bobbolink]

12. I didn't look for this before. I posted a question to ATA about this, as I don't tolerate *any*

kind of bigotry, against *any* group.

You didn't receive any reply?

If I don't get a reply, then something stronger is needed.

If you need a signature on anything, please let me know. I will sign and ask others to also.

Thank you so much for being vocal about this! :hi:

[DaveJ]

10. Everyone should be treated with dignity

It was difficult for me to figure out exactly what you were talking about based on those links.

I skimmed through them and didn't find the reference.

But yeah I think everyone has much to offer the world. Nobody should be disparaged.

[amyrose2712]

11. Seems the messages in question have been deleted?

[Odin2005]

13. I am so sick of that shit.

I am most offended by insinuation that all the people in the institutions closed during the Reagan administration are RW nuts.

[Fire Walk With Me]

14. People are afraid of "mental illness".

We might do ANYTHING at ANY MOMENT! Ooga booga!

It's just fear (lots of it). People in fear do ugly things.

[Odin2005]

15. Ugh, the usual establishment shill posted a thread called "Are teabaggers crazy?".

I alerted and the thread has not been locked yet. :puke:

[mopinko]

16. explanation of the policy here-

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=437x871

[HereSince1628]

17. Without such words DU'ers would lose most of their available

vocabularly. Consequently, we can dream of more sensitive treatment but there will be never be a policy against it.

[mopinko]

18. i completely understand what you are saying.

i do. but at the same time, the word crazy in particular means so many things outside the scope of mental illness. in fact, it's real meaning is almost entirely outside the scope of mental illness, because it so poorly describes real mental illnesses.

do keep at this subject, tho, and do be assured that we remove many comments that are insensitive, and that are unambiguous.

[HereSince1628]

19. Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is...

r.i.g.h.t.

There is precious little reason to keep at it, unless one really is the sort of person that does the same thing over and over expecting a different result.

[mopinko]

20. yeah, i get it. but

as you have seen, we do remove comments often. so, do not stop alerting. and if the context of the post is such that a common word is really defined as being about mental illness, it could be removed. be sure to explain yourself in your alerts.

and i have learned a lot from posters here. like, for instance, i never took the word cocksucker as homophobic, but now i can see it is. i just never looked at it that way, but it wasn't hard to do see when it was pointed out to me.
so, you never know when you are providing someone with an ah ha moment. you probably wont know, either. but that is the way change is often made.
keep trying.

[postatomic]

21. There are many words that are considered offensive today

That had benign origins and they devolved into something entirely different. But rules are rules.

I've seen psychotic and I would never use that word to describe anyone.

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/psychotic

Most people don't even know the origin of the word Lunatic. They just throw it around like a monkey flinging shit at anything they don't like.

Just my input on the whole matter. Pointing a couple of things out.