There are many people who have a lot of trouble dealing with the world as it is. These people often take on extreme activist causes with dodgy underpinnings devoid of logic. They look at the world around them and are so utterly ill prepared to handle it that something inside them declares that this must cannot be true. That this cannot be the universe. That this cannot be the nature of life.
But it is.
The only thing to do when you refuse to accept that the things you see are real is to decide they are false. That the whole world you see and perceive is the unnatural result of some vast conspiracy. That conspiracy theory is as deeply comforting to them as the religious mythology is to the faithful. It is huge. It is everywhere. It explains everything bad and painful. A conspiracy they can fight. A conspiracy they can demand restitution from. Sometimes the conspirator is “capitalists” or “men” and other times they call it “god”. It’s all the same thing… they are looking for a way to deny the existence of reality itself.
“Make no mistake; I’ll be blunt. I’m crazy. Is that too subtle? I have nightmares and jump and shiver at loud noises. I leave my house once a week if I’m lucky, and I take three heavy hitting meds to manage that. I wanted to die. I wanted to kill myself. Did I have a sharper blade, I’d have succeeded.” – ginmar discussing her mental state
As an example lets take the simple basic and innocuous truth that some people are simply more attractive than others. It’s not a hard concept. It isn’t even an insulting concept to anyone rational. You have two choice in how to deal with this reality.
Option #1: You accept that you may not be at the top of the pile and you get the hell on with your life secure in the knowledge that looks aren’t everything but that they are something
Option #2: You decide that the whole concept of attractiveness is the end product of a vast conspiracy involving literally millions of humans over thousands of years. That they all conspire with a single goal – to make you feel bad.
You see how utterly insane that is? Now amazingly narcissistic and self centered? How paranoid?
It is no shock then that many of those who take option #2 often have emotional problems. They will believe that those problems are the result of the conspiracy, but I say that those problems are the cause of their belief in this conspiracy. If you look on the ‘net you will find a lot of people who believe the government is listening to them through their teeth and that that why they are paranoid, not the other way around.
The mentally damaged have my sympathies. Especially those who are deeply clinically impaired. I wish them well, I help when and how I can and I certainly don’t blame them for their ranting’s. I do however know better than to take what they say seriously – especially in the area of their derangement.
Which is why I find ginmar’s place of leadership among certain radical activists so odd. Even with her own admissions of paranoia and depression. Even with her chronic fears. Even though they know, from her own mouth, that she is prone too seeing threats and danger where none exist they take her writings about this vast global conspiracy (“the patriarchy”) she sees everywhere seriously.
Honestly? I cannot understand why.
p.s. Don’t misunderstand me. Ginmar has my best wishes on her recovery and I hope she finds competent care. I hope she can move past the fears and paranoia that grip her. She is a veteran and like all veterans she has my respect and thanks for their service.
Just for fun, there is an article in the NYT on ducks and duck genitals. Part of the reason the duck have big innies and outies are that ducks rape. Thus males that are invited go deep and more likely procreate those who rape go shallow and reduce the odds.
I wonder what kind of controversy and evil menz talk one can stir up in the land of rad fem if duck rape is properly injected into the discussion. I leave it as an exercise for the reader (if he so chooses) because it just seems that this is right up your alley, and you could do this justice.
If not pass it on to some one who can have fun with this. Nature abhors a vacuum and raping ducks just sound like they should get sucked into the vortex of rad fem.