Glenn Close Editorial from Huffington Post
posted by JEFFREY SIMONS*
*Editor's note . . . I posted this because I took issue with John Maybury posting some comments by Ian Butler on Riptide which I felt made fun of people who suffer from mental illness. Having a family member who suffers from Bipolar Disorder, I feel it is important that we work through the intense negative stigma society puts on people who suffer from mental illness. I hope we can move forward to a world were making fun of someone with a mental disorder, or denigrating people who suffer from mental illness, is no longer brushed off as acceptable.
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31 comments:
Ian Butler and John Maybury love to make fun of people they dont like or who dont support their agenda. They should not be allowed to have a column in the Pac Trib.
Well Jeff, if you or I had posted it, it would've been hate speech I guess. By the way, I must be barred from Riptide. He has not posted one response from me in the last 2 weeks. I guess he is still a bit chapped about the whole Vreeland/Plater comment fiasco.
To bad too, I really thought John was a stand up guy and truly cared about all of Pacifica, not just his little click. I was told by a few people about him and always thought they were wrong. Turns out they were right.
Butch,
That's part of why we created this blog. You were not alone in having your comments edited or censored, and you're insight is always welcome here. I used to give Maybury credit for managing his blog, and I still think he's (at heart) a decent person, but I did not like that he effectively eliminated voices that had every right to be heard.
I never interpreted Ian's comments as mocking someone with mental illness. Nobody's even confirmed the former City Council candidate he was talking about had a mental illness.
Steve,
its part of a wider pattern to discredit Tod Schlesinger, but in a manner that is continually degrading to people who legitimately suffer from mental illness. He did go to the podium and implied Tod had Tourette's Syndrome. (I didn't like it when liberal commentators did it to Joe Wilson during his "YOU LIE!" phase.) He used the word "unhinged" in an edited video of Tod using a song generally associated with dementia.
Like I said, I have a family member who suffers from severe bipolar disorder. Every day is a struggle for her. Comments from a local columnist in this manner, in a cheap attempt to score political points, only serves to further degrade and alienate people who suffer from mental illness.
Quite frankly, Butler doesn't have the material or the skill to mount a cognitive and meaningful rebuttal to Tod, so he uses cheap theatrics and ad hominem attacks.
Reality check time. Here is the actual quote from Riptide that Jeff is talking about:
"I stand corrected. I should have said Tod got less votes than any candidate in recent history who didn't plan to build a lading pad for UFOs at Rockaway (5 elections ago)." Sep. 4th, 2009
I have no idea how Jeff is construing this as an attack on mental illness, nor would any reasonable reader.
And as for the Tourette's comment, I wasn't making fun of people with Tourette's, I was making fun of Tod for acting like he had Tourette's. Anyone wondering if that is an accurate description of his behavior should watch the video:
http://www.vidoemo.com/yvideo.php?i=Vk1lbjdNcWuRpR0d2NHc&the-ultimate-gadfly=
OK so to recap . . . you never said Tod was "unhinged", you just posted a video that said so. You never said a candidate who favored a UFO landing pad at the Quarry suffered from a mental illness, you just said Tod received more votes than someone who did (so instead of just mentioning the candidate by name, you had to produce some political platform that poked fun at someone who may or may not suffer from a mental illness). You never said Tod had Tourette's syndrome or joked about the disease, you just insinuated it and joked about it. You've never followed Tod around, you've just managed to show up at places he happened to be where you had no business to be, except to see Tod.
Just like the zookeeper never said the SFGS was repopulating Mori's Point, she just said they've had more sightings of baby snakes.
Seems like you deny saying a lot of things you "almost" said.
Jeff, you appear to be totally losing it. I'm not sure if you purposely get everything wrong or just can't help it, and I'm not sure which is worse.
Could you please explain what you are referring to when you say this:
"...you've just managed to show up at places he happened to be where you had no business to be, except to see Tod."
Ian, this time I did view the video you keep posting, and its clear that Tod was referring to the written "rules of conduct" the city council set among themselves years ago stating that they would speak no more than 3 minutes at one time each among themselves about city issues.
At the time of this video the issue-at-hand was that they, the city council, had been running way over their 3 minutes each by the wanderings of a few council members.
The video is clear that then Mayor Vreeland was interfering with, aggravating and dragging-out the Oral Communication speech Tod was giving. As a citizen Tod was entitled to his 3 minutes without interference from any city council member including the Mayor. The Mayor even involved the Police Chief-- imagine that, and for what reason was that necessary?
So, Ian this video fits into a real stretch-of- the-imagination category on your part, a total disconnect from the reality you claim it represents. Tod is a true city patriot, and similar to so many of us desires a better, financially strong (solvency first would be good), more functional city-- and, that includes access to an 18 hole golf course withing our city limits.
By the way, the citizen text Tod had intended to read happened to be from a letter-to-the-editor I wrote (so far back, I don't remember what it was).
This Blog rocks!
Tod looked like a petulant 3-year old throwing a tantrum in the grocery store, and whose mother couldn't get him to shut up. Nobody had to edit the video to make Tod look bad. He did it to himself.
I especially liked the way Tod was beating his chest and insisting he wouldn't leave the podium until he finished his statement. Until, that is, Chief Saunders went up to him. Then Tod sure backed-down quickly.
While I often agree with his points, unless he learns to control his behavior, which at this point in his life is doubtful, Tod is an embarrassing representative of those who often disagree with Council.
And for those who always defend Tod, you'll have to do better than the usual "Tod's my friend" defense. It's irrelevant.
those are all well and good points Steve, but you're missing my point, which Ian has so articulately reinforced: his constant use of mental illness as a political dialogue. I must be "totally losing it." If I make a point Ian doesn't like, then I must have some mental defect, right?
There is a huge difference between saying Tod is acting like a petulant child (which I've accused him of doing from time to time) and implying he suffers from some mental illness.
The point of Glenn Close's article is that people who suffer from mental illness already have such a negative stigma to deal with, why compound it by using mental illness as a political punching bag? Tod may be many things, but he does not suffer from any mental illness. Say he is obnoxious, say he doesn't make sense, say he talks too loud or he is rude . . . but to continually "joke" that he (and others) have a mental illness is not a profoundly intelligent or sensitive way to get your point across.
Let me pull you boys (Sinai and Butler) in for a quick huddle, ok? When you've had to visit a hospital every day for a month because someone you care deeply about has suffered a nervous breakdown due to bipolar disorder, when they can't eat and can't sleep and can't talk and lose 75 pounds and they are rail thin and looking like a zombie, or they have a glimmer of sanity and began crying about how desperate they are to get out of the hell they're in . . . well then you can laugh and joke and tell all the funny stories you want about Tourette's Syndrome and losing it and mental illness. Fair enough?
Until then, if you really want to upset me and unleash an old fashioned Texas size can of BBQ "in your face" beans about this, then keep it up.
I don't know Tod, but I like him and I don't care what anybody thinks of me. Keep doing what you're doing Tod. Times are too serious for you to be quiet.
Anyway, this female prefers chest thumping. Have fun with that one, Gentlemen.
Me Jane.
This is a family blog, Kathleen. Clean it up :-)
Cowboy Jeffy, ok, I can see that making fun of someone by saying they have Tourette's Syndrome is insulting to those with Tourett's Syndrome, and worthy of criticism.
On the other hand, "totally losing it" only means that the person it's being applied to is losing their ability to remain rational and coherent. I don't view that as an insult to the mentally ill.
If I remember right, accusing Ian of targeting the mentally ill started when he cracked a joke about a former city council member who, because she said something about a ufo landing pad in the quarry, you incorrectly assumed must have been mentally ill. You were basing your attacks on Ian on that incorrect assumption.
That particular candidate also said she wanted to build a statue of the Big Kahuna at Linda Mar Beach. As far as I can tell, she was talking about ufo landing pads and the Big Kahuna because she was having fun with her campaign, and nothing more.
When this blog got started I said it would become useless if people used it to carry on personal vendettas. This is turning into another boring, endless instance of the Frank Cimo - Mark Coby debate in the Tribune.
I'll end it now before the stress makes you eat too many donuts. However, I reserve the right to criticize anyone for their comments if I'm in a snarky mood. E pluribus omnibus.
What are we lawyers? Defining and interpreting words and phrases of what a person is saying? You're right Steve, it all gets so boring. I still like chest thumping. For Jeff, You still get to keep your triple blog.spot rating for a great job done. Don't call me crazy, don't call me your friend, just...don't call me. Now, on to the next subject; Golf Anyone?!!!!
Where you going, Simons? Get back here and argue! Paterno is a senile, old codger who couldn't coach his way out of his Depends undergarments.
Sinai - JoePa is the winningest college football coach in history. He's #1 at the top, maybe Pacifica should emulate him.
Some people think that our councilmembers do emulate him -- that's why they're calling for term limits.
AnonyMouse said:
"Some people think that our councilmembers do emulate him -- that's why they're calling for term limits."
Really? Is taking topics that are tangentially related to Pacifica at best, and then stretching things to take an immature swipe at council really the best we can do? I'm upset with the state of our city too, but this wasn't funny the first time -- much less the tenth.
And some people are too thick to understand the difference between an immature swipe and a statement of fact.
Sorry, Jeff.... I hope you aren't related to any thick people.
What are you saying in code "Anonymous"? What do you consider an "immature swipe" vs. direct observation. Please clarify your authentic view. It seem to me "an immature swipe" and a "statement-of-fact" can be one and the same.
I understand the perceived need for some people to hide in the shadows, but please make your comments clear so we can follow these-- best scenario, we learn something. Thanks.
Allow me to introduce myself as someone who is new in town. We bought our Linda Mar rancher a year ago.
We're still learning about our town and its issues, and, I hope, we will likely become more involved as we grow into our community. There is a lot to like around here, and at least from our backyard the bitching about fog is greatly exaggerated.
I must say, though, as an outsider, seeing the pissing match here and at Pacifica Riptide is disheartening. It seems like a lot of playground name calling from all sides. I'm not sure we want to get picked to be on either side's kickball team, if all it means is ad hominem attacks and shallow debate.
Maybe Ian Butler was being cheap and insensitive about Tod Schleshinger. But, on the other hand, that video shows no one in a good light; not Tod and not the council person messing with him through his three minutes. I will say as metaphor, Tourette's doesn't really capture the exchange. Maybe that would have worked if there were some shouting and unusual language outbursts.
Further, the link here to Glenn Close is laudible, but the subtext of putting Ian in his place seems disengenous at best. Worse, in an effort to perhaps create greater respect for people with mental illnesses, Jeff Simons not only questionably uses Tourette's, which most experts would point out it a neurological disorder, but in his comments seems to take the kind of pitying tone that I know some people with disabilities who might take umbrage.
Weirdly enough, I've performed comedy with a woman with Tourette's, who for some non-biologically related but probably emotionally linked reasons had OCD and other mental issues. Her attitude from what she told me was that if making fun of mental illness helped destigmatize it, it was all good. For example, if you're the type to call a redhead "Red" or a tall guy "Stretch," why not call her "Twitchy." Granted, by virtue of standing on stage spotlighting her issues, her point of view was extreme.
I guess I'll keep reading all three Pacifica blogs, and the Coastsider and Montara Fog to boot. And, I hope, I'll meet more neighbors and learn more about our shared issues, when I'm not walking to the beach or boogie boarding. Maybe between the taunts online, I'll be able to figure out whose side I'm on.
"I understand the perceived need for some people to hide in the shadows"
Thank you for that courageous and outspoken opinion, Kathy Something on the Internet. We can all use you as an example to which we can only aspire.
Welcome, Dee-Rob. Apparently, the first lesson upon becoming a Pacifican is that you should pick a side and immediately begin lobbing rocks at the other one. You should also be very dogmatic and refuse to listen to other peoples' points of view. You're getting a slow start, but maybe you'll come around.
Thanks for your comments, Dee-Rob. Enjoy what you can of Pacifica because the city is sinking quickly. Like you, I was once a newcomer to Pacifica (my wife was born and raised there) and I had no interest in politics for about a year. I decided to check out one of Don Peebles' presentations and I was disgusted by the way some of the opposition treated him during his presentation. The more research I did, the more dishonest I felt the City Council and their supporters were being about their agenda and the state of the city.
I appreciate your comments on mental illness. I'm sure there are many persepctives which are valid, but I do not believe constant references to someone being mentally ill in the public discourse of political debate is beneficial to anyone, and I think it is being done to discredit a political point of view and distract the public from the cold realities of the direction Pacifica has taken in the last 8 years. I'll agree that video shows no one in a good light, unfortunately there's a lot of history there that makes me sympathize with one side over the other.
Please stick around, wade through the ad hominems, and work with the facts. We have a lot of good research on this website, and we truly are non-profit and unrestricted in free speech. Unfortunately, there is no other venue in Pacifica that can make that claim.
Dee-Rob said:
"I must say, though, as an outsider, seeing the pissing match here and at Pacifica Riptide is disheartening. It seems like a lot of playground name calling from all sides. I'm not sure we want to get picked to be on either side's kickball team, if all it means is ad hominem attacks and shallow debate."
Dee-Rob, what's going on in Pacifica is no different than what is going on throughout the nation, i.e, libs versus cons. Except in Pacifica, everyone is a lib. So what we have here in Pacifica is Socialists/extreme environmentalists versus Kennedy Democrats. The socialists want income redistribution, guberment cheese and public ownership of everything (most of all the land). They believe the rights of frogs and snakes trump the rights of people.
The Kennedy Democrats, on the other hand, believe in the addage of their namesake, "Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country". They tend to be fiscally conservative but socially liberal. They are not ashamed of capitalism, but are willing to reach out to help those less fortunate.
Oh, and we also have one con in this town, Frank Cimo.
Never has this country been so polarized. The same can be said for Pacifica. Solve the problems of Pacifica, Dee-Rob, and you may very well solve the problems of the entire good ol' U.S.A.
AnonyMouse, good point, I didn't notice-- Kathy is Kathy Meeh, I'll try change that on the log-in. No need or intention to avoid disclosure.
Dee-Rob those who want "nothing for Pacifica" have been in city ad hoc leadership for years, and their city council cronies for the last 8 years. They are usually soft spoken while moving our city land outside city control, and encouraging volunteerism to replace paid jobs. They claim to be "environmentalist" while absolving city responsibility for leaking sewer laterals, just as they cover-over with public relations periodic sewer spills and related fines where you surf.
They "saved all of Mori Point", and are busy working to "save" privately owned quarry redevelopment land, and other productive tax-revenue generating properties zoned mixed-use and commercial, which also produce jobs and services in the geographical heart of the city.
In San Mateo County Pacifica is the #1 city at the bottom of economic statistics (hence services to our citizens). For a glance at that impartial, factual information refer to three spreadsheets posted on this blog a few days ago, as well the Chamber-of-Commerce posting on the same day. There's much more, people of this city have been "short changed" and that is not an opinion.
Propaganda and brainwashing to the recipients fit may into a broader sociological form of mental illness. Why this has happened to this community may be evolutionary from a reasonable "save land" idea coupled with an "end justifies the means" ideology spun-out-of-control into its current illogical, counter-productive form, damaging citizens of this community and threatening the existence of this city.
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