06/07/2005
Ill advice
It is not difficult, as you can probably imagine, to wind up a Spinoffian. We are people of strong views, strongly expressed, who refuse to let other people form our opinions for us unless we have argued them out in some depth. Things like representative democracy, social justice and equality matter to us (as does, for some reason, the welfare of animals fluffy and scaly, cute and ugly. Though we like the cute fluffy ones best. Especially the funny ones).
This particular Spinoffite, as part of fulfilling his socialist duty to the glorious motherland, coaches a patient support group for an unpleasant and un-talked about condition (and it’s not the clap, thank you so very much).
There is a distinct crossover between the big political issues, and coaching the ill: most obviously in the blatant social injustice of the attitudes of the politically well towards the politically sick.
But this is clear and obvious. Society and commerce are structured around providing for the well and young, not the ill, so available role models, as well as workplace and social settings, are geared towards affluent, well consumers. It’s the same for any disadvantaged group: the world is not built for you, and anything you want or need must be fought for.
But the more insidious and unseen evil is the way that we internalize this ostracism, and in doing so, hurt ourselves. ‘I am ill and therefore not the same, therefore the world hates me’ is a conclusion that is understandable, but also wrong. It is only when people realise that this internalized hurt is our own doing that things will change – and the first step is to be both proud and defiant in the face of the well world.
There’s an easy mantra here (well, there are two, actually, but “Sod the lot of you” doesn’t really count as a mantra, I suspect), and it’s this:
“You can’t hurt me because I won’t let you”.
When the well world smacks you (again) in the face, repeat it twice; and realise that, in many cases, mental hurt is the consequence of our willingness to be hurt: and that conquering that willingness is the first stage in forcing the world to meet you face-to-face – not, as it so often tries to do to the sick, as if we were in the gutter.
Yours etc.,
Spinoff.
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