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The reason why our society has such a poor understanding of mental health is because we demand a "real travesty" as a cause of mental illness. Unless there is o

by yedava 10y ago

The reason why our society has such a poor understanding of mental health is because we demand a "real travesty" as a cause of mental illness. Unless there is one, the default assumption is that people are making it up. This is a dangerous belief that harms people.

guitarbill 10y ago
I think what scoreponok is trying to say is at the end of the day, it's just a job. There is a lot of suffering and trauma in the world. Even though I don't want to try and quantify either of those for different events, there's probably a difference between say being affected by a natural disaster and issues at work. After all, work != life. Note that this obviously don't mean the issue is to be trivialised. After all, we can't do anything about natural disasters, but we can do something about racism or sexism, etc. and we should. Edit: I picked natural disasters, because the quote "This strife has shattered all of our lives like nothing else before" could also apply to such an event. Other examples I can think of include illness, stalking, and war/PTSD. To be honest, I find it hard to think of working for Apple and going to war having the same effect. Although if the article is accurate, the comparison might be, too - worth thinking about.
- yedava 10y ago
  Issues at work can become serious. Even before there was attention on sexism/racism related issues, burnout was a well recognized mental illness. And the thing with stress is that it doesn't need to build up overnight. Even a constant low level source of stress can build up to something big over time. Since we spend a major portion of our waking lives at work, it shouldn't be surprising that our jobs can cause mental illnesses. Also before we can say "it's just a job", are we in a position to remove the necessity of jobs? So that we don't have to worry what will happen if we don't have a source of income or if we don't a career?
  - guitarbill 10y ago
    > it shouldn't be surprising that our jobs can cause mental illnesses No, it absolutely should. I work in Europe - saying that shouldn't matter, but maybe it does: > so that we don't have to worry what will happen if we don't have a source of income As long as you don't have a family to support, not having a job in the EU is not a big deal. I mean it isn't nice, but for a skilled worker, finding a new job isn't too hard. Especially if you have "Apple" on your resume. So, we conclude that I am in fact not in a position to provide any useful input. Only a different perspective.
- pfarnsworth 10y ago
  This is where I can side with the author, even though I don't like her article. It's obvious you don't understand what someone on an H1B has to go through. You often feel trapped, because moving around on an H1B is not simple, especially if you are in the middle of the green card process. You literally might not be able to leave your company, unless you want to give up years of being in line for your green card. So job stress could definitely lead to life stress.
  - guitarbill 10y ago
    > So job stress could definitely lead to life stress. Although it isn't obvious any more because the parent comment has been flagged, it don't disagree with this at all. OP pointed out that the language used in the article made him less sympathetic to the author's situation because it was over the top in his opinion. I happen to agree, it makes it harder to sympathise/empathise when you read what you perceive to be hyperbole. > It's obvious you don't understand what someone on an H1B has to go through. You often feel trapped, because moving around on an H1B is not simple Even with the personal attack, you make a good point though. With an H1-B, it is more than "just a job".
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by yedava 10y ago

guitarbill 10y ago

I think what scoreponok is trying to say is at the end of the day, it's just a job. There is a lot of suffering and trauma in the world. Even though I don't want to try and quantify either of those for different events, there's probably a difference between say being affected by a natural disaster and issues at work. After all, work != life. Note that this obviously don't mean the issue is to be trivialised. After all, we can't do anything about natural disasters, but we can do something about racism or sexism, etc. and we should. Edit: I picked natural disasters, because the quote "This strife has shattered all of our lives like nothing else before" could also apply to such an event. Other examples I can think of include illness, stalking, and war/PTSD. To be honest, I find it hard to think of working for Apple and going to war having the same effect. Although if the article is accurate, the comparison might be, too - worth thinking about.

yedava 10y ago
Issues at work can become serious. Even before there was attention on sexism/racism related issues, burnout was a well recognized mental illness. And the thing with stress is that it doesn't need to build up overnight. Even a constant low level source of stress can build up to something big over time. Since we spend a major portion of our waking lives at work, it shouldn't be surprising that our jobs can cause mental illnesses. Also before we can say "it's just a job", are we in a position to remove the necessity of jobs? So that we don't have to worry what will happen if we don't have a source of income or if we don't a career?
- guitarbill 10y ago
  > it shouldn't be surprising that our jobs can cause mental illnesses No, it absolutely should. I work in Europe - saying that shouldn't matter, but maybe it does: > so that we don't have to worry what will happen if we don't have a source of income As long as you don't have a family to support, not having a job in the EU is not a big deal. I mean it isn't nice, but for a skilled worker, finding a new job isn't too hard. Especially if you have "Apple" on your resume. So, we conclude that I am in fact not in a position to provide any useful input. Only a different perspective.
pfarnsworth 10y ago
This is where I can side with the author, even though I don't like her article. It's obvious you don't understand what someone on an H1B has to go through. You often feel trapped, because moving around on an H1B is not simple, especially if you are in the middle of the green card process. You literally might not be able to leave your company, unless you want to give up years of being in line for your green card. So job stress could definitely lead to life stress.
- guitarbill 10y ago
  > So job stress could definitely lead to life stress. Although it isn't obvious any more because the parent comment has been flagged, it don't disagree with this at all. OP pointed out that the language used in the article made him less sympathetic to the author's situation because it was over the top in his opinion. I happen to agree, it makes it harder to sympathise/empathise when you read what you perceive to be hyperbole. > It's obvious you don't understand what someone on an H1B has to go through. You often feel trapped, because moving around on an H1B is not simple Even with the personal attack, you make a good point though. With an H1-B, it is more than "just a job".

deleted 10y ago

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