3 ms·

To make sure everyone is aware, the original post (before it was flagged) said "fuck the police" and then linked Ian's twitter history and some LiveLeak video I

To make sure everyone is aware, the original post (before it was flagged) said "fuck the police" and then linked Ian's twitter history and some LiveLeak video I didn't watch. To put it in context, Ian said he was abused by the police for knocking on his neighbor's door, and then threatened to commit suicide. He later retracted the statement, but then actually followed through and hung himself until he was dead. I suppose it's possible that his interactions with the police triggered his ultimate response, but (in my opinion) the correct reaction is "fuck untreated mental health issues". Seriously, there should be no stigma. If I have an infected cut, I go to the doctor and get some antibiotics. If I have a severe case of the flu, I go to the hospital and get some IV fluids. If I have mental health issues, I really hope I would be able to get to a medical professional for real treatment. I've said it here before and I'll say it again, mental health is nothing to mess around with. It's serious, and there are people who specialize in helping you. Find help. It exists. No one will judge you for it, it's a medical issue just like any other illness. It's hard, I know. I've had people in my life affected by it. I've had people in my live succumb to it. But help exists. Please, find it. As hard as it is, find your help. Find your relief. Your demons don't own you. The world needs you, in spite of what your illness is telling you. Please, find help. We need you. We love you.

a3n 9y ago
I.e. fuck people who demean people with mental illness. Or, educate them if they're willing.
- chucksmash 9y ago
  I think what the parent comment said stands quite well on its own without being reduced to a "Fuck _____" soundbyte.
bitL 9y ago
Yeah, only if there wasn't non-zero probability he suffered a brain-related damage during his police encounter which is known to flip personalities occasionally, making people do what they would never do normally. Also, it was pretty sad to see that HN didn't even put black strip at the top after the news...
serf 9y ago
I don't disagree with anything you've said, and I think that it's important that people seek help, but I think there is one more important aspect that you left out. Much of his (online) social circle completely dropped away from him due to what they perceived as his use of bigoted racist language, not because they perceived him as having a temporary lapse in judgement or breakdown. They (the 'twitterverse') did judge him. I wish a better archive was available of the replies to his ramblings; he was being actively chastised for his use of language by the vast majority of his social circle while a very slim few were asking him to seek professional help. My point in saying this : if anyone has a friend or loved one that suddenly acts out of character, how about saving the moral and ethical rhetoric and judgement until after you're fully aware that they're not undergoing some sort of crisis and speaking out-of-turn, please? I witnessed this whole happening in real-time, and knowing the outcome now and thinking back at the community response towards him at the time really disgusts me. This event made me spend a lot of time meditating on the impact of social media towards those of us who have a hard time discerning reality from fiction, even temporarily. I had thought about it before; but witnessing an event like this from start to 'finish' really drove certain points home for me, and I certainly hope to never experience it again -- even as a spectator.
- freehunter 9y ago
  >Much of his (online) social circle completely dropped away from him due to what they perceived as his use of bigoted racist language, not because they perceived him as having a temporary lapse in judgement or breakdown. They (the 'twitterverse') did judge him. Not to excuse the behavior of those who judged him, but the ideal would be to get help before it gets to this point. If I have a stomach bug, I would hope to get treatment before vomiting all over my food. I would fully expect my dinner guests to be disgusted by my outburst, it's only natural. I have had athlete friends who I have treated to lunch after an intense sporting event and had them vomit in the middle of the restaurant, and I don't blame anyone near us for getting up and leaving. It's not pleasant to see. Saying "I'm not feeling well and I am getting help" is a lot easier to do before you've proven that fact. After you've had a racist outburst is the time when it's too late to save face. It's not too late to get help for sure, but at that point you're already going to suffer some repercussions. No one should be blamed for getting help, but likewise no one should be blamed for not sticking by you when you refuse to get that help. It's a two-way street. No one who matters will judge you for getting help, but society will certainly judge you for anything do you do/say before you seek that assistance.
theoh 9y ago
It needs to be said that the psychiatric establishment is flawed or worse. As Foucault et al have documented, it started as little more than a freakshow of the mentally ill, and it is still a deeply unjust system globally. Nothing science has encountered compares to the complexity of the brain, but you'll readily find, along with kind doctors who do what they can within the limitations of our knowledge, a significant cohort who have no faith in their patients' ability to regain normal functioning.

a3n 9y ago

I.e. fuck people who demean people with mental illness. Or, educate them if they're willing.

chucksmash 9y ago
I think what the parent comment said stands quite well on its own without being reduced to a "Fuck _____" soundbyte.

bitL 9y ago

Yeah, only if there wasn't non-zero probability he suffered a brain-related damage during his police encounter which is known to flip personalities occasionally, making people do what they would never do normally. Also, it was pretty sad to see that HN didn't even put black strip at the top after the news...

serf 9y ago

I don't disagree with anything you've said, and I think that it's important that people seek help, but I think there is one more important aspect that you left out. Much of his (online) social circle completely dropped away from him due to what they perceived as his use of bigoted racist language, not because they perceived him as having a temporary lapse in judgement or breakdown. They (the 'twitterverse') did judge him. I wish a better archive was available of the replies to his ramblings; he was being actively chastised for his use of language by the vast majority of his social circle while a very slim few were asking him to seek professional help. My point in saying this : if anyone has a friend or loved one that suddenly acts out of character, how about saving the moral and ethical rhetoric and judgement until after you're fully aware that they're not undergoing some sort of crisis and speaking out-of-turn, please? I witnessed this whole happening in real-time, and knowing the outcome now and thinking back at the community response towards him at the time really disgusts me. This event made me spend a lot of time meditating on the impact of social media towards those of us who have a hard time discerning reality from fiction, even temporarily. I had thought about it before; but witnessing an event like this from start to 'finish' really drove certain points home for me, and I certainly hope to never experience it again -- even as a spectator.

freehunter 9y ago
>Much of his (online) social circle completely dropped away from him due to what they perceived as his use of bigoted racist language, not because they perceived him as having a temporary lapse in judgement or breakdown. They (the 'twitterverse') did judge him. Not to excuse the behavior of those who judged him, but the ideal would be to get help before it gets to this point. If I have a stomach bug, I would hope to get treatment before vomiting all over my food. I would fully expect my dinner guests to be disgusted by my outburst, it's only natural. I have had athlete friends who I have treated to lunch after an intense sporting event and had them vomit in the middle of the restaurant, and I don't blame anyone near us for getting up and leaving. It's not pleasant to see. Saying "I'm not feeling well and I am getting help" is a lot easier to do before you've proven that fact. After you've had a racist outburst is the time when it's too late to save face. It's not too late to get help for sure, but at that point you're already going to suffer some repercussions. No one should be blamed for getting help, but likewise no one should be blamed for not sticking by you when you refuse to get that help. It's a two-way street. No one who matters will judge you for getting help, but society will certainly judge you for anything do you do/say before you seek that assistance.

theoh 9y ago

It needs to be said that the psychiatric establishment is flawed or worse. As Foucault et al have documented, it started as little more than a freakshow of the mentally ill, and it is still a deeply unjust system globally. Nothing science has encountered compares to the complexity of the brain, but you'll readily find, along with kind doctors who do what they can within the limitations of our knowledge, a significant cohort who have no faith in their patients' ability to regain normal functioning.