As an R. D. Laing, "psychic processes from the normative to the pathological/pathologized can't NOT be expressions of the culture within which they operate" devotee person, this thread has been a great read. Very much in agreement that chalking such cultural phenomena up to mental illness, when there is CLEARLY more to them than that, is not only intellectually lazy: it also reinforces the idea that the dominant culture is some organic, eternal, universal state of being, which shit we don't like is a deviation from, rather than an expression of. I.e. - same old bullshit privilege of the fish asking "What water?"
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"Friends are allowed to make mistakes. The enemy is not allowed to make mistakes because his whole existence is a mistake, and we suffer from it. But the women's liberation front and gay liberation front are our friends, they are our potential allies, and we need as many allies as possible.” - Huey Newton
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