People with bipolar disorder must not only cope with the challenges of the illness but also the stigma and discrimination in an ableist society. By Suryatapa Mukherjee CW: suicide, ableism Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput passed away in June of this year at the age of 34, shocking all of India and plunging millions of...
Category: Identities
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I May Destroy Your Self-Worth: How Childhood Bullying Plagued My Young Adult Years
Childhood bullying has long-lasting effects and its impact should be acknowledged as much as other traumas during this era of mental health awareness. By Khaaliq Crowder CW: bullying, fatphobia, ableism, homophobia, disordered eating, self-harm, suicidality As I approach my 25th birthday, I’ve been examining my childhood trauma and how it plagued my late teens and...
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To Be Black, Suicidal, And Dedicated To Keeping Black Life Sacred
My greatest fear is dying by the hands of white supremacists and just becoming a hashtag that eventually loses steam. But, I frequently do want to die. TW: This essay discusses suicidality, mentions of Black death, inpatient stays, madness, abuse, police encounter, hopelessness, and depression. By Lennox Orion It is 2012, I am 15-years-old and...
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We Cannot Transcend Mental Illness In The Context of American Capitalism
Healthcare systems in the United States place the onus of healing on individuals and focus on self-optimization in service of inherently violent capitalism. TW: mentions of suicide, depression, anxiety, PTSD, and forced institutionalization Every suicide prevention day, week, or month, I once conveyed the same message, regurgitating advice that, at the height of my battle...
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“You Play Too Much,” Pleasure Without Permission In A Capitalist Society
Play, pleasure, and rest aren’t considered vital to our livelihood because labor to maintain capitalism is framed as our fundamental purpose. By Kendriana Washington For centuries, free will and its playfulness have threatened conventionality and stirred fear in the seat of power. Shortsighted perceptions of play consider it immature, selfish, and rooted in distraction or...
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I Helped Get My Toxic Boss to Resign: Here Is How You Can Hold Your Employers Accountable
Accountability is much more than getting one person removed from their position of power. It requires rooting out systemic oppression from the workplace. By Rachel Jones As the movement for racial justice sparked by the killing of George Floyd continues, many companies are being held accountable to back up their performative #BLM statements with real...
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People Make Space For White Women Like Jessica Krug By Disposing Of Dark-Skinned Black Women
The Jessica Krugs of the world get carried through the doors of houses that tell us we are too angry, aggressive, and not accomplished enough to enter. By Vanessa Rochelle Lewis Women like Jessica Krug and Rachel Dolezal—fraudulent white women who pretended to be Black for years—thrive because of the unchecked, socially-validated uglification of darker-skinned...
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‘The Umbrella Academy’, Vanya Hargreeves, and The Impact of Residual Trauma
‘The Umbrella Academy’ presents Vanya as a villain—and she is understood as such by many fans—but, in truth, she is the one who has been the most victimized. This essay contains spoilers for seasons 1 and 2 of ‘The Umbrella Academy.’ It also discusses childhood, familial, and partner abuse. The Umbrella Academy is a flawed,...
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The Sanitized Politics of Social Media Influencing
There has been a concerning proliferation of influencers who have taken social justice movements as an opportunity to center themselves. By Hareem Khan What’s pervasive about colorism is its mundanity. Its sly, subjugating gaze. Its violence is enacted and concealed by its quotidian nature, which enables a kind of extraction of colorism from the systems...
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Reconnecting To My Body With The Ancestral Practice Of Gardening
My ancestors knew ways of being with their bodies and being in community with the Earth and each other that I do not, but I am trying to learn. CW: This essay describes trauma and racial violence By Gwendolyn Wallace Every summer, my family and I used to take a trip to the South Carolina...