Quote:
Originally Posted by Sometimes psychotic
Well they are for sure a minority...people with relatively high IQs are always a minority even for well people something on the order of 1% but in that regard is the guy with a 100 IQ sitting at home writing a book every night or a blog or anything? Or is he just watching cable TV becuase he's stuck working 2 part time jobs trying to get by? What is he doing to advance the field...is he doing anything intersting enough to put in a book...hanging out with your friends at the pub is rarely worth writing about. If he's truly an average joe he may be married with kids and good luck finding time for anything else. I don't see a lot of "average" people who are sick or well writing books or advocating for anything. However, I don't see people with autism complaining when Tammet or Grandin represent them....are they average...in no way....can everyone live up to their standards...no. That's not the point of role models....they are there to break the glass ceiling. I mean at Yale somebody told Saks she should just take a year and work as a cashier in fast food...can you imagine...she was at the top of her class now has two advanced degrees and a MacArthur genius award and she could have been working part-time at McDonalds instead because some pdoc told her that was all she could do. It's not like they are laying out a plan that everyone can fufil it's more like there there was a tree that had fallen across the path and they pulled out a chainsaw and got to work restoring the road ahead for everyone who could follow. Some people have cars, some have bikes, some are just walking and at the end of the day some will have gotten farther down the road than others but they are all capable of making progress because somebody cleared the path. But you have to know the path is clear otherwise why do more than sit home and watch TV? All these people writing books and promoting advocacy are simply telling you the path is clear now. So where are the average guys? They are just walking the path...why write about walking the path when somebody has already made it across the country and written about the amazing things they've seen and done? What would be new about it? Sure I made it to the Grand Canyon and have lots of great pics but what if someone who is a much better photographer made it there two years ago and already posted pics? It doesn't mean I never made it to the Grand Canyon just that I would choose to put that kind of thing on Facebook for my immediate friends and family rather than flickr or deviantart. So picture an average guy...1% of the population has full sz and 25% recover...that means you have to know 400 people before you ever even meet one of these people. Let's increase the odds a bit because you would actually have to know them pretty well for them to disclose a sz diagnosis since they probably aren't an advocate but just a guy trying to get by. They aren't someone you will meet at the pdocs office because they are done with psych....they don't need peer support because they haven't had symptoms in twenty years...so you won't find them on PC. How would you ever meet one of these guys? So it seems like they don't really exist and yet they could be your neighbor. Go where there are lots of people and ask there. Have you tried reddit? I think you should...
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Yes i understand you are passionate about the area of mental illness. I am simply pointing out that people with a sz dx , are not usually able and capable of these huge feats of extraordinary achievment yet we have so many in the 'recovered' side , especially , the antipsychiatry contingent , that present such feats as plausible. I am saying , quite dispassionately , that this does not stack up when we look at the data. I think a basic human right , is that everyone deserves the truth. But people, sz included should certainly not take my word for it , look to the internet where there is a wealth of information. Everyone has a story , including me and we all have biases. And if someone does not want to apply themselves to a job or a relationship , if they want to watch tv , if they are asocial , i think its fine all i would ask is that they be informed.