Not always sure of real opinions or feelings.

No, no and no.

I did not say that I think manic conditions make people "inferior" but that when someone has a way of thinking in the frame of the Western dichotomies, they might well think manic people are inferior.

Do you ever read what I write?

Stop insulting me. This is getting ridiculous now.

Should I ask myself? I am bipolar. I meant it in the sense that if you stumble upon the mentality that e. g. "women are less intelligent than men", that this mentality exists and therefore is real. But that this does not mean that it is reality that women are inferior.

Indeed, I wrote almost nothing about creativity and artists in this thread, as I have no disagreement with you in this matter and as I deemed it more important to clear the misunderstanding before. This is why I did not react to the art explanation part of your "How can you have such an opinion? You do not estimate the great works which the artists made in their manic phases and therefore you have no feeling or understanding whatsoever of art" insultation-like postings: I do not have the opininon which you continue pretending I have to start with. You are carrying coals to Newcastle here. And this ist what I mean with "straw man argumentation".

But obviously, as I see now, you have formed an opinion of me based on a misunderstanding of my first posting, and none of my later attempts to clear this misunderstanding could have had any chance of success as you seem to be absolutely obstinated to keep this prejudice no matter what and to keep picking on me. You prefer to go on insulting me based on things I did not write, instead of reading what I really write, and you also don't care about the fact that I am no native speaker - indeed, I have to look up quite a few words for each posting, and my formulations may be a bit weird sometimes so this may also have been the source of the misunderstandings.

For the other readers, please don't take all the assumptions that genetic has made about me as granted, and his way of representing what I said as being the same as what I really said and meant. Genetic is bashig a strawman here.

I have explained over and over again that the "inferiorness" is not my personal opinion but instead a point of view coming of a dichotomic worldview. Read my postings.

This advice comes too late. I have a master's degree in literature with a very nice grade. One of the courses I had - many years ago - was about the dichotomy of nature and culture in several novels.

Thank you very much, dumbfounded!

The funny thing about it is that in fact there is not so much disagreement, but more like a misunderstanding which does not want to go away.

_______________________________

Dumbfounded, Western society does not deserve the implications of the
postings by Millenium; neither do bipolar patients deserve the implied
or even misapplied suggestions promoted here. What she describes as
applicable to Western society is easily applied to any society in the world.

She obviously does not know anything really about Western society or
about the artist or the artist's work and accomplishment.

What about my position, Dumbfounded? I have never in my life had anyone accuse me of having erroneous reasoning capacity, (as in "straw man thinking" ),and If you think that doesn't deserve retaliation, you might as well forget to advise me to "knock it off". She said it herself: she "is not writing for a Western culture"; but at the same time, she directs everything to what she thinks is the western culture in content. She might be trying to write for a universal culture which would implicate her own country in her views, as well, and it might be more appropriate there than it is here in the United States. In fact, I think the views presented by the posts on western culture are reflective more of her own home country, based on her training in literature, as she reports now.

You will notice that she refers to the fact that "she doesn't want her name associated with...blah, blah, blah." Superior-inferior dichotomy? I tell you it's nonsense.

I am a very strong defender of bipolar patients and I will always remain loyal to their efforts and their works and to the positive aspects of my home country.

I find it extremely annoying to believe much of anything she says based on the way in which she twists and turns to avoid clarity and meaning. The chamelon has fewer colors, in my view.

If you find that offensive, I'm sorry, but as long as I'm listening to what people are saying and the undertones of their implications in writing, I will stand by my observations, study, and work in English and the arts.

Why you wouldn't be offended by the ideas promulgated here is a real reassurance of your stability and strength. Most bipolar people have extreme sensitivities and the only way to keep from being put down by those who do not understand sensitivity is to retaliate against the behavior being presented as unique to western culture or bipolar illness or creativity in bipolar illness.

Some things are obvious by the written word. I'm going to retaliate to things that are universal and treated as if they are unique to the good people of America or to "Western culture".

Arrogance, again, is largely the result of ignorance. Maybe the truth really is all that is needed to be said.

My study of literature in college and universities never led to such theories or analyses of dichotomies in cultures. It dealt far more with the humanities and classic literature, human conditions, emotions, character, closeness to nature, and all things that are truly part of the human experience. From my point of view, what she says may be highly appropriate for her own country, but nonsense here.

You'll just have to believe whatever you wish, Dumbfounded, and if I get cut off from the forum, it will be because of the retaliation against what I find to be highly offensive and misapplied when directed to "Western Culture", when it is actually more universal than anything else and
that has been knocked right off the wall. I've never seen a more "all-or-nothing" form of analysis in writing or in lack of clarity and intent.

Cheshirecatgrin,

I just want to say I am sorry that your thread was highjacked, You did not deserve this and If you are even coming back to this. Please post your thread again if you want to that is.

Yes, Christina, I agree with you, and I think Cheshirecatgrin didn't deserve the response
she got regarding requests for help. I hope she will come back and get answers from
those who will help with clarity and meaningful responses.

Unfortunately this thread has turned into an off-topic argument. I'm going to close it while we discuss what to do with it.