[Chuva]

Sometimes I hate Facebook so much. I should probably take a Facebook pause, as I did some time ago.

Person 1 making fun of an anorexic girl she's met, and the commenters all joking about that.
Person 2 saying bulimia is a disorder for rich people.
Person 1 (yes, she's inveterate) wearing a t-shirt with razor-blades and the commenters saying they want it, too, as if self-injury was fun.
Person 1 (yes, I should probably remove her from my friends, if she weren't a real-life friend) making fun of a man who was raped (it was a newspaper article).

Why do people think they can joke about all this? By the way, person 1's mother died of a cancer, just imagine if someone started to joke about that. All hell would break loose, and rightly so.

[qwerty68]

Some people just suck. A lot do on Facebook.

MH issues just aren't taken seriously by a lot of people so I guess they think "it is just in their head" so can feel free for ripping on people with MH issues. I don't know.

I avoid FB comments. Despite the lack on anonymity, so many act like idiots with zero compassion. I hope they aren't as stupid as they present themselves.

[sandworm]

Don't let anyone get comfortable with mistreating you.
~Booker T. Washington.

To exercise power costs effort and demands courage. That is why so many fail to assert rights to which they are perfectly entitled - because a right is a kind of power but they are too lazy or too cowardly to exercise it. The virtues which cloak these faults are called patience and forbearance. [{ Friedrich Nietzsche }

[Ceara1010]

I guess it depends on the type of humor, or how it's being used.

Humor can go a long way towards helping people deal with uncomfortable/painful issues; it relaxes people, helps them deal with tensions, fears, anxieties, pain, etc. This is quite healthy.

Some examples:

When my grandmother died (my mother's mother) we joked constantly, even at the funeral home as we picked out her casket. Joking helped up deal with the grief and loss.

When I had an anxiety attack, joking about it as it was happening helped me calm down.

My mother has dementia and is doing all kinds of crazy things lately which we joke about with her. We also joke about it all amongst ourselves, away from her, to help deal with the pain of loosing her as we used to know her, and the stress of living with someone who is acting so crazy.

In fact, most professional comedians will tell you that their humor comes out of their pain and helps them deal with it all.

But humor that is mean, just to be mean. Not okay.

--Ceara1010

[DechanDawa]

Facebook is detrimental to one's mental health. I should just de-activate my account. I feel better when I stay off Facebook. Try to take a break. Facebook does not bring out the best in people.

[Pikku Myy]

There are a lot of idiots out there.

[DechanDawa]

Yeah, and idiots love Facebook. They are either bragging, or mocking. Geez, what is it with Facebook??? I am now following more people on Instagram, and Instagram doesn't seem at all like Facebook. Every time I go back on Facebook I get a negative hit. Let the idiots stay on Facebook. Instagram and other sites are far better. I should follow my own advice.

[Pikku Myy]

I did not particularly say FB... just open media in general. I agree with you. Clarify - Lots of ignorant people out there. I find out a lot about people in general with this tool.

[DechanDawa]

For me it has just been Facebook. I don't know why. Everything about Facebook irritates me. Truthfully, I like Psych Central, but I also need breaks from it. I think you are right, Pikku, it is really all social media. I use it too much. At one point I completely weaned myself off of Facebook and I just felt less irritable. But it was hard!

[Cavegirl]

Originally Posted by Chuva

Sometimes I hate Facebook so much. I should probably take a Facebook pause, as I did some time ago.

Person 1 making fun of an anorexic girl she's met, and the commenters all joking about that.
Person 2 saying bulimia is a disorder for rich people.
Person 1 (yes, she's inveterate) wearing a t-shirt with razor-blades and the commenters saying they want it, too, as if self-injury was fun.
Person 1 (yes, I should probably remove her from my friends, if she weren't a real-life friend) making fun of a man who was raped (it was a newspaper article).

Why do people think they can joke about all this? By the way, person 1's mother died of a cancer, just imagine if someone started to joke about that. All hell would break loose, and rightly so.

Hi Chuva,

There are just a lot of dumb people out there making a lot of dumb noise!

You could just unfollow this person, if it's too uncomfortable to de-friend. You will no longer see their posts or the comments in your feed.

[Chuva]

Thanks everybody.

Ceara, I agree with you 100% that in some situations humor is the right thing, and I myself use it sometimes to make some situations lighter (like my own fear of abandonment, just to make an example). But that was humor meant just to be mean, and I can't stand this. This morning I woke up at 5.30 thinking about those mean comments on the anorexic girl, it made me so mad.

I can't deactivate my Facebook account because I have two pages I care about, one on books and the other on mental health, but I decided to use it only to write on those two pages from now on, at least for some time.

[Lost_in_the_woods]

Since I had to switch phones and #... I cant remember my FB or old email passwords..so i have no way of accessing my FB account and I am pretty much better off and happier.. the only thing i miss is my Meme Groups. They were fun. But back to this topic!.... I also cant stand the overall ignorance about mental illness. I enjoy MI jokes that are ment to be light hearted, are relatable and come from intelligent / informed ppl. They are good for coping and humor when used properly is actually a great way to spread awareness and lessen stigma. Chuva, the conversation you are describing is not humor. It is mean hearted insult slinging. My problem about that perticular example is that these ppl are making fun of someone that atleast one of them knows IRL. They are making fun of a Real Person w/A Real issue. But that person does not seem to be in on the "fun"....SO NOT COOL. These ppl are ignorant morons. The media at lrg does make jokes about celebrities craziness. Generally, I find most of it humorous. Even though they are also real people, some of whom are going thru actual serious real issues, but there is a fine line here...which is an easy measure of separating caring intelligent people from ignorant morons. A caring intelligent person can laugh at the ridiculousness of peoples behaviours and of the world in general including themselves, but do not make fun of PEOPLE or find humor others making fun of PEOPLE. Ex. Watching footage of Gary Busy ranting is hilarious. Yes Gary Busy has serious real brain damage which acoount for alot of the crazy things he says....BUT Gary Busy is very much aware that he has brain damage and that people make jokes about him and he is ok with this and actually amps up the crazy and capitalizes on it. The girl your "friend" met or knows may or may not have an eating disorder. And she was probably not behaving in any ridiculous manner. Nor does it sound like she was even talking about her issues with your "friend". Meaning as far as i can tell these idiots on FB were randomly and meanly making assumptions about and or spreading information told to someone in private. BIG DIFFERENCE!..unless you are an ignorant moron.

I do have one personal addendum Id like to add into record. Making fun of ignorant morons is always funny and acceptable as far as im concerned...and anybody who goes on trashy daytime talk shows or reality tv. All fair moron game.

Whoa that is not nice interaction you are having Chuva, no wonder you are triggered.

I don't have this on facebook but I am VERY selective over who I befriend, this may be why.

Maybe time to either have a cull of your friends who are posting this stuff, or at very least unfollow them so you don't get it in your news feed?

Keep safe.

[Chuva]

In the end my friend wrote to me saying she had been a moron and apologizing for her behavior. She said I made her think a lot on what she'd done and that she will avoid it in the future, as it's not the right thing to do or say. I really appreciated it, and I'm glad my observations made her think and change her way of addressing others.

[Lost_in_the_woods]

Wow, Chuva! That's huge! Think of how much of a better place this world would be if we could all get 1 person a day to see past ignorance and stigma... Chuva! Huge inspiration!

[the sad queen]

yeah this type of people a lot unfortunately

i find it better not to scroll and check notifications much or peoples feeds. some good yeah and make me laugh but others no.