Nocapszy
no clinkz 'til brooklyn
- Joined
- Jun 29, 2007
- Messages
- 4,517
- MBTI Type
- ENTP
I think I've made this thread before but I can't be bothered to look it up and I don't remember anything I might use for a keyword. Anyway, I've given it some more thought so it's time to reopen the subject.
I've noticed a few things which were, in the original sense to which I was accustomed, inherently negative traits but these are things which are, apparently, socially palatable.
Probably the most common example is "ADD."
I won't get into what a joke ADHD is right now -- that's not the focus here.
I'm just wondering why so many people say about themselves that they're afflicted by ADHD, in such a bragging tone.
I know the superficial reason -- it's "cool" to have ADD.
It is. I told people I had ADD, and all of a sudden I had people around me talking about ADD and telling stories 'proving' their ADHDdom as though it were some kind of an achievement. I compare this actually to nationalism -- being proud of something that you are and can't change, rather than something you've achieved.
I, though, had the ultimate trophy -- a legitimate doctor's note indicating that I was officially diseased and disorderly.
I was the cool shit in high school as long as anyone was talking or thinking about ADHD.
I couldn't understand it.
What is so cool about having a problem?
At first I wondered whether it was just something to blame for failure. That's what I thought back then. I figured that it wasn't that they thought I was cool, only that they envied me: That they were jealous and hoped it was contagious.
But there was a whole other clique of students who were (as it seemed) deliberate failures. In actuality, they just didn't care much about school, as long as they could get their rocks off or get it on the rocks. And they could. These were kids who didn't see their academic shortcomings as problems, and therefore had no problems to blame ADHD on.
But yet, they still claimed to have it.
So then, from there I figured that it was indeed a Socially Palatable aspect of personality.
Without diverting your attention too far, does it not seem as though this culture is fucked? That is, as soon as these eighth grade alcoholics and tenth grade adderall burnouts become magistrates and engineers, the sky will turn brown like the shit going into and coming out of the American public schools.
Anyway, I'll move on to another example.
Actually, I won't. I'd say the principle is pretty well lain out, so I'll move right into my questions:
How did this happen?
When did it happen? Were generations prior to this one in this habit?
I've noticed a few things which were, in the original sense to which I was accustomed, inherently negative traits but these are things which are, apparently, socially palatable.
Probably the most common example is "ADD."
I won't get into what a joke ADHD is right now -- that's not the focus here.
I'm just wondering why so many people say about themselves that they're afflicted by ADHD, in such a bragging tone.
I know the superficial reason -- it's "cool" to have ADD.
It is. I told people I had ADD, and all of a sudden I had people around me talking about ADD and telling stories 'proving' their ADHDdom as though it were some kind of an achievement. I compare this actually to nationalism -- being proud of something that you are and can't change, rather than something you've achieved.
I, though, had the ultimate trophy -- a legitimate doctor's note indicating that I was officially diseased and disorderly.
I was the cool shit in high school as long as anyone was talking or thinking about ADHD.
I couldn't understand it.
What is so cool about having a problem?
At first I wondered whether it was just something to blame for failure. That's what I thought back then. I figured that it wasn't that they thought I was cool, only that they envied me: That they were jealous and hoped it was contagious.
But there was a whole other clique of students who were (as it seemed) deliberate failures. In actuality, they just didn't care much about school, as long as they could get their rocks off or get it on the rocks. And they could. These were kids who didn't see their academic shortcomings as problems, and therefore had no problems to blame ADHD on.
But yet, they still claimed to have it.
So then, from there I figured that it was indeed a Socially Palatable aspect of personality.
Without diverting your attention too far, does it not seem as though this culture is fucked? That is, as soon as these eighth grade alcoholics and tenth grade adderall burnouts become magistrates and engineers, the sky will turn brown like the shit going into and coming out of the American public schools.
Anyway, I'll move on to another example.
Actually, I won't. I'd say the principle is pretty well lain out, so I'll move right into my questions:
How did this happen?
When did it happen? Were generations prior to this one in this habit?