Forums » RP Discussion » Mental Illness in Roleplay

In the vernacular, this. So very this. (I know what the kewl kidz are like. I'm still with it, dang it.)

The problem is that, no, we can't all get along. And then you have people like me, who either refuse to, or simply can't, back down when someone has the unmitigated gall to declare themself ruler and dictator, demanding everyone bow or be cast asunder and deemed heretical infidels.

Some of us don't back down because sooner or later the mods will step in and put a stop to these shenanigans, and while they do, we're showing those very people who are being talked about that there are good people here, people who will stand up for them even when we don't like what they're playing.

That is more than what a community does--it's what a community is.

Though most of my viewpoints have been covered by more linguistically capable people than I, I still feel like I should drop in my two cents.

I've been diagnosed with autism when I was a child. I won't claim to be an authority on the matter, but I have lived it for the majority of my life, so that has to count for something, right? In any case, I find it interesting to see that things like hollywood and edgy teens creating comically, mentally ill characters is such a big problem to some. To me they have been the most minor of issues, and as Mist has put so eloquently, you can easily avoid these roleplayers. If you go out of your way to be offended by this, that is not on them, but on you.

My life would be hell if I allowed such minor things get to me. There will always be people poking fun at mental illnesses and other, even more horrible things. The word 'autist' being used as an insult will probably never end. And there will always be roleplayers thinking their character will be unique because they have an entire list of over-saturated mental illnesses going on. You can tell these people they're wrong, that they're offensive, even harmful, as that word is so easily thrown around, but you will never put an end to it. As long as free speech is a thing, people will say and create ignorant things.

Much like TaintedCaribou told about his mother, my friends joke about my mental illness too. And I don't mind at all. It's what friends do. They joke with one another, and what might seem like a distasteful joke to the outside is hilarious as an inside joke. I don't ever want my friends to stop having a good laugh at my autism! It helps me deal with it. I don't want my environment to be some sort of 'safe zone'. Let me experience hurt from time to time so I can better adjust to it, because the last thing I want is to grow a victim mentality.

If you want to talk about truly harmful things, talk about organisations like Autism Speaks, an organisation that teaches parents and autistic children alike they're wrong in the head under the guise of helping them. That is an example of something being actually harmful. Let edgy teens be edgy teens and let Hollywood be Hollywood. Mental illness is by far not the only thing they give a wrong representation of.

Alright, this argument is quickly veering into ad hominem territory. Let's bring it back, shall we?

I agree with the sentiment of your post, Tate, but I should note that in all of your examples, you could replace "poorly-written mental illness" with just "poor writing / characterization / roleplay" in general, and they would still apply. Most players who commit these characterization errors are either very young and/or very inexperienced writers -- in which case this thread probably wouldn't be very helpful to them, anyway, as they'd be better off learning how to craft authentic characters.

NOW, if we can agree that this is a symptom of poor writing, then we should also agree that you'd have a much easier time ignoring shoddy RPers as opposed to teaching them to write better. (I think that's what the others in this thread were getting at, albeit in a more inflammatory tone.)

P.S. I'm quite surprised that so many of you are jumping to defend these awful RP habits. Forget mental illness, most of these are examples of straight-up bad writing. I may not be able to change how they RP, but I certainly have the right to make fun of them. SHAME. SHAME.

Good morning everyone! This has been a lively and interesting debate, but I fear it is starting to repeat itself and becomes more heated and with every round.

To prevent explosions, I'm locking the thread, but it remains for anyone to read and make up their own mind about.