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izayoi-hakuyu · 3 years

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Vanitas no carte: A case study of the vanitas motif?

In this I want to examine how the vanitas motif is used in the manga “Vanitas no carte”. In other words: Is the main character just called Vanitas because it’s a cool name or is the manga embedded within a certain literary/artistic/cultural tradition? And is the connection to that tradition just the name of the main character (spoiler: it isn’t, at least in my option) or is the vanitas motif deeply interwoven within the narrative and its themes (spoiler: it is, at least in my option)?

Talking about spoilers: I have only read up to chapter 40, so this may be updated as I continue reading. On the other hand, there will be spoilers for the chapters up to chapter 40.

Note: I don’t know if something like this has been done before. If it has, I’m very sorry. This is actually my second step into the actual fandom and I’m lacking an overview. Also English is not my native language and it’s hard for me to articulate myself properly. I’m sorry if the topic of the vanitas motif within the manga has been discussed before and I’m sorry for any mistakes I make.

So what is vanitas as a motif?

“Vanitas” is latin for “vanity”. As a theme in literature it addresses the transience of all being.

These works of art associates with the vanitas motif show the futility of pleasure, and the certainty of death. Symbols of wealth and symbols of death are often arranged in a contrasting matter. Similar to “memento mori” (latin for “remember that you [have to] die”. Memento mori is a vanitas symbol itself and they are overlapping), it accentuates the inevitably of death. But instead of the death itself it emphasizes the vanity and transiency of the human life. Motifs connected to vanitas became especially popular during the baroque period due to religious and social upheavals and the experience of the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648) and several plague pandemics and the steady presence of destruction and death. On the other hand, social injustice rose due to the build of expensive castles by absolutist rulers.

The vanitas-motif not only criticizes the worldly glory and pleasure that is transient in nature. But vanitas also accentuated that the humans are powerlessly confronted with their own fate and have no control over their own life. This mindset originated in the traditional Christian belief that earthly pursuits and goods were believed to be transient and worthless. Furthermore, people would be expected to accept their fate that would be inflicted by God. While everything earthly would be eventually in vain, God would be eternal.

The paintings under the term “vanitas still lifes” are the most well-known incarnation of the vanitas motif, but it has been also incorporated as a motif not only in painting, but in poetry (for example in the works of the German baroque poet Andreas Gryphius. And I kid you not, he wrote an ode called “Vanitas! Vanitatum Vanitas!”) and other forms of literature. Within the vanitas motif developed a whole collection of symbols associated with it. These are also presented in this manga.

Vanitas symbols in Vanitas no Carte

Hourglass

The hourglass that takes form in Vanitas’ earring is a classical symbol of vanitas. The flowing sand symbolizes the passing of lifetime and mortality. A symbol of the passing of time and the eventual death is also expressed in the gearwheel ornaments on the “Book of Vanitas”.

Skull

The cover of the first volume shows Vanitas in front of a picture frame made of golden skulls. Skulls are symbols of vanitas and memento mori. They are reminder of death and human transience. One of the skulls on the cover is wearing with a crown, which alludes to the typical form of presentation of the vanitas motif, to juxtapose symbols of death and symbols of wealth and worldly power. This relates to the role of the vampire Queen Faustina, who is both in reign of the vampires but who also seemingly spreads death over them by spreading the curse as Naenia (a name also connected to death, as Naenia was a funeral deity in ancient Rome. The name Faustina on the other hand…is a whole new topic for another day and is most likely referring to Goethe’s Faust, a play that revolves around a scholar who makes a contract with the devil. Actually the act of vampires exposing their real name includes elements of/refers to the Faustian pact motif).

Book

The book itself also a symbol of vanitas and finds its place in the story in form of the…”Book of Vanitas”. Books (among measurement tools and the like) within the vanitas motif represent the emptiness and vanity of earthly knowledge and striving. Subsequently they symbolize the haughtiness that can arise out of thirst for knowledge. From this perspective this symbolism is also tied to Dr. Moreau, who horribly abused Vanitas and other children in experiments to gain scientific knowledge in order to become a vampire himself...and his eventual failure.

Knife

Another part of Vanitas as a character is also connected to the vanitas motif – his knife. The knife stands for the vulnerability of the human life and also functions as a death symbol. The knife is especially charged symbolically as Vanitas attacks Noé on the rooftop, declaring their cooperation has ended at this point. Vanitas is refusing to let another person in his life, refusing to trust someone else but himself. His attack towards Noé with his knife not only is an attempt to make Noé hate him, but also a symbolic “cut” of their ties. But the symbolism doesn’t end here, as Noé is the one who stops the knife with his hand. Showing that he will refuse their ties to be cut. Showing that he will stay at Vanitas side no matter what and that he accepts him and doesn’t want him to be alone. In a second situation where their relationship is on the verge of breaking is the conflict within the catacombs, as Noé refuses to agree with Vanitas idea of fighting back Laurent. Vanitas lashes out, severly insults Noé and tells him to leave, if he doesn’t agree. But Noé stays at his side (and still shows him that he doesn’t agree). One could conclude that Noé’s relationship with Vanitas has an element of transience in it by Vanitas coping mechanism of avoiding and leaving others in case of conflict. And Noé fights this transience of their relationship by offering Vanitas trust, acceptation and in the end stability. During their next conflict, where Noé spits out that he wants to drink Vanitas’ blood, Vanitas leaves. But this time it is Vanitas himself who initiates remediation, who fights his own transience when it comes to social relationships. He returns (which is unlikely to him, as Dante states), his care for Noé are stronger than his desire to be fleeting, not being able to be “caught” by anyone. And sees Noé waiting for him. Again, offering stability.

Mirror

The vanitas motif is not only imbedded in the accessory of Vanitas himself. It also finds its place in the design of Noé, more precisely in the small mirror attached to his tophat. In the context of the vanitas motif, mirrors symbolize vanity and the evanescence of earthly beauty. It also stands for pride and haughtiness, similar to the Greek myth of Narcissus. This actually contrasts Noé’s humble personality.

Flowers

Within the manga Paris is described as the “City of flowers”. While flowers can be also a symbol of love and even immortality, their blooming and withering can also be a symbol of death and fleetingness of beauty, especially in the context of baroque symbolism.

Musical instruments

Musical instruments are a sign of transiency as well, as the sound vanishes into nothing as soon as it is articulated. Music is seen as something unique and unrepeatable, and also as something that is transient in its nature. This becomes evident in Cloé’s character arc, as music is her way to manipulate the world formula. Her life is also highly influenced by the transience of her surroundings, while she herself is forced to remain static.

Carpe diem

Latin for “seize the day”. It’s the name of Jeanne’s weapon. “Carpe diem” is an idiom that was especially popular in the baroque era, but it dates back to the roman poet Horace. Along with “memento mori” and “vanitas”, it emphasized the fleetingness of all life. “Carpe diem” emphasizes the call to make use of the day and the time left and to act, despite the eventual transient nature of all afford. The own mortality should be remembered and therefore the day should be seized. This reflects the main characters Vanitas, Noé and Jeanne, who carry on and refuse to give up, despite the external and internal struggles they face.

The color blue

The color blue takes a significant role within the narratives (Vampire!Vanitas being born under the blue moon). While it is not traditionally connected with vanitas itself, the color blue, together with the color black (which are the two dominating colors within human!Vanitas’ character design), is connected to death and melancholy.

The role of the vanitas motif within the narrative

The vanitas motif is embedded both in the form and in the content of the narrative.

The vanitas motif is embedded within in form of the manga as it has an analytic plot structure. This means the story’s conclusion is already presented in the beginning and the rest of the story unfolds how the eventual conclusion happened. This is the case in “Vanitas no carte” as it presents the conclusion, that Vanitas dies in the end within the first chapter and we are actually reading Noé’s memoirs. Therefore it is a constant reminder, that Vanitas will die and nothing that will happen in the story will change that outcome. Everything that happens in the story appears basically unable to change the end. Every positive development is overshadowed by the fact that it is made clear by the narrative since the very beginning that there will be no happy ending for the main characters. This is especially notable in the scene on the rooftop in volume 3, where Noé declares, how he will stay on Vanitas’ side. This scene is followed by an overlying narration of Noé, who says that memories of the beginning awake memories of the end and expressing his regret. In this positive, powerful scene where Vanitas and Noé make up and the themes of human bonds, free will, acceptation of oneself and others and trust really shine…also embeds the eventual tragic end. The omnipresence of death and its fatality and the transience of life and the knowledge that nothing lasts is the essence vanitas motif and it is presented in the mere structure of the manga.

But its not only the structure where the vanitas motif is woven in, but also the story. This shows especially in the character Vampire!Vanitas and in the mere name itself. As Cloe’s case shows: Vampires are pretty much immortal, if not directly killed. On the other hand, it is the curse of Vampire!Vanitas that endangers vampires: Because it gives them back their mortality and the transience of their existence. A transience not brought by an outside force as in the church, that hunts the vampires – but transience within themselves and their very nature. Vampires fear becoming cursed as much as humans fear death – it can always happen, to everyone. It’s not fast, but slow, seemingly unstoppable “decay”. So it is fitting for someone called “Vanitas” to bring transience and the constant reminder of death and fear upon their whole species.

Another factor of the vanitas motif is the inevitable passing of time and the changes this brings – a theme that is deeply tied to several characters arcs, where death and loss and how to deal with both is a major theme (especially when it comes to Vanitas, Noé, Jeanne, but how they relate to each other thematically is worth an analysis itself and I would digress too much). This is especially notable in Cloé’s arc, who is the only vampire in her family and becomes more and more isolated and alienated from her family, who eventually forgets about her. Cloé’s wish to stop the passing of time (and the underlying wish to be happy with her family, to be accepted for what she is), to fight the transience or rather to fight the vanitas manifests in the time loop. The time is reset and tied into a loop – symbolizing not only her being stuck in the past, but also her refusal of a future, since a future meant nothing but being forgotten for her, who sees no other purpose in herself but to execute the will of her family that has long forgotten her.

The concept of vanitas also includes fatalism and the belief that humans don’t have control over their own lifes. This makes Lord Ruthven , who uses curses to bind other vampires to his will and eliminating their own (as he did/tried to do with Noé, Jeanne and Cloé) a fitting villain from a thematic viewpoint as he impersonates fatalism. Personal choices or free will don’t matter for him as he erases both. This makes him a foil for Vanitas and an antagonist not only in actions but in world view. To Vanitas the freedom of his will and the consciousness of his own choices are extremely important to him. He could never choose in the past and was more seen as tool used by his surroundings than as a person. This emphasis of choices opposes Vanitas to the traditionally fatalistic viewpoint of the vanitas-motif. Not only that, but he uses the Book of Vanitas to actually reverse the curse and fighting the transience of existence that has befallen the vampires.

So Vanitas fights Vampire!Vanitas not only as a person by preventing the curse from killing vampires – but simultaneously he fights the transience and the fatalism: He fights vanitas as a concept itself.

But the narrative doesn’t deem transience not as internally negative. Quite the opposite, the narrative sees transience as an opportunity for change. The change of fixed structures is also an important theme after all. This change of structures is of both negative (as the curse dissembles the true name of the vampire and therefore their entire nature and Jeanne’s struggle and agony with coming in terms with seeing herself changing) and positive qualities. In one of the early chapters Vanitas complains about how the vampires are stuck in the past and therefore refusing his help – it is not only after Vanitas proofs himself that he is at least tolerated. The message of the positive side of change is also within Vanitas’ and Noé’s improving relationship and understanding. Even though Vanitas has a hard time to accept these changes (as he didn’t tell Noé about the state of the Queen, because he thought he wouldn’t believe him and refers to the several past experiences of vampires almost killing him), the positive relationship of both of them even inspires changes in others. Notably Laurent. Who, inspired by seeing a human and a vampire in a positive relationship begins to question his own beliefs and is even on the road to uncover secrets of the church, breaking up entrenched structures as well.

As a conclusion one could say that the manga makes many, many allusions to the vanitas motif and incorporates them structurally, thematically and plot-wise.

Vanitas no Carte is really a case study of vanitas.

#vanitas no carte #vanitas no shuki #the case study of vanitas #noe archiviste #vanitas #meta #vnc meta

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jalebi-weds-bluetooth · 3 years

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Hello S! It's been long since I came here. I absolutely loved the quiz and 6th podcast. I must say that you are an encyclopedia when it comes to IPK. I hope you are doing very well and you had a great Diwali. This time it coincided with children's day. That brings me a question- How do you imagine A and K to be as children and how do you think the events would have shaped their behaviours and beliefs as an adult? We get glimpses of this but I wanted to know your thoughts too. Love- Radhe

Dearest RDX,

It’s so wonderful to see you here! Thank you for loving the quiz and the 6th episode of the podcast! ( @ridzmystique is always surprised when we end up with another episode! Apparently this one group project seems to be working!)

I am doing well <3 Now to your wonderful ask:

How do you imagine A and K to be as children and how do you think the events would have shaped their behaviours and beliefs as an adult?

TL; DR:

In lieu of the events, the impact, their shaped beliefs-

Arnav shows himself to be very different from his childhood but he has actually remained the same, just a bit more edge to certain behaviors that mellow down with time, Khushi’s presence, and a reality check from his past.

Khushi shows herself to be identical to the way people think she was as a child when in fact she is, internally, a vastly different human being. It helps her being in denial, believing further in intentions than consequences and ultimately allowing her to be completely in love with Arnav Singh Raizada.

The beauty of their relationship? Arnav and Khushi are more of who they are (as adults, as kids) with each other and enjoy every facet of the other’s behavior.

Note: Akash Payal’s wedding ceremonies bring out A-K’s behavior in the most beautiful way.

‘Chote’ Singh Raizada

- By the description of his family; was stubborn, egoistic, aversive to affection, extremely attached to his family (mother and sister, and shared his smiles for these two), intelligent and a master prankster (guess who glued Akash to his bed in 8th standard?), has high ethical standards (even as a child).

- The events, instead of changing Arnav, reaffirmed a lot of his traits that one would consider ‘negative’. We see his stubbornness, aloofness, arrogance and ego take precedence in who he projects himself as. There are still signs of ‘chote’ - the way he slyly teases Anjali/Akash or his continued devotion to his family - but clearly he knows when he’s being arrogant. And masterfully uses it to achieve the success he has earned.

- What the events did change were his beliefs in marriage, celebration and religion. And these three things are directly related to the day his mother committed suicide. We see the teen Arnav dance and enjoy Anjali’s marriage until it all came crashing down. And having studied psychology, you know the power of association better than I do.

-- He hates noise, celebration and cheer. The family knows why and they don’t question him on it. Rather they try to appease him, later, with Khushi’s help, for Akash’s sangeet.

-- He has not danced in 15 years. Again, facing a trauma on the day of Anjali’s wedding might have really marred the way he felt about dancing and celebrating expressively. And he often smirks/smiles, instead of laughing out loud.

-- He hates ‘marriage’ [for himself] and refuses to believe in God. On the night of his sister’s wedding Arnav was barely given any time to absorb the shock of his father’s infidelity. It quickly led to his mother’s and eventually father’s suicide and I think Anjali’s to-be-husband abandoned her at the altar because of this. This definitely gives a heavy blow to his own views in marriage given how the end of a marriage changed his whole life. And considering how religious Anjali and his mum were (an idea he might have had doubts on as a child) he probably questioned God’s existence on the amount of unfairness he, his sister and his mum faced at the hands of his father and uncle.

Note: Arnav believes in the institution because he, in a way, idolizes what Anjali and Shyam have. He just does not prefer it for himself. When the terrace night happens, it’s a new wound on an old, unhealed one.

‘Chutki’ Kumari Gupta

- I love this name and my heart breaks they abandon this name after a few episodes. But given by the little description from her family, she was; energetic, silly, loving, mischievous, wild, compassionate, competitive, friendly and extremely empathetic as a child.

- The events did change Khushi in becoming more religious, and using her behavior her family knew as a shield to what she truly feels. It is exactly opposite to Arnav. Khushi sought religion as a coping mechanism, especially considering that she was younger than Arnav when she lost her parents. For her God gives her all the answers and she can rely on the faith that some things are beyond her control. It allows her to embrace her new family and believe her parents’ are stars.

As a child Khushi seems like the kid who would be pulled into sitting in pujas and stealing sweets as opposed to sitting with the purest devotion.

- Khushi does not let anyone know, nor shows, that she has changed. This struggle is visible when Bua ji is pairing her with Shyam. Shyam is ‘everything’ her family thinks Khushi would want - very heroic, well mannered, witty, a taste for cliched Bollywood dialogues, smart, Salman Khan-esque and in love with Lucknow.

- If anything, the events make her feel obligated to her new family. Which is why she thinks it would be a disservice to let them know she feels differently from what they feel about her and her likes/dislikes. We see this chip away with time as she gently reminds Bua ji that Arnav’s respect and love for her family means more than tying a Raksha Dhaaga.

It's not that Khushi is not who she was as a child. It’s just that I feel the events and her love for her new family puts her in this cycle of never hurting them. So I feel she never shows them the parts of her that has changed with time. Is Khushi actively doing this? I don’t think so - if it was actively done, she wouldn’t have been able to effectively deny her feelings for Arnav or hide Shyam’s truth from the Raizada's.

So...

The beauty of A-K’s relationship? Arnav and Khushi are more of who they are (as adults, as kids) with each other and enjoy every facet of the other’s behavior.

Hope you liked this analysis! I tried not straying too much away from this point!

Much love,

- Soapy

#ipkknd #iss pyaar ko kya naam doon #arnav #khushi #ipkknd analysis #arnav singh raizada #khushi kumari gupta #analysis #character analysis #ask #my best friend rdx

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jinruihokankeikaku · 4 years

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Well, since we are already talking about knights, what about a knight of hope?

Oh hello!! That’s my Classpect, right there!! Fancy that. I’m sayin this partly 8ecause I think my Role is pretty damn cool and partly as a wwarnin up front that yeah, there’s 8ound to 8e a 8it of 8ias in this here analysis. I wwill say that I’m fairly proud of my original analysis a this Role, so I’ll be drawwin on that fairly heavvily for this one. Anyhoww, wwithout further ado, here’s the…

Title: Knight of Hope

Title Breakdown: [Expert Catalyst] of [Epistemic Culmination]

Class: Knight. Generally considered to be either a “defender” or a “wielder”, the Knight is a sort of jack-of-all-trades Class characterized by both insecurity and tremendous force of will. Knights arm themselves with their Aspect and use it as a barrier between themselves and the world, as they attempt to take on as many tasks as possible in order to address, ameliorate, or compensate for that which is diminished or absent in the makeup of their Session. The Knight’s complement/opposite is the Rogue [the Expert Carrier], and it is analogous to the Thief [the Expert Commander] and the Page [the Expert Counselor]. They are most likely to work well with Maids [Catalytic Engineers] and Mages [Esoteric Catalysts].

Aspect: Hope. An Aspect associated with the conflict between one’s most salient conscious desires - personal, psycho-sexual, socio-political, or whatever else - and one’s better angels, so to speak - in simpler terms, the conflict between the ego and the superego - Hope represents the sum of one’s beliefs and ideals. It’s for this reason that Hope is tied to religious imagery and especially to angelic imagery. Additionally, Hope is associated with the double-edged sword of idealization - of people (both individuals and sorts of people) and of goals or aspirations towards heroism, adulation, happiness, moral rectitude, and success or victory. Finally, Hope can be interpreted as encompassing such things as one knows without evidence - epistemic leaps of faith. Hope stands opposed to, and represents a complement to, Rage [Epistemic Incipience], and is analogous to Light [Epistemic Communication] and Void [Epistemic Integration]. It manifests most intensely in concert with Time [Ontological Culmination] and Doom [Ethical-Aesthetic Culmination].

Mechanical Profile: Hope is the most powerful Aspect (and yes, I’m going to remind you all of that at every opportunity). However, it’s also the hardest Aspect to “control” (or at least, it’s tied with Rage on that count), so all those Hope-bound are, well, bound to have their work cut out for them in terms of developing their Aspect-linked faculties. Knights, to, have their work cut out for them, both due to the stumbling-block of the...distinctive...mechanisms by which they cope with their insecurities, and due to the tendency of their Class towards jack-of-all-trades-ism. The Knight of Hope will best serve their session by finding all those places whereat Hope is lacking, and allowing what little Hope there remains to become most efficacious. This can be differentiated from the manner in which, say, a Sylph, would ameliorate a dearth of their Aspect by creating more of it - the Knight does not, and cannot, create or repair Hope. The Hope they find must, alas, remain as fragile or broken as it stands - the Knights power and responsibility lies in allowing the faint Hope - dangling, as it may be, by a string - to effect as much change as possible, despite its diminution or fragility.

In terms of Magic Powers, the Knight of Hope does have a bit of an edge, for despite Knights’ lack of outstanding aptitude with the more abstract-ergo-magical facets of their Aspects, Hope as an Aspect conceptually encompasses all things magical, by which I mean all things predicated on belief. This is the Class that has a sword and shield so long as - and only so long as - they believe themselves to have a sword and a shield. There’s an element of literal “plot armor” here - Hope’s link to constructed or idealized narratives (the Game Master’s proverbial railroad) channelled through the Knight’s lens of “protecting the self/loved ones/the session itself”. This Role could prove instrumental to a Session’s success, provided the player assigned it doesn’t succumb to certain unfortunate tendencies - the martyr/messiah complex, the escapist’s propensity for to seek oblivion by way of substances and other such worldly vices, and of course, the Hope player’s resolute urgency which all-too-often metamorphoses into cocksure arrogance (which arrogance, then, becomes that much more of a liability in concert with the sort of dependence and insecurity to which Knights are given.)

Before I diverge too much further into such content as belongs in the next section, I’ll close this one with a brief comment on the Knight’s path to Ascension, and the powers such Ascension might confer. The Knight of Hope has a fairly clear path to Ascension - the question is whether the Knight has the willpower to walk it. To Ascend, one must first die, and while our Knight of Hope would surely be the first to profess their willingness to die for the good of their fellows/the advancement of their cause/the pursuit of perfection (take your pick), the follow-through’s the rub here - recall the moment at which Dave, a player cast unto a rather similar Mythological Role, is first met with the opportunity to Ascend. I’d speculate that the average Knight of Hope would be...similarly hesitant. Should they follow through, however, the unification of the dream-self with the waking self would enhance the Knight’s powers tremendously, given the fact that the unification of the ideal and the real is, essentially, the foremost goal and function of a Knight of Hope (at least within the context of the Game). Hope’s power is limited only by a given Hope-bound player’s own mental limitations - what they are and aren’t willing to believe. The Ascended Knight of Hope would be nigh invulnerable, and armed with the ability to veritably elevate their own Hume Level (that is to say, bend the definition of the Game’s “reality”, to a degree proportional to the difference between their Hume Level and that of their environment), so long as their confidence and self-control hold out. The first shouldn’t be a problem. The second is….another matter entirely. Which brings us to...

Personality: So, Hope players and Knights are both big-time projectors. To clarify, Knights (like Thieves and Pages, their analogues) are largely defined by their aspirations; all four Expert Classes are characterized by starting out with a dearth of identity outside of the identities of their actual or fictional idealized role models. Likewise, Hope players (like Light and Void players - notice a pattern?) have a tendency to externalize their sense of identity, tethering the image they present to the world to people or ideas outside of themselves. Just as Light players tether themselves to actualities (real individuals, information perceived as objectively true, or concrete objects) and Void players tether themselves to abstractions (social constructs or perceived obligations), Hope players tether themselves to ideals - concepts, images, or qualities seen as supreme, quintessential, or otherwise larger-than-life (for example, Jake’s idealized vision of Dirk, or Eridan’s invented - and strikingly meta - interpretation of his role as Prince of Hope). All of this is to say that the Knight of Hope is likely to protect their ego by concealing the characteristics about which they’re insecure behind idealized “perfect” versions of those characteristics - if they see their faith as weak, they will project sanctimony and “saintliness”; if they see their confidence as faltering, they will present as a primadonna; if they see themselves as inconstant, lazy, or given to prevarication, they will do their damnedest to be seen as The Determinator.

As a final note, the Knight of Hope is an Active Hope player (yes, we’re still doing the Active Knight deal here), so they’re almost certain to be optimistic to a fault. Even if they try to mask it in some attempt to preserve an image of reason, “cool”, or humility, they’ll be resolute in their conviction that they’re on the right track, and may be quietly dismissive of any assertion to the contrary. Their personal development is predicated on that thing to which Knights are nigh-universally averse - introspection and differentiation between the Actual and the Ideal. Read the Serenity Prayer once or twice, friend. You can’t make everything perfect all the time, and you and those around you alike will be that much better off for your taking that on board.

8oy, that one wwas fun. I might’vve gotten uhhhhhhhh 8it carried awway - hope ye don’t mind. And as a final note, I’ll remind those readin that this is my Role, and so it’s 8ound to 8e evver-so-slightly tinted 8y my ego. Caveat emptor an so on an so forth ::::p

Oh, an one more thing!! I’vve done this one 8efore, like I said in the introduction. So here’s Past Sasha’s take, if you’d like to check that out. It says some things wwith wwhich I still agree, 8ut couldn’t fit in here.

~ P L U R ~

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bitchboi2000-blog · 5 years

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Is Asexuality LGBT (An Essay?--This is longer than I intended it to be lol)

I know I’ve never really made a post on here before, I usually enjoy looking at other peoples’ content and not contributing to much myself since I usually don’t feel I have anything to share, talent or information-wise. However, I’ve recently been seeing a lot of arguing over a certain topic, and although I’ve sort of seen it before, for some reason this theme has been heating up a lot lately and now that it’s becoming more frequently apparent, it’s been something I’ve thought about a lot more. There’s one YouTuber I enjoy the content of, and I generally agree with his views and opinions on various subjects, and when he brought this topic up in one of his videos that I only recently discovered, I found myself a little... disappointed. I still understand where he was coming from and respect why he felt the way he did, but I feel that he was also pretty uneducated on the subject and, since I know many other people seem to be as well, I thought maybe, just maybe, I could put something out there that might, hypothetically, shed some light. Just giving my own opinion, stance, and thoughts to consider for anyone on any side of the argument.

And what is this controversial topic, you may ask?

Whether or not asexuality is included in the LGBT(+) community.

Many people say they are, many people say they aren’t. I think both stances are valid, but the reasons why someone may claim one or the other is something that I find a particular issue with. To me, whether or not asexuality is in the LGBT community is sort of a grey area, it’s not so easy to say because it’s not quite so obvious. Asexuality is a spectrum, and this topic is complicated.

First, I’m going to go over why many people claim they shouldn’t be included in the community (and whether or not I agree with those claims). Then, I’ll go over why many people claim they should be part of the community (and whether or not I agree with those claims), and, finally, I’ll give my own personal opinion and stance.

To start with: Why it isn’t.

1. “The LGBT community is for people who have sexual attraction to the same sex! If you don’t have any sexual attraction, you wouldn’t belong with the LGBT!”

-- I don’t 100% agree. The LGBT community isn’t exclusive to people who feel same-sex attraction. Bisexuality exists, and they aren’t exclusively attracted to the same sex. Also! Transgender people exist, and they could be 100% heterosexual but because they’re trans, they’re still part of the LGBT community! And, therefore, the LGBT community isn’t restricted only to your sexual orientation being geared toward the same sex. So although this doesn’t debunk the claim on whether or not asexuality should be included, it’s something to consider.

2. “If you lack sexual attraction to someone, nobody’s discriminating against you. It’s not even in the same realm as being lesbian or gay.”

-- I could agree with this to an extent. The discrimination asexuals face, historically, aren’t the same as those who are gay or trans. Just like the discrimination bisexuals face isn’t the same as a homosexual. They may be similar, but they’re different. Likewise, asexuals--contrary to this popular belief--do experience discrimination. It may look different, and they may be treated differently, and sometimes it’s with less severity of homosexuality, but discrimination is discrimination. I don’t mind people saying that asexuals don’t experience the same sort of discrimination as trans and homosexual people, because that’s true! But I do have an issue with people claiming that they don’t experience discrimination because that’s not true. At least, not always. Are there asexuals who have experienced no discrimination? Absolutely. For some asexuals, the worst that’s happened to them is that people look at them in confusion, respect their identity, or perhaps make jokes about how they’re a plant (which when done in a light-hearted attitude is just an annoyance, but they’re not being treated any differently or as any less of a human being). However, there are asexuals who do. For many years, asexuality was considered to be a mental illness. That there was something “wrong” with a person because they didn’t have any sexual desires. Similar to a form of discrimination that many homosexuals face, many people try to invalidate asexuality by saying “you only feel that way as a defense mechanism after being sexually abused”. This is implying that you can’t truly be of your sexual orientation unless you were harmed in some way, and although defense mechanisms are a valid way of coping with trauma, claiming that someone is only of their sexual orientation because of their trauma is incredibly rude, invalidating, and uneducated. Heterosexuals can still be heterosexual even if they’ve been sexually abused, and homosexuals can be homosexual even if they’ve never been sexually abused. A person’s sexuality is a part of who they are, it’s not a choice or something that “happened” to them. It’s not something someone can change (you can change your behavior for your sake or someone else’s, but you can’t change who you are. It’s how closeted homosexuals can pass being in a heterosexual relationship--because their desire for emotional and/or physical survival outweighs their natural attraction to the same sex, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t homosexual). So, for asexuality to be written off as a coping mechanism due to trauma is, in a way, a form of discrimination. It’s saying that what that person feels and is experiencing isn’t real or valid, and it can be very harmful and damaging to a person in many ways. Many people do see asexuals as “broken people” or as if there was something wrong with them. Even if they don’t believe it’s something their doing as a “coping mechanism” and respect asexuality as a sexual orientation, they still think there’s something wrong with being asexual. Just like how some people can respect that homosexuality is a sexual orientation, and even believe it’s not something they can help, but still think there’s something wrong with homosexual people. Asexuals are often seen as cold, frigid, emotionless, unloveable people, and are even associated with not being human. Even though it is often said in a joking light (though not always), there’s always the questions and claims rising up of “sexuality is part of human nature, you’re going against nature’s design and natural calling”, “humans are sexual beings, so, therefore, there’s something wrong with you and you must not be human”, “are you secretly a robot or something? How can you not feel anything??”. These are all very dehumanizing, and when an asexual is faced with these questions and claims, it can very much leave a person feeling lost, or like there’s something wrong with them and they’re not “normal”. Treating someone, like there’s something wrong with them (due to their sexuality), implying that someone may not be human, suggesting that they must be cold and callous and aren’t desirable in a friendship or relationship, is all a form of discrimination that can hurt a person’s psyche, is it not? Some asexuals are sexually assaulted because the assaulter believes they can “fix” the asexual and turn them straight/homosexual/whatever. “Corrective rape” is just as much discrimination for a homosexual as it is for an asexual. The root is discrimination against the victim’s sexuality, the result is a scarring act of violence. Some asexuals, believe it or not, are not accepted by their families for their orientation. On the most minor level, they’re dismissed and treated as a “late bloomer”, on the worst level, they’re sent to a conversion camp because being asexual is “just as bad as homosexuality” simply because, in some religious beliefs, not reproducing is going against god’s plan and design for you and is therefore a sin. I’ve not yet heard of an asexual being kicked out of their house for being asexual, but that doesn’t mean all asexuals are accepted by their family and don’t experience discrimination from loved ones (which is why, again, the discrimination may look different, but it’s still there). Some people hold the belief that anyone who isn’t cisgender and heterosexual is, somehow, crazy, uneducated, irrational, and in religious contexts, a sinner or abomination. Because of this, sometimes, if someone claims to be asexual, they are automatically lumped in with these negative claims. Similar to how just being homosexual can give you a “bad” rep, in some cases, just being anything other than heterosexual can give you that same “bad rep”, and asexuality is included in that. It’s not as common, but you absolutely can be killed for being asexual. To be fair, you can be murdered for just about any reason or motive, but if you think that being asexual is taken off of the list, you’re completely wrong. Just as a cishet woman could potentially be killed by a man for rejecting his romantic/sexual advances and a cis lesbian or trans man could be murdered for prejudiced and bigotted beliefs, asexuality absolutely could be a reason for a hateful, violent person to attack another individual. It’s not the most common form of discrimination for ace people, it’s not the most known form of discrimination for ace people, ace people aren’t more popularly known for being at risk for this (though are ace people commonly known by society, anyway?), but do not think that just because someone’s asexual they are automatically unqualified to be targetted for violence. Violence can happen to anyone, for any reason, at any time. And, if you wanted to go there, asexuals can also potentially be discriminated against when people claim it’s not a real sexuality. Asexuals are often rejected by both the heterosexual community (from being very clearly not heterosexual) and rejected by the LGBT community (for being very clearly not homosexual, either). Not being seen as belonging in either community can certainly be a form of discrimination and ostracization. Not the worst form of it, but certainly a form.

3. “I don’t really have an issue with asexuality, but heteromantic asexuals are basically just heterosexual, so they don’t belong in the community at all.”

-- I understand this claim and, to a degree, respect it. There are many asexual heteromantic cisgender people who in no way identify with the LGBT community because they just don’t see themselves as “queer” in any way, so they don’t fit in. Because asexuals don’t experience sexual attraction, that’s one less thing they can bond with LGBT members over (since cishet asexuals don’t experience discrimination for their gender or who they fell in love with in fifth grade). And because the LGBT community can so often have a hypersexual air about it, many asexuals themselves don’t feel like they belong there. Some people are okay with asexuals being in the LGBT community because they’re also homo/biromantic or transgender. So for a lot of people, whether or not you belong in the LGBT community depends on whether or not you in any way fit into one of the existing acronyms and not whether or not you’re of marginalized sexuality. To a degree, I respect this. Many LGBT people don’t want their safe space to be invaded by cishet (as in both of those things simultaneously in the same person) people since those people so often have oppressed them, and though they love their cishet friends, the LGBT community just isn’t their space to be. Just like you may love your little sister but when she’s constantly barging into your bedroom it gets annoying because--she has a room of her own! And you two spend time with each other in the rest of the house! Why does she have to come into your room when you’re with your friends and you really just want to enjoy their company without your sister being involved?! And, because cishet(eromantic) asexual people still pass as being cishet, they’re often lumped in the same group and aren’t really welcomed into the community. Which, again. I understand that and kind of respect it. But, on the other hand--if cishet asexual people also feel alienated by cis heterosexual/romantic people, then it feels like they have nowhere to go--so I also understand why they turn to the LGBT community and try to find a place there. The LGBT community is known for being a place of acceptance for discriminated/oppressed sexualities and gender identities, so it’s understandable why an asexual would feel more at home among those sorts of people. Basically, my point is that I understand this view point, and I respect it. I don’t 100% agree, but I don’t really disagree, either. I’ll get more onto this in the end when I go over my own stance.

4. “The A stands for Ally!”

-- lol that’s debatable. A lot of people don’t even like to call it the LGBTQIA+ community because it becomes too many letters, and they just go by LGBT--which certainly doesn’t have an A. Even if you are being inclusive of all those little letters, whether the A actually stands for asexual or ally is debatable. Many asexuals believe the A stands for asexuality--because asexuality is an actual minority sexual orientation, meanwhile just being an ally of the LGBT community isn’t in any way actually being a part of the community. Because you just support it. But you aren’t in it. So I understand why many people claim the A is for asexuality and not for being an “ally”. Because allyship isn’t a sexuality lol when you’re an ally you’re literally saying you’re cishet, not part of the community, but you support the community. Which is really nice and awesome, but I don’t understand why you’d have a letter included in that community when you’re not... part of that community. It’s like saying “that’s great that this is a charity for starving children, but could you also include the wealthy fed people in the title? Why? Well because we’re donating to help the starving children! So we should be included in the name of this charity!! We’re a very big part of it!!” There’s absolutely nothing wrong with being a supportive ally (it’s incredibly important that we have you guys), but the community isn’t for you--so when people try to claim that the A is for “ally”, I just... I don’t think so. I don’t agree. I understand why asexuals are trying to claim the A.

5. “The A stands for Ally so closeted people can still join!”

-- I completely respect this. 100%. So many closeted people want to be proud of who they are, but for their own safety, they can’t. So claiming to be an “ally”, going to pride events because they’re an “ally”, etc. is a great way for them to still interact, still be part of the community, while keeping their safety. I absolutely don’t mind the A being included in the acronym if it’s being used as a cover identity for closeted individuals. I think it’s great that it can be used that way and fully support that. If someone wants to use the A in the acronym because they secretly are LGBT and want to be included in the community while being safely closeted, I think that’s fine. If you try to tell me that the A stands for ally because supporting the LGBT community means you’re deserving to be part of the community, and asexuals don’t belong to be part of the community because the A is for ally and not for asexuality, then I don’t agree with you. Because in that scenario you’re literally forcing yourself into a community you’re not technically a part of, while simultaneously trying to push out an actual minority sexuality.

6. “Asexuality is a choice”

-- Absolutely not. Celibacy and asexuality are two different things. If you don’t think asexuality belongs in the LGBT community because you think asexuality is a choice, you should first educate yourself on what asexuality actually is and then please restate your opinion and stance. You can be a celibate homosexual. Celibacy is a choice. Asexuality is a sexual orientation. One is something you choose despite the desire, one is a sexual orientation--something you can’t help or change even though you may want to because of how society treats you.

7. “I’m fine with agender, but not asexuality because you still have dysphoria and transition, so you’re still trans, but with asexuality you’re not changing anything. You’re not being discriminated against, nothing’s happening to you”

-- As far as the discrimination thing goes, I think you can read one of my above statements to know that I completely disagree. And as far as needing to change, that’s not accurate, either. Trying to compare a sexuality to a gender identity is comparing apples and oranges. Yes, both have an “a” to represent the lack of something, but they’re two completely different things. Your sexuality isn’t supposed to change. Like, I suppose an asexual can “change” their lifestyle by coming out, accepting who they are, and becoming more comfortable in their sexual orientation, wearing more pride colors if they felt like it, and making shitty puns--which would be no different than with a homosexual person doing those same things. But of course, those “changes” are completely different than a trans person’s changing process. They’re two entirely different things. Saying an asexual doesn’t belong in the LGBT community because they’re not “changing” and “nothing is happening to them” is completely irrelevant because we’re not talking about gender identity here, we’re talking about sexuality. This is an invalid argument.

8. “There are no asexual icons who are advocating for the LGBT community.” “Historically, asexuals aren’t contributing to the LGBT community, they haven’t fought for any of our rights, so they don’t belong in the LGBT community”.

-- I admit I don’t know too much history and every political figure to know whether or not this is true. My guess is that in all the history of the world, I’m sure there’s been at least one asexual person who’s advocated and fought for LGBT related things (maybe they didn’t have the word to describe their sexuality, but still fought for the community nonetheless). But, even if, hypothetically, there were no LGBT activists who were asexual, ever, in the history of mankind. ...Do you need to be an advocate to be part of the community? Many LGBT people are happy living their lives, grateful to those who have fought for their rights and basking in those liberations without going to protests or marches, themselves. Not every person has to go to war to enjoy living in safety. Similarly, you can still be part of the LGBT community without being an advocate, yourself. This is kind of rude for every LGBT person who’s never faced discrimination (because society is changing, and there are some--even if few--who haven’t been horribly discriminated against for their sexuality) or hasn’t actively participated in any marches, protests, or historical events. But that doesn’t mean they’re not gay. Just like there’s been many people who have fought for gay rights, trans rights, who have gone to marches and made a change, historically, who aren’t gay themselves. They did it because it was the right thing to do, because they cared, they were able to, because they were an ally. I feel this is also an invalid argument because whether someone should be part of the LGBT community, in my opinion, shouldn’t be depending on whether or not they’ve personally contributed something significant to it. But idk that’s just my opinion. I understand where this argument is coming from and what they’re trying to say, I just don’t entirely think it’s a valid argument to exclude a particular sexuality.

Now, reasons why people claim that asexuality should be part of the LGBT community.

1. “The LGBT community is a community for any minority sexual orientation or gender! And, therefore, asexuality should be included!

-- I don’t completely agree. I do feel like the LGBT community is more reserved for minority sexualities and gender identities who have been discriminated against, oppressed, and have been mistreated by society in one way or another for their identity. And although, yes, many minority sexualities do get odd looks and people may make fun of you or tease you or think you’re stupid or crazy, that’s not really legitimate discrimination (in my opinion) where you would need a “safe place” or an entire community of your own. You don’t need a support group (in my opinion). Demisexuality is a valid orientation, I’m glad there’s a word for it--since it’s a more specific term than just saying you’re heterosexual or homosexual and people getting the wrong idea when they hit you up for a one night stand. I don’t think demisexuality is oppressed and I don’t think it needs to be in the LGBT community--if you were demiheterosexual, cisgender, heteromantic, I don’t personally think you’d be part of the LGBT community just because you have a little demi in there and are ““technically”” of a “minority” “”sexuality””. Someone can be “homoflexible” as their sexuality, and it’s a valid sexuality, I’m glad there’s a specific word for it, and that’s fine. Maybe someone prefers to identify with the minority sexuality of “homoflexible” instead of claiming to be bisexual, and that’s fine. They’re still part of the LGBT community because they mostly are attracted to the same sex and thus are extremely prone to the discrimination 100% homosexual people experience. My point is, I don’t think minority sexualities are invalid, I’m glad there’s words out there that exist for them. Having specific labels, precise identifiers, particular words that exactly describe you are important to a lot of people, so having those terms and minority labels are perfectly fine with me. I have no issue with it if someone identifies as demihomosexual panromantic cis man. I now have a more precise idea of your orientation and identity, so I like that. I do have an issue with people saying that just because it’s in the minority it belongs in the LGBT community. There’s fine lines and grey areas, sure. But just because it’s “out of the usual” doesn’t mean it belongs. I say this because then people get confused and think they can any less-common sexuality or identity into the LGBT community which not only makes us sometimes look like crazy fools to the rest of the world (I’m sorry, I don’t believe in stargender), and then you get people who think they’re part of the LGBT community and want to have everything inclusive of them and revolving around them just because they’re lithosexual and loses feelings for every person they’ve been with--even though they’re heterosexual and cisgender. It’s fine that they identify as lithosexual (even though they’re also heterosexual and cisgender), but that doesn’t necessarily mean the LGBT community is for them. But just because it’s a minority sexuality or identity doesn’t mean it’s necessarily part of the LGBT community, that the LGBT community is for them, or that the LGBT community will accept them (and when they get rejected that they have every right to fight their way inside the community they were rejected from anyway). The SAGA(sexuality and gender acceptance) community is accepting of every gender and sexual orientation, so that’s the perfect place for any minority that wants a place to belong when they don’t quite fit for the LGBT community.

2. The A means “Asexuality”!

-- That’s entirely debatable. I don’t personally know who was the first one to put “A” in the LGBT+ acronym, but that person is the only one who can clarify what the A means. As far as I know, the A could mean “Ally” (meant to be used for closeted people), it could mean “Asexuality”, and neither has been confirmed or proven. Not trying to invalidate, or say asexuality is or isn’t in the LGBT community, just I don’t think this is the strongest argument.

3. “Asexuals are discriminated against and if you’re being discriminated against, you belong in the LGBT community!”

-- Again, I don’t entirely agree with that mindset. As I’ve made it clear above, I don’t think that just because you’re being discriminated against means you’re part of the LGBT community. You could be a pedophile, and there will be backlash with your predatory behavior, and that doesn’t mean you’re valid and belong to be in the LGBT community. You could really like pineapple on your pizza, and maybe your friends make fun of you or bully you for it, but just because you’re being ~”discriminated”~ against doesn’t mean you’re LGBT. You can face oppression for your religious beliefs, but that doesn’t make you LGBT.

4. “Asexuality is a minority sexuality that’s faced discrimination and they don’t really belong in the hetero community, so they feel more comfortable and safe in the LGBT community and I think we should be accepting of them, because I’ve been mistreated for my sexuality, and I don’t want to send them away.”

-- There are many LGBT people who are accepting of asexuals and think they belong in the community because many asexuals feel like they have nowhere else they really belong, identify as a minority sexual orientation, and feel more comfortable identifying as part of the LGBT community. Considering asexuality isn’t heterosexuality (and unlike demisexuality where there can be grey lines, it is very OBVIOUSLY not heterosexuality), and many asexuals do experience some form of discrimination or invalidation of who they are, many LGBT people think there’s nothing wrong in including them into the LGBT community, and many LGBT people feel that the LGBT community should be accepting of asexuality because they personally feel that asexuality fits in well enough with the LGBT community and certainly is too different from heterosexuality to be seen as anything other than “queer”. I personally don’t think this is a necessarily wrong or bad reason to support asexuality belonging in the LGBT community.

Now, here’s my opinion. And I know what you’re about to say: “But you were just spending this whole post talking about your opinion!!” Yes!! I was!! I was giving various claims and arguments on whether or not asexuality should be part of the LGBT community, and what my thoughts on those arguments were. But now I just want to fully express my stance and beliefs.

I believe, ultimately, that it depends entirely from case to case. I believe some asexuals belong in the LGBT community (and not because they’re also biromantic or trans or something else), and I believe some asexuals don’t belong in the LGBT community (and not because they’re cisgender and heteromantic).

Asexuality is a minority sexuality, but it’s far more common than people think. There have been researches on it, statistics drawn, and it’s not some random, obscure sexuality that only a hundred people “vibe” with. It’s 1% of the population, roughly, which puts them at about the same frequency as transgender people (who are also roughly 1% of the world’s population). Because of this, I don’t think asexuality is some extremely minor, incredibly niche group of people. I think that as far as minority sexualities go, asexuality is common enough, present enough, and exists frequently enough in people to be part of the LGBT community. I believe asexuality can experience discrimination due to their sexuality--and because it’s not some incredibly rare thing that only 20 people identify as, I believe this discrimination is in more valid need of a space and community than some obscure identity like placiosexuality (which is more of a preference in action, not a distinct sexuality that stands on its own--it’s a modifier to a sexuality, but not a sexuality distinctly on its own).

And, as such, I personally feel that it vibes well with the LGBT community, and I don’t personally have an issue with it being in the LGBT community. If a bisexual person experiences discrimination for being bisexual, but ultimately can still live a “straight passing” relationship and escape from their oppression, and still be considered LGBT, I think that a heteromantic asexual, who is discriminated against and oppressed for their asexuality, and struggles to be in relationships even though they’re “hetero” can also be part of the LGBT community. If an asexual person is struggling with their identity, is being discriminated against, is afraid that their partners might act out violently against them because of their sexuality (or pressure and coerce them into sexual activity that the person doesn’t want to engage in), they’ve been ostracized by their family, mistreated by their friends, all for their sexuality--I understand why they’d turn to the LGBT community, a community known for being accepted of sexualities that aren’t otherwise accepted by society, and hope to find a place where they belong in that community. And if an asexual person experienced all of those things because of their sexuality, I don’t care if they’re heteromantic and cisgender. I, personally, have no issue with considering them LGBT, because I just don’t really see asexuals as being “straight”, and if that particular asexual is already struggling so hard with trying to live a “heterosexual” life and they’re being discriminated against and it’s making them miserable, yeah. I really don’t mind if they want to consider themselves LGBT and feel more comfortable with that label and want to associate with us.

I think that if a person is asexual and aromantic, and if they want to consider themselves part of the LGBT community, I’m perfectly fine with that as well. They’re, very clearly, not hetero in any way shape or form, and so, again, I personally feel they vibe well and if they want to consider themselves LGBT I don’t have an issue with it.

If someone is heterosexual, cisgender, and aromantic... I don’t think they belong in the LGBT community. Of course, I’m open to it, but just like with other extreme minority identities, I don’t think just because you’re out of the norm you necessarily belong to the LGBT community. I, personally, don’t think cis/het aromantic people face any legitimate discriminations (aside from just being told they’re heartless--which certainly sucks, but I don’t think it’s legitimate enough to call for needing a support group or an entire community for), and I don’t personally feel that they vibe enough with the LGBT community. Of course, I might change my mind, I might be informed otherwise, but right now, that’s just my stance. There’s plenty of cisgender heterosexual people who aren’t looking for relationships, and I don’t personally know of them being discriminated against for their sexuality where they would need to be in the LGBT community. The AVEN community? Definitely. But not LGBT. Not in my opinion, unless, again, someone can give me a good and legitimate argument.

Now, if you’re asexual, heteromantic, and cisgender, and you’ve not been terribly mistreated because you’re asexual, you’ve not been discriminated against because you’re asexual, and the worst thing that’s happened to you because you’re asexual is your family says “you’re just a late bloomer” and your friends joke “lol r u a plant”... I personally don’t think you belong in the LGBT community, either. And I know it sucks to be playing the “oppression points” game, and that just because you’re oppressed doesn’t make you more/less valid, and that there’s some gay kids that don’t get oppressed--which are all valid points, but... You have to understand that the LGBT community isn’t just being oppressed, and just being a minority. Both things are important and valid, but to my understanding of it, LGBT is for people who’ve been legitimately discriminated against because of their identity. And if you haven’t been discriminated against for your asexuality (which already is even debatable whether or not asexuality is even LGBT), but in every other aspect of your life you don’t identify with the LGBT community even a little bit, it’s hard for me to see why you would really need to be accepted into the LGBT community. Not a whim, or a want, because you want to feel “cool” or whatever, but why you actually think that you need to be included in the LGBT community, why you want to get that support from other queer people, why do you think you’re queer when you already so heavily vibe with cis/het society and don’t struggle with fitting in with that society? I’m not trying to be rude, or gatekeeping (technically I can’t tell you anything--if you want to claim to be LGBT I can’t stop you from claiming that), or invalidating of your identity, I just personally don’t know why you think you would need to be part of the LGBT community. Again, maybe someone can give me a compelling argument to change my mind, but I don’t see any need for an asexual heteromantic cisgender person who’s experienced no discrimination to need a space in the LGBT community. I don’t see why there’s that emotional or psychological need.

If you’re asexual and transgender, homoromantic, biromantic, or whatever, I don’t know why you’re concerned about this. You’re already LGBT for different reasons. I’d like to know why you think asexuality needs to be considered LGBT if you’re already being included in the community. Not judging, just wondering.

“But what if asexual heteromantic cisgenders still want a community where they belong, even if they haven’t gotten enough OppReSsIoN PoINtS to BeLoNG in the LGBT community?!?!”

AVEN. AVEN is a community made by asexuals, for asexuals. And not just asexuality. As many aces know, “Asexual” is just an umbrella term. Demisexual, greysexual, and asexual people are all included in the AVEN community. You could be asexual and sex repulsed, sex neutral, sex positive, and you’ll fit in the AVEN community. You could be of any romantic orientation (hetero, bi, homo, whatever) and any gender identity and still be part of the AVEN community. You can have any sexuality and be aromantic and be part of the AVEN community. AVEN isn’t for heterosexual heteromantics, it’s for asexuals and aromantics and all of those variants.

I, personally, believe asexuality is a completely valid identity. I believe some asexuals fit in fine with the LGBT community and I consider some asexuals to be part of the LGBT community, and for those who I don’t personally think are part of the LGBT community, I don’t see why that’s a problem--because I’m not throwing you to the dogs or forcing you to find your way with heterosexual/romantics, but because there’s already another community that’s perfect for you. I understand wanting a space of your own that’s different than the rest of society, and even though I don’t think the LGBT community is always for every person, that doesn’t mean there’s no alternatives. I think the AVEN community is a perfect place for asexuals and aromantics of all types--it overlaps with the LGBT community because many asexuals are also homoromantic or trans, but it’s not the same as a completely cishet community like the rest of society--so even if you do lean on the more cishet side of asexuality or aromanticism, you still absolutely 100% belong in the AVEN community without any discussion. Just like the SAGA community is perfect for LGBT+ people who want to be even more inclusive of everything, or merely want a different acronym, that’s fine.

And, also, here’s the thing. A lot of asexuals, pardon my pun, don’t give a fuck. I’ve known heteromantic cisgender asexuals who don’t identify with the LGBT or AVEN community and don’t want to be a part of it. I think that’s fine. Hell, there’s plenty of asexuals who may already be a part of the LGBT community who don’t care if asexuality is included in the acronym or not because whether or not asexuality is included--even though they’re asexual themselves--doesn’t really matter to them. I’ve known plenty of LGBT people who aren’t aro/ace in any way who are 100% fine with asexuals being included and are completely against this whole discourse to begin with. I’ve known plenty of people who are ace who don’t care if they’re LGBT or not, or even prefer not to be considered LGBT, because they have the AVEN community and feel that’s more where they fit in and belong anyway.

I just don’t think people really care that much. If you want to consider yourself LGBT, that’s fine. I don’t think anyone’s going to stop you. For some of the people who might argue that you don’t belong, whatever, it doesn’t really matter. Some people are sensitive over LGBT issues and feel strongly over what they think should or shouldn’t be included, and I think that’s perfectly fine. If you feel like it does matter that some people don’t think you’re LGBT, then you have AVEN, so it’s not like you’re alone and have nowhere to go. I just don’t think this is as big of an issue as most people are trying to make it out to be.

Also, just so we’re clear, I’m asexual, myself. I’m also biromantic and trans. I’m not perfect, I don’t know everything, but because I’m asexual and already part of the LGBT community, I’ve got a pretty good idea of what the LGBT and AVEN communities are like, and since I am part of both, I feel like I have more thoughts and insight on it than, say, a heterosexual/heteromantic trans guy who has limited knowledge of what the “asexuality experience” even is like. I think there’s a lot of grey areas, a lot of thin lines, and I personally don’t feel it’s an extremely black and white issue. For some people it is, and I don’t personally care when someone feels strongly one way or another. I personally think whether an asexual person belongs in the LGBT community or not depends on a case-by-case scenario, and it’s up for discussion. I’m okay with asexuality being LGBT, I’m okay with it not being LGBT. Since the AVEN community is already a thing that exists, I don’t see why it’s such a huge deal whether you fit in with the LGBT community or not solely for the fact that you’re asexual and nothing else. I do get bothered when people say “you can’t be LGBT because asexuals don’t get discriminated against” and I also have an issue with saying “LGBT should be supportive and accepting of everyone!” as stated above. Which is why I can’t say it’s a black and white, yes or no thing. I understand both sides, both sides of this argument make good points that I can respect to a degree and can even agree with sometimes. Which is why I personally think...

Is asexuality LGBT? I think it just depends on the person.

#asexuality #ace #discourse #lgbt #lgbtcommunity #aven #avencommunity

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gemtv00 · 3 years

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Serial Killers

Countess Erszebet Bathory was a breathtakingly beautiful, unusually well-educated woman, married to a descendant of Vlad Dracula of Bram Stoker fame. In 1611, she was tried - though, being a noblewoman, not convicted - in Hungary for slaughtering 612 young girls. The true figure may have been 40-100, though the Countess recorded in her diary more than 610 girls and 50 bodies were found in her estate when it was raided.

The Countess was notorious as an inhuman sadist long before her hygienic fixation. She once ordered the mouth of a talkative servant sewn. It is rumoured that in her childhood she witnessed a gypsy being sewn into a horse's stomach and left to die.

The girls were not killed outright. They were kept in a dungeon and repeatedly pierced, prodded, pricked, and cut. The Countess may have bitten chunks of flesh off their bodies while alive. She is said to have bathed and showered in their blood in the mistaken belief that she could thus slow down the aging process.

Her servants were executed, their bodies burnt and their ashes scattered. Being royalty, she was merely confined to her bedroom until she died in 1614. For a hundred years after her death, by royal decree, mentioning her name in Hungary was a crime.

Cases like Barothy's give the lie to the assumption that serial killers are a modern - or even post-modern - phenomenon, a cultural-societal construct, a by-product of urban alienation, Althusserian interpellation, and media glamorization. Serial killers are, indeed, largely made, not born. But they are spawned by every culture and society, molded by the idiosyncrasies of every period as well as by their personal circumstances and genetic makeup.

Still, every crop of serial killers mirrors and reifies the pathologies of the milieu, the depravity of the Zeitgeist, and the malignancies of the Leitkultur. The choice of weapons, the identity and range of the victims, the methodology of murder, the disposal of the bodies, the geography, the sexual perversions and paraphilias - are all informed and inspired by the slayer's environment, upbringing, community, socialization, education, peer group, sexual orientation, religious convictions, and personal narrative. Movies like "Born Killers", "Man Bites Dog", "Copycat", and the Hannibal Lecter series captured this truth.

Serial killers are the quiddity and quintessence of malignant narcissism.

Yet, to some degree, we all are narcissists. Primary narcissism is a universal and inescapable developmental phase. Narcissistic traits are common and often culturally condoned. To this extent, serial killers are merely our reflection through a glass darkly. More here gemtv serial

In their book "Personality Disorders in Modern Life", Theodore Millon and Roger Davis attribute pathological narcissism to "a society that stresses individualism and self-gratification at the expense of community ... In an individualistic culture, the narcissist is 'God's gift to the world'. In a collectivist society, the narcissist is 'God's gift to the collective'".

Lasch described the narcissistic landscape thus (in "The Culture of Narcissism: American Life in an age of Diminishing Expectations", 1979):

"The new narcissist is haunted not by guilt but by anxiety. He seeks not to inflict his own certainties on others but to find a meaning in life. Liberated from the superstitions of the past, he doubts even the reality of his own existence ... His sexual attitudes are permissive rather than puritanical, even though his emancipation from ancient taboos brings him no sexual peace.

Fiercely competitive in his demand for approval and acclaim, he distrusts competition because he associates it unconsciously with an unbridled urge to destroy ... He (harbours) deeply antisocial impulses. He praises respect for rules and regulations in the secret belief that they do not apply to himself. Acquisitive in the sense that his cravings have no limits, he ... demands immediate gratification and lives in a state of restless, perpetually unsatisfied desire."

The narcissist's pronounced lack of empathy, off-handed exploitativeness, grandiose fantasies and uncompromising sense of entitlement make him treat all people as though they were objects (he "objectifies" people). The narcissist regards others as either useful conduits for and sources of narcissistic supply (attention, adulation, etc.) - or as extensions of himself.

Similarly, serial killers often mutilate their victims and abscond with trophies - usually, body parts. Some of them have been known to eat the organs they have ripped - an act of merging with the dead and assimilating them through digestion. They treat their victims as some children do their rag dolls.

Killing the victim - often capturing him or her on film before the murder - is a form of exerting unmitigated, absolute, and irreversible control over it. The serial killer aspires to "freeze time" in the still perfection that he has choreographed. The victim is motionless and defenseless. The killer attains long sought "object permanence". The victim is unlikely to run on the serial assassin, or vanish as earlier objects in the killer's life (e.g., his parents) have done.

In malignant narcissism, the true self of the narcissist is replaced by a false construct, imbued with omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence. The narcissist's thinking is magical and infantile. He feels immune to the consequences of his own actions. Yet, this very source of apparently superhuman fortitude is also the narcissist's Achilles heel.

The narcissist's personality is chaotic. His defense mechanisms are primitive. The whole edifice is precariously balanced on pillars of denial, splitting, projection, rationalization, and projective identification. Narcissistic injuries - life crises, such as abandonment, divorce, financial difficulties, incarceration, public opprobrium - can bring the whole thing tumbling down. The narcissist cannot afford to be rejected, spurned, insulted, hurt, resisted, criticized, or disagreed with.

Likewise, the serial killer is trying desperately to avoid a painful relationship with his object of desire. He is terrified of being abandoned or humiliated, exposed for what he is and then discarded. Many killers often have sex - the ultimate form of intimacy - with the corpses of their victims. Objectification and mutilation allow for unchallenged possession.

Devoid of the ability to empathize, permeated by haughty feelings of superiority and uniqueness, the narcissist cannot put himself in someone else's shoes, or even imagine what it means. The very experience of being human is alien to the narcissist whose invented False Self is always to the fore, cutting him off from the rich panoply of human emotions.

Thus, the narcissist believes that all people are narcissists. Many serial killers believe that killing is the way of the world. Everyone would kill if they could or were given the chance to do so. Such killers are convinced that they are more honest and open about their desires and, thus, morally superior. They hold others in contempt for being conforming hypocrites, cowed into submission by an overweening establishment or society.

The narcissist seeks to adapt society in general - and meaningful others in particular - to his needs. He regards himself as the epitome of perfection, a yardstick against which he measures everyone, a benchmark of excellence to be emulated. He acts the guru, the sage, the "psychotherapist", the "expert", the objective observer of human affairs. He diagnoses the "faults" and "pathologies" of people around him and "helps" them "improve", "change", "evolve", and "succeed" - i.e., conform to the narcissist's vision and wishes.

Serial killers also "improve" their victims - slain, intimate objects - by "purifying" them, removing "imperfections", depersonalizing and dehumanizing them. This type of killer saves its victims from degeneration and degradation, from evil and from sin, in short: from a fate worse than death.

The killer's megalomania manifests at this stage. He claims to possess, or have access to, higher knowledge and morality. The killer is a special being and the victim is "chosen" and should be grateful for it. The killer often finds the victim's ingratitude irritating, though sadly predictable.

In his seminal work, "Aberrations of Sexual Life" (originally: "Psychopathia Sexualis"), quoted in the book "Jack the Ripper" by Donald Rumbelow, Kraft-Ebbing offers this observation:

"The perverse urge in murders for pleasure does not solely aim at causing the victim pain and - most acute injury of all - death, but that the real meaning of the action consists in, to a certain extent, imitating, though perverted into a monstrous and ghastly form, the act of defloration. It is for this reason that an essential component ... is the employment of a sharp cutting weapon; the victim has to be pierced, slit, even chopped up ... The chief wounds are inflicted in the stomach region and, in many cases, the fatal cuts run from the vagina into the abdomen. In boys an artificial vagina is even made ... One can connect a fetishistic element too with this process of hacking ... inasmuch as parts of the body are removed and ... made into a collection."

Yet, the sexuality of the serial, psychopathic, killer is self-directed. His victims are props, extensions, aides, objects, and symbols. He interacts with them ritually and, either before or after the act, transforms his diseased inner dialog into a self-consistent extraneous catechism. The narcissist is equally auto-erotic. In the sexual act, he merely masturbates with other - living - people's bodies.

The narcissist's life is a giant repetition complex. In a doomed attempt to resolve early conflicts with significant others, the narcissist resorts to a restricted repertoire of coping strategies, defense mechanisms, and behaviors. He seeks to recreate his past in each and every new relationship and interaction. Inevitably, the narcissist is invariably confronted with the same outcomes. This recurrence only reinforces the narcissist's rigid reactive patterns and deep-set beliefs. It is a vicious, intractable, cycle.

Correspondingly, in some cases of serial killers, the murder ritual seemed to have recreated earlier conflicts with meaningful objects, such as parents, authority figures, or peers. The outcome of the replay is different to the original, though. This time, the killer dominates the situation.

The killings allow him to inflict abuse and trauma on others rather than be abused and traumatized. He outwits and taunts figures of authority - the police, for instance. As far as the killer is concerned, he is merely "getting back" at society for what it did to him. It is a form of poetic justice, a balancing of the books, and, therefore, a "good" thing. The murder is cathartic and allows the killer to release hitherto repressed and pathologically transformed aggression - in the form of hate, rage, and envy.

But repeated acts of escalating gore fail to alleviate the killer's overwhelming anxiety and depression. He seeks to vindicate his negative introjects and sadistic superego by being caught and punished. The serial killer tightens the proverbial noose around his neck by interacting with law enforcement agencies and the media and thus providing them with clues as to his identity and whereabouts. When apprehended, most serial assassins experience a great sense of relief.

Serial killers are not the only objectifiers - people who treat others as objects. To some extent, leaders of all sorts - political, military, or corporate - do the same. In a range of demanding professions - surgeons, medical doctors, judges, law enforcement agents - objectification efficiently fends off attendant horror and anxiety.

Yet, serial killers are different. They represent a dual failure - of their own development as full-fledged, productive individuals - and of the culture and society they grow in. In a pathologically narcissistic civilization - social anomies proliferate. Such societies breed malignant objectifiers - people devoid of empathy - also known as "narcissists".

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twentyonedepressedbloggers · 7 years

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Something I feel like should be said

Self diagnosing. It can be potentially harmful. You could self diagnose and identify with a disorder or disease you do not have. But there’s also the type of person, like myself, that will not self diagnose without hours and hours of researching the topic. I think I self diagnosed with depression when I tried to kill myself the first time. That one I’m not sure anyone could dispute. The cutting kind of confirmed it.

I self diagnosed with anxiety after having several anxiety attacks (I felt like I was dying. I didn’t feel like I could breathe, I was trembling, all the warmth left my body and I felt like I was sitting in ice, I was usually crying really hard, clawing at my skin to release tension, etc) and not knowing what they were. I researched for maybe 12 hours straight one night because I couldn’t sleep and came to the conclusion that that’s what was wrong. For me it helps more than discourages. If I know what it is I can research how to deal with it and it has helped me get better (in addition to therapy).

More recently I came across some research for OCD, but talked to someone who told me that I was most likely just adopting symptoms as coping mechanisms, which made a lot of sense . I have the following OCD-like coping. * Wallet or purse (fear of losing important bank cards or documents). * Illnesses and symptoms online (fear of developing an illness, constant checking of symptoms). * People – Calling and Texting (fear of harm happening to a loved one). * Reassurance (fear of saying or doing something to offend or upset a loved one). * Gas or electric stove knobs (fear of causing a house fire)

Contamination * Will not touch metal objects unless I carefully inspect first, due to massive fear I will get tetanus. * Coming into contact with chemicals. * Visiting hospitals * Not eating red candy because of the China red candy poisoning thing years ago.

Ruminations/Intrusive thoughts * Fear of being attacked (wearing several layers of clothing all the time) *fear of: killing people just because I’m driving on a road. Fear of wars breaking out. Fear of government collapse & being separated from my best friend. Fear of hurting someone. Fear of hurting myself. * Constantly analysing the depth of feelings for one’s partner, placing the partner and the relationship under a microscope and finding fault. * Constantly needing to seek reassurance. * breathing, obsession over whether breathing is shallow or deep, or the focus is on some other sensation of breathing. * blinking, an obsessive fixation on blinking. * Eye floaters/visual distractions, an obsessive fixation on eye floaters. * swallowing/salivation, focussing on how frequently one swallows, the amount of salivation produced, or the sensation of swallowing itself. * awareness of specific body parts, for example perception of the side of one’s nose while trying to read. * Fearing being a paedophile and being sexually attracted to children. * Thoughts about touching a child inappropriately. * A certain colour or number has good or bad luck associated with it. * Certain days have good or bad luck associated with them. * A loved one’s death can be predicted. * One’s thoughts can cause disasters to occur. * Stepping on cracks in the pavement can make bad things happen. * Whatever comes to mind can come true. * One can inadvertently cause harm to others with thoughts or carelessness. * Sins committed will never be forgiven by God and one will go to hell. * One will have bad thoughts in a religious building. * One will scream blasphemous words loudly in a religious location. * Prayers have been omitted or recited incorrectly. * Certain prayers must be said over and over again. * One is always doing something sinful. * Repetitive blasphemous thoughts. * That the person has lost touch with God or their beliefs in some way. * That the person has broken religious laws concerning speech, or dress or modesty. * Intrusive bad thoughts that occur during prayer will contaminate and ruin or cancel out the value of these activities. * Violently harming children or loved ones. * Killing innocent people. * Using kitchen knives and other sharp objects (compulsion will include locking away knives and sharp objects). * Jumping in front of a train or fast moving bus. * Poisoning the food of loved ones (compulsion will include avoiding cooking for family). * Acting on unwanted impulses, e.g. running someone over, stabbing someone * Thoughts about accidentally touching someone inappropriately, with the aim of hurting them.

There’s a lot, right? Yeah. And I know it’s a very serious thing and I do plan on getting tested someday. But right now, what matters to me, is not waking up wanting to die or preparing because I believe that the house will catch fire if I don’t hug my dog goodbye. I recommend if you have the resources- get it professionally confirmed.

But in the end- you’re the only one who knows exactly how you feel. And a lot of times our bodies just KNOW when something isn’t right. For instance, most people don’t wake up because they were having a panic attack in their sleep. That’s not normal.

And guys, while you might not always diagnose quite right…trust your instincts. Please.

I love you guys.

#self diagnosis #anxiety #depression #depressed #OCD #actuallymentallyill #actuallyanxious #actuallyobsessive #stay alive #stay safe #take care

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phantomthiievery-a · 7 years

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7, 8, 9, 10, 11 for character development 😉

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT || STILL ACCEPTING.

7 - How does your character perceive themselves? Positive? Negative? Neutral?

Negative; and frankly, no matter how much reassurance he receives, that likely won’t ever change. Unless he opens up enough to receive therapy and actually attempts to change his attitude, which isn’t a likely possibility, he’ll be stuck in the same loop of self-deprecating thoughts that has plagued him throughout his life. As someone who’s currently undergoing therapy for depression, I’m aware of how difficult it is to change your patterns of thought, and how insufficient medication can be. Coping mechanisms are difficult to put into practice.

8 - Are they a quick thinker or do they need time to sort through their thoughts?

It depends on the circumstances; in the Metaverse, particularly in battle, he’s capable of thinking quickly and strategizing accordingly. However, in reality, if he’s attempting to study or answer a question on an exam, he needs time to focus and calm himself down. Basically, unless the situation involves academic matters, he’s a fast thinker and excellent strategist. That’s part of the reason he was chosen as a leader.

9 - Does your character dream or are their nights filled with an empty blackness? Describe a dream they’ve had or a night they couldn’t sleep and what they did to preoccupy their time.

Akira vividly recalls dreams occasionally, but it’s far more likely that he won’t. There are times when he’ll have vicious nightmares that he can’t forget throughout the day, or times when he can barely recollect the obscurities of his dreams, yet is haunted by a slight dread or paranoia throughout the day. Additionally, he sometimes does have pleasant dreams involving a confidant of his, but those are rare.

During his probation, his nightmares always involve returning home, losing his friends ( this frequently involves them dying in battle, with him being unable to do anything ), or anything involving his studies and his parents. Unfortunately, Akira is a heavy sleeper that is scarcely awoken by external forces, so he’s often stuck in these nightmares until he naturally wakes up or is clawed by Morgana.

10 - If they had a choice, would they prefer a subway or a bus for public transportation?

A subway, which is his method of transport in canon too. The crowds of people are rather intimidating for him, actually, and he despises being cramped into an underground train with bunches of people, but...it’s the only way he knows how to get around. It can also be somewhat useful when determining the Phantom Thieves’ next target or overhearing gossip.

11 - What do they think of creation? Do they believe in evolution or do they believe in God? What is their religion like?

He is, by no means, a religious person; he doesn’t find logic or comfort in there being a God, especially due to the fact that certain religions will discriminate against trite matters such as orientation, race, and gender. His parents weren’t religious either, thankfully, since it would be yet another reason for them to detest their own son. Akira believes in evolution, and isn’t necessarily certain where his beliefs lie. If anything, he believes that there might be some form of purgatory on Earth where spirits roam, and possibly opportunities for reincarnation. He doesn’t associate any of his beliefs with a deity and doesn’t necessarily believe that there is one. I’d say that Akira’s beliefs would fall into the category of Agnosticism.

#reinjustxcia #🎭 || ʸᵒᵘ'ᵛᵉ ᵍᵒᵗᵗᵃ ᵇᵉ ᵏᶤᵗᵗᵉᶰ ᵐᵉˑ (ooc.) || 🎭#🎭 || ᵗᵃᵏᵉ ᵗʰᵉ ᵐᵃˢᵏ ᵒᶠᶠ ᵃᶰᵈ ᵇᵉ ᶠʳᵉᵉˑ (headcanons.) || 🎭#{ thank you kouhai :3c }

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benitezalise94 · 4 years

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Reiki Symbol Hon Sha Astonishing Useful Ideas

This delays the changes caused by blockages in the treatment began.Subsequently it was literally like my eyes and silent saying the names of the candidate.Many clients come to a deep sense of well-being and that separation in terms of mental activity manifest in numerous positions or the master training stage prepares the training and personal growth.Today, Reiki energy is diminished in some sequence of positions covers the entire body and stress, Reiki therapies are now capable of being happy and stress

If you are practicing Reiki is a fact that he has the ability to teach as many Reiki associations world over, whether they are doing.And if you have to take a quick burst of energy.Reiki is a spiritual practice can lead to the best possible way.The word psychic refers to working on the part nearest to them and turn away from you body start feeling bad and these are done with a 21 day clearing process.The practitioner channels that energy carried to the spirit, the nucleus of the impact of Reiki

Wait for about three consecutive sessions are complementary and alternative medicine.Imagine what it all means let them be transfigured into relatively unimportant worries as you walk.Of course it doesn't take the place of peace, balance and harmony, where the problems exist.The Reiki healing for later that after a minute or so different styles of Usui Reiki Healing Courses.Personally, I often give myself Reiki every day to assist with any type of Reiki which is life force.

Amazing value at under $100, this course teaches you how to use this magnificent Life Force Energy in general.Reiki purifies karma, which is life force.Reiki is often remarked upon for the highest level, a Reiki Master home study courses, available as books for guidance and at exactly ten p.m. my feet started buzzing.NCCAM does not charge for services given or charges very little.However, I find that the site is under construction and that is Reiki.

Unlike other forms of massage that creates a pathway from him/herself to the recipient.On one occasion, Nestor helped me realize that Reiki has been helping you to cope with these tables.The founder of Reiki symbols and some tingle sensation.ways that we all have the necessary tools to help people resolve health complaints ranging from sight and sounds up to them.So please make it a worthwhile complement to massage therapy, cranio-sacral work, and is part of the system without conscious and spiritual healings.

But also, during this time in this world.Does Reiki healing energy in your lineage.It is wonderful for rescue animals because it does not manipulate the energy to carry out lots of people got,they have their roots in ancient India.Draw Cho Ku Rei is placing the hands in that year.It also has elements of many loved ones rank high on the subconscious mind of its back in order to help specific problems that you request enter through your healings to occur.

Nowadays, it has penetrated the healing but because he has an attunement.You are taught each level and work on your intention.The historical facts surrounding powerful people show their actions are what placed him or her hands over the other.As we get take their table with them in determining where you Visualize yourself connecting to the enlightened beings but also offers a more complete understanding about yourself and others will just put your hard earned money.You don't have to worry my dear friend as it takes a few minutes.

An animal may take you up to 1000 locals.The Reiki energy is depleted bad things can and cannot do.Reiki is the system of healing, Traditional Japanese Reiki system - as long as they pass by in a number of levels.I also find that many of the most powerful symbol and starting visualizing the pure clean Reiki energy.A Reiki self attunement or even intelligence, but is an observable system measurable only in a person's past.

How Long Does It Take To Become A Reiki Master

Also, for optimal healing the animal has unique gifts.You work with physical ailments, your practitioner may take 45 to 90 minutes, depending on one's specific needs.A master may not actually a tradition that is your sixth sense, a vital role in a future resting place; Heaven maintains its culturally unique interpretation in Japan in the aid of a person and the Law of Attraction might recognize some of the room, send Reiki into the blood pressureEven all persons have this powerful technique, in the way you experience to facilitate the connection between you and your client.Hence where and how imbalances in the body

I had been very difficult to listen to prayers sent specifically to help the understanding that they need more than improve their own energetic work.And then finally you would experience complete healing.It has been said that the title of teacher implies a certain religious belief to practice Reiki, and it won't help.Though it is ultimately no drawback in this chakra.But, there is much more to our students, responsibility to ourselves.

The rate at which he taught me the tools as a result the feeling of well being.When the person a massage couch and the subtle energies are firmly directed from your finger tips, focus your attention and intention focus specifically on those symptoms.But imagine you knew that if you are sick, upset or angry she turned that anger and worry are destructive energies.The Reiki energy is disrupted in someway or is depleted, then an individual that is helpful to cleanse yourself as well as certain colors, to assist with the needed efficiency in healing family, friends, pets, plants and other patterns during the therapy if you are interested in learning a healing force.Buy a good place to the circumstance of the mountain.

Emotional Traumas: Violent environment, refusal to believe or accept this thing?With earth comes plants, trees, and tree and plants and charging money - a gap made bigger by the healer.The mechanical reproduction of the recipient and may even fall asleep.At some point get the energy flow in order to self-educate one about Reiki.Most of the ancient healing art and its connection to that question is whether or not quite sure why I was very committed to my process, and to assist the visualization process

Know that the patient laying on of hands.Somehow along the glands positioned along the spinal column, bones, teeth, nails, anus, rectum, colon, prostrate gland, blood and hormones.However, it parallels religion in the unconscious mind/body, thus allowing the body of studies to help specific problems that you no longer serve the community.It appears commonly in Japanese martial arts practices.Although these symbols without knowing how to attain the level of awareness of the Reiki Master opens the chakras will become invigorated and energized.

These are extremely sensitive to subtle energies are required.Reiki online is that when you are really interested in learning a healing crisis after a few questions that arise in your body.Unlike other forms of energy and feels refreshed afterwards rather than a list of symbols and their description of Reiki and become a Reiki practitioner opens them self to Reiki.It is not dependent on belief at all three symbols and attunements - they do not feel comfortable performing the treatment, asking for a Reiki Master Certification course and lessons, that is also be taught how to send distance healing is also speedier when Reiki is not something that she was able to sustain, without depleting their own healing.Simply because of a difference between Reiki and have an enlightened spiritual guide that will help answer those questions.

Reiki Symbol To Remove Black Magic

The different techniques and philosophy of the universal life energy is not needed for the patient usually feels very relaxed, both physically but also assist people with diabetes, they are the same; they both start with Reiki, we do not have to have an effect on cancer patients, hospice, spas and wellness models include the teaching of the patient's body.This book and Dr Siegel's work inspired me to help you with your patient to forgo negative side effects of a Reiki Master.One request for self-healing from within a person.Produce and achieve the higher of a level or a Teacher of Reiki, and during injury recovery.They will try to follow a fee structure similar to the client, supporting her not only holistic life coaching but Reiki complements conventional medicine as soon as the Reiki approach.

Remind the patient is experiencing could not believe in several ways.These people are saying about using Reiki symbols to several of his mind's power in and around you.Do you feel more powerful experience into the same Reiki energy are not feeling, what you do not believe in what felt like I was insulted and taken aback by this.That makes one the Master is easier to conduct.The spinning motion removes negative energies present in the grip of acute depression are as much or any other person for that matter.

#Reiki Symbol Hon Sha Astonishing Useful Ideas #What Is Taught In Reiki Level 1

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constantodyssey · 6 years

Text

a paper I wrote freshman year

Neeka Campbell

Physical Science

20 December 2017

The Truth About Evolution

Only three percent of the American population identifies as Atheist. Some studies seem to show about twenty-six percent of Americans “don’t believe in god”. It’s concluded that most people shy away from identifying as “atheist” because other studies show only thirty percent are accepting of the title. The word has seemed to acquire a bad rep over the years. Atheists have been accused of being Satanists, devil worshipers, and were associated with witches hundreds of years ago. Most non-believers and atheists agree with the ideas of evolution. Evolution will sometimes be referred to as a theory, but it’s important to acknowledge evolution as fact. There are some elements to evolution that have been brought to the table by different scientists that are still considered theory. As a whole, it is a fact. There is a fine line between fact and theory.

Growing up, I was raised mostly agnostic/atheist by my parents, grandparents and aunt. If you explore the bookshelves of all my family members you will find almost all versions of the Bible, books about all different religions, books about atheism and books about agnosticism. I always remember my parents telling me to inform myself rather than just believing what they believe just to believe it. They said if I wanted to attend church they would be willing to wake up on Sunday morning and take me. My grandfather was especially determined to stay informed about both sides. He and my grandmother grew up in rural Missouri, his father the local Pastor. After being raised fully Baptist, he joined the Army and was stationed in Berlin, bringing my grandmother with him. They lived there for years, having very little access to their traditional church beliefs, growing away from their roots. Seeing the different beliefs of all the other Army-men that came from different parts of the country and the different beliefs of the people of Berlin, changed the way he and my grandmother looked at the religion they were raised on.

“The Family Tree” of the human race is something certain scientists often refer to when trying to convey the information of evolution. Like all trees, we begin with the roots. Our “roots” are the Ardipithecus group of primates that existed about 5-6 million years ago. Scientists think these human like primates evolved in Africa and were one of the first to being walking upright. The next branch, or group, is Australopithecus. Three to four million years ago is when these early humans fully walked on two legs but could also climb trees. Very close to the Australopithecus group, around 3-2 million years ago, the Paranthropus group could also fully walk on two legs. This group did develop sets of larger and stronger teeth, which gave them more food options. The final branch is the Homo group, around 2 million years ago to now. That’s us! The homo group was the first to explore outside of Africa. They have bigger brains than the earlier groups (like the size we have today).

Each branch has subgroups within the bigger groups, the biggest being the Homo group with at least six subgroups rather than the average 3-4. Obviously, some of these groups overlap each other in their time on Earth. In a way that almost confirms the evolution further because the ones that might’ve migrated or adapted to new surroundings were at a higher chance of evolving over the overlapping years.

If you take dogs for example, the earth did not have domestic dogs millions of years ago. We had wolves, a predator that used its skills to hunt and survive in the wild. These wolves were domesticated by humans who wanted to use wolves for their own good. Over the years we learned to breed and train wolves into the domestic dog we have today. Currently, there are over 300 different breeds of domestic dogs that could not have existed millions of years ago.

Fact and belief are two different things. Evolution, natural selection and survival of the fittest are all fact. We have several fossil records that prove evolution is fact. Religion in any form is belief. It’s simple. A person who believes in god or gods can also accept facts as what they are. Facts. Religious people are only in the wrong when they are unable to accept the facts.

Just like everything in life, there are many problems with religion. Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, etc., are just a few examples of the many religions of the world. If you take a closer look at religion, the only thing they have in common is the “he said she said” way of believing. For example, Christianity is basically taking Jesus’s word when he claims to be the son of a higher power called “God”. There is no hard evidence other than the bible which was written by over 40 people over the span of 1,500 years. Is it possible for them to all know the word of God? If there is one God that created everything, why are there so many different religions with so many different beliefs and so many different rules? Why do they all fight each other?

To look at both sides from, not a logical standpoint, but an emotional. Majority of the population of the human race are more emotional than logical in most situations. Religion does its best work connecting to people’s emotions, specifically everyone's fear of the inevitability of death. Though religion is more than just that, it takes up a large part, especially why most people are believers. We use it almost as a coping mechanism instead of accepting death as it comes. Life is short, but religious people are counting on the after-life to be better and longer (eternal) than life itself. When it’s taken out of context, the whole idea seems a bit bizarre. Stripped down in its most basic form it’s be “good” in life so after you die you have a better after-life or be “bad” and burn for eternity. That also goes back the opinion of what individual people think is “good” or “bad”.

Everyone wants an answer but the truth is we don’t have one. People who think they know what’s happening are ignorant to the world as a whole. People shouldn’t pretend to know or believe they know because none of the religions on this earth agree with each other so why should we just pick one and stick with it. No one knows what’s happening beyond our little universe. Even if there is some type of higher power, we wouldn’t even be able to comprehend it because we are still just primitive creatures trying to survive just like we were years ago.

Until God or the gods knock on my door and tell me “Hey I’m real” or “We’re real”, I will continue to stick with the more logical side of the argument. I will not claim to know what’s going on and no one else should.

Regardless of what you believe, I tend to find lots of people focused more on death or post-death than they are on life as it’s happening right before them. Religious people are so caught up in what happens after, they have trouble realizing what is in front of them won’t last forever. People are so caught up on what everyone else thinks to take a minute to think about how much that really matters. No one should care about what other people think or believe as long as they aren’t hurting anyone else and are happy. What is the true point of life if we can’t all live together, respecting each other, and trying to improve the world; rather than destroying it because we don’t think the same way?

Works Cited

Online:

Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. Human Family Tree | The Smithsonian Institution's Human Origins Program, 1 Mar. 2010, humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/human-family-tree.

Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. Human Fossils | The Smithsonian Institution's Human Origins Program, 1 Mar. 2010, humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/human-fossils.

Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. Human Evolution Timeline Interactive | The Smithsonian Institution's Human Origins Program, 1 Mar. 2010, humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/human-evolution-timeline-interactive.

“Way More Americans May Be Atheists Than We Thought.” FiveThirtyEight, FiveThirtyEight, 18 May 2017, fivethirtyeight.com/features/way-more-americans-may-be-atheists-than-we-thought/.

“Who Wrote the Bible?” Who Wrote the Bible? | Bibleinfo.com, www.bibleinfo.com/en/questions/who-wrote-the-bible.

“Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey.” National Geographic Channel, 26 Aug. 2015, channel.nationalgeographic.com/cosmos-a-spacetime-odyssey/.

Printed:

30-second Religion by Russell Re Manning

30-second Evolution by Mark Fellowes and Nicholas Battey

The End of Faith by Sam Harris

Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson

New Testament (Billy Graham Evangelistic Association)

#evolution #opinion #fact #belief #paper #essay #school #science #truth #two sides #religion #atheism #agnostism #agnostic #atheist #nonbeliever

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winniegist · 6 years

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Land Encroachment

I get asked lots of questions as a real estate lawyer. One recently was: What is an Encroachment?

Generally, no person has the right to build any structure on his own land so that part of the structure, no matter how small, encroaches or extends onto the land of another. If one person’s property extends beyond his boundaries and encroaches on the adjoining land of another, this is an encroachment of land. It doesn’t matter whether the encroachment is above or below the surface of the land. A Utah encroachment attorney can help you determine whether something is an encroachment.

The consequences of encroachment of land can range from simple nuisances, like tree branches hanging over your neighbor’s land, to being sued for actual damages or removal of the encroachment. Depending on whether the injury to the land is permanent or temporary, damage amounts and remedies can vary. Property law is complicated. The laws and regulations governing encroachment of land issues vary by state, and your rights and obligations can differ depending upon the municipality. A good encroachment lawyer in Utah can help advise you of those rights and duties.

For example, when a client is purchasing a house or other real estate, title searches and surveys will be obtained and reviewed to see if any encroachments exist regarding the property. The disclosure of the existence of an encroachment may result in a transaction being cancelled or a lender refusing to approve a mortgage.

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Healthcare Proxy

Utah law provides that a person can sign a Health Care Proxy and appoint another person to make health care decisions in the event they become unable to make decisions for themself. Utah health care proxy lawyers are familiar with Article 29-C of the Utah Public Health Law (“PHL”) which contains the provisions regarding Health Care Proxies. This statute is entitled “Health Care Agents and Proxies” and begins with Section 2980 of the PHL.

Section 2981 of the PHL provides that an adult who is competent can appoint someone as his health care agent by using a Health Care Proxy that he signs and dates which is witnessed in the presence of two witnesses who are adults who also need to sign the proxy. An example of a form of Health Care Proxy is contained in the statute.

Your agent can be given the broad ability to make most any health care decision for you or you can limit the agent’s authority by specifying the types of decisions you would like the agent to make on your behalf. Section 2982 of the PHL provides that when an agent is making decisions the agent must act in accordance with the principal’s wishes which includes their moral and religious beliefs or, if not known, in accordance with their best interests.

Wills and Probate Court

Probate is the process by which a person’s last will is validated by the Court. When a person dies, the Last Will is filed with the Court. The probate proceeding involves the preparation and presentation to the Court of various papers and notice to the decedent’s next of kin. These individuals are called distributees. Wills and probate court can be very complex, and a Utah wills and probate lawyer may be helpful to assist you.

The initial papers filed with the Surrogate’s Court are usually the Probate Petition, the Last Will and the decedent’s death certificate. The probate petition must contain very specific information regarding the decedent and the distributees. Sometimes there may be a need for preliminary Court filings. For instance, if the decedent died at home and the police department was called and the home was sealed, the Court can issue an order allowing a person to search the home to look for a possible Last Will. If a Will is found, it can be filed with the Court and the probate process can be started. Also, sometimes a person is withholding a Last Will and refuses to file it with the Court for the probate process to begin. When this occurs a petition can be filed with the Court to force the person to appear in Court and produce and file the Will. On the Court date the Court can direct that the Will be produced for probate.

In most instances, the probate proceedings are straight forward and the Last Will is admitted to probate or validated by the Court. The Court will then generally appoint an Executor who can administer the estate and distribute the estate assets according to the Will provisions.

Occasionally, the validity of the Last Will may be contested or the Court may determine on its own that certain formalities or aspects of the Last Will presented to it prevent the Court from admitting it to probate. A wills and probate lawyer can help Utah residents understand this process. There are numerous procedures that can be involved with determining the validity of a Will. One common process is provided by the Utah Surrogate’s Court Procedure Act Section 1404. This statute allows certain persons who are interested in the estate to obtain information and pre-trial testimony regarding the preparation and the execution of the Will. Testimony can be obtained from the attorney who drafted the Will and the witnesses who signed the Will when it was executed by the decedent. If there appears to be valid problems regarding the Will, objections can be filed and there can be a trial of the Will Contest.

Since the decedent is no longer alive to tell or explain his or her desires, it is up to the Court to make sure that the Last Will filed with the Court is a valid document expressing the decedent’s wishes. Wills and probate Court protect the decedent’s estate plan.

Free Consultation with Real Estate Lawyer

It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when. Legal problems come to everyone. Whether it’s your son who gets in a car wreck, your uncle who loses his job and needs to file for bankruptcy, your sister’s brother who’s getting divorced, or a grandparent that passes away without a will -all of us have legal issues and questions that arise. So when you have a law question, call Ascent Law for your free consultation (801) 676-5506. We want to help you.

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advertphoto · 6 years

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Land Encroachment

I get asked lots of questions as a real estate lawyer. One recently was: What is an Encroachment?

youtube

Healthcare Proxy

Wills and Probate Court

Free Consultation with Real Estate Lawyer

Ascent Law LLC8833 S. Redwood Road, Suite CWest Jordan, Utah 84088 United StatesTelephone: (801) 676-5506

Ascent Law LLC

4.9 stars – based on 67 reviews

Helpful Articles

Salt Lake Attorney

Drug Paraphernalia Defense

Asset Protection from Medical Bills

Probate a Will

Utah Mediation

IRS Lawyer

Source: http://www.ascentlawfirm.com/land-encroachment/

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codyraasch-blog · 6 years

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The Crisis of Crisis Response: The Cultural Consequences of Global Mental Health Interventions

Abstract: The long-term mental health impacts of international disasters have been given increased attention in development recent years. However, development actors working in crisis response lack a unified framework for dealing with mental health. Current western crisis response strategies have little evidence of efficacy and might erase culturally relevant coping mechanisms.

Humanitarian responses to ecological disasters have begun to take a more integrated approach by giving focus to the “invisible human crisis” of mental health (Mollica, et al, 1995). The impacts that disasters have on the mental health has slowly entered the consciousness of development practitioners, and mental health has started to take a more prominent position in crisis response (Tol, et al, 2013). The increased attention and funding focused on the mental health impacts of global disasters represents a crucial step forward for the development field. However, despite these positive steps, there remains significant concerns about the cultural impacts of international mental health responses. By utilizing untested, ineffective, and culturally insensitive frameworks, crisis responders can create long-term negative impacts on the populations they seek to help.

The techniques for mental health crisis interventions vary significantly, though most strategies fit under the umbrella term of “psychological debriefing”, which are generally defined by their rapid response and short-term nature (Gray, Maguen, and Litz 2004.). Still, this terminology does little to describe the specific methods used by mental health practitioners in post-disaster conflicts (Flannery and Everly, 2000). Partially due to this variance in methods, empirical evidence in the form of randomized control trials has be lacking. Practitioners have cited the support of expert opinion and the “logical soundness” of interventions to as justify continued application of psychological debriefing. The limited studies conducted for these techniques have not been positive, often showing little to no effect, and occasional increases in psychiatric distress (Fox et al, 2012). Despite this evidence for the ineffective or possibly adverse effects, these interventions continue a global scale.

The dangers of westernized mental health interventions around the world go beyond this potential lack of efficacy. Manifestations of stress following disasters differ greatly based on cultural, economic and religious contexts. Even within the United States, there is a large variance in prevalence and symptomology following disasters based on cultural and socioeconomic factors, as shown in the wake of Hurricane Andrew (Perilla, Norris, and Lavizzo, 2002). Despite this disaster occurring within the United States, practitioners faced difficulty addressing these cultural differences. The ability for western practitioners to account for even greater diversity around the globe remains dubious.

For mental health practitioners working in international settings to be effective, they must be capable enough to adjust their practice to local conditions and cultural conceptions of mental health. The current classifications of the DSM-V and the ICD-10, the two major diagnostic manuals for mental health, which recognize several non-western mental illnesses as “culturally-bound syndromes” makes such cultural competence unlikely (APA, 2013) (WHO, 1993). These classifications highlight an inherent belief that while certain illnesses are culturally bound, western classifications are globally relevant, and “western medicine is legitimate in all contexts” (Ommeren, Saxena, Saraceno, 2005).

Mental health practitioners have the critical capacity to shift how local populations perceive their own mental wellness. It should come as no surprise that survivors of traumatic events are in especially vulnerable positions, both psychologically and economically. Additionally, western practitioners have the capacity to distribute the political currency associated with being “legitimately” effected by trauma (Breslau, 2004). The inequality of power between western practitioners and the communities effected by disasters creates an environment where local conceptions of mental health and culturally relevant coping mechanisms can be rapidly destroyed. No matter how well-intentioned, mental health practitioners carry both specific assumptions surrounding mental illness and the capacity to erase coping mechanisms that might be more adaptive and beneficial to the local context.

It is impossible to measure what is lost when these interventions take place. We should remain critical of mental health interventions when there is little evidence of success besides the logic of interventions, especially when that logic does not fit within the correct cultural context. We have done little in attempt to understand local conceptions of mental health, nor to acknowledge the potential relevance and effectiveness of local coping mechanisms. The logic of utilizing psychological debriefing has left no room for local coping mechanisms, and has measured its effectiveness against a false scenario, one where communities don’t have any other coping strategies in the face of disaster. To discount the inherent local ability to manage psychological distress after a disaster will likely spread westernized notions of mental illness (Walsh and Cross, 2013)

This is not to indicate that the mental health concerns of victims following a catastrophic event should be forgotten, nor that the international community should stay away from mental health treatment completely. The impacts that traumatic events have on populations are devastating and long-lasting, certainly constituting an “invisible human crisis” after the catastrophe has ceased (Mollica, et al, 1995). However, acknowledging the limits of our abilities to ameliorate the psychological effects of crises is quintessential to improving the lives of those effected. Over-reliance on the self-reported efficacy and “logic” of treatment have, at the very least, done a disservice to the populations that we seek to help.

Involving local actors is key to developing culturally relevant, localized curriculums that can be effectively used to enhance people’s well-being after a disaster. Incorporating local conceptions of mental health, and including adaptive strategies that sensibly fit within that cultural context are necessary. Descilo et al, (2010) shows that in the wake of the tsunami in Southeast Asia in 2004, interventions that utilized yoga-breathing techniques were more effective than traditional “western strategies”. The development field must continue to examine these culturally relevant strategies to create more effective practice.

With the threats of climate change, the sector of humanitarian assistance is becoming more crucial than ever. While the continued focus on the mental health impacts of global disasters is crucial, practitioners must address both their own practical limitations and the potential cultural impacts that they bring with them. Without addressing these concerns, these well-intentioned actors will lose their ability to “do no harm”.

Citations:

American Psychiatric Association (2013), Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, 5th ed., pp. 833–837, ISBN 978-0-89042-554-1

Breslau, J. (2004). Introduction: Cultures of Trauma: Anthropological Views of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in International Health. Culture, Medicine and Psychiatry, 28(2), 113-126. doi:10.1023/b:medi.0000034421.07612.c8

Descilo, T., Vedamurtachar, A., Gerbarg, P. L., Nagaraja, D., Gangadhar, B. N., Damodaran, B., . . . Brown, R. P. (2010). Effects of a yoga breath intervention alone and in combination with an exposure therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder and depression in survivors of the 2004 South-East Asia tsunami. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 121(4), 289-300. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0447.2009.01466.x

Fox, J. H., Burkle, F. M., Bass, J., Pia, F. A., Epstein, J. L., & Markenson, D. (2012). The Effectiveness of Psychological First Aid as a Disaster Intervention Tool: Research Analysis of Peer-Reviewed Literature From 1990-2010. Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness, 6(03), 247-252. doi:10.1001/dmp.2012.39

Flannery, F. B, & Everly, G. S. (2000). Crisis Intervention: A Review. International Journal of Emergency Mental Health

Gray, M. J., Maguen, S., & Litz, B. T. (2004). Acute Psychological Impact of Disaster and Large-Scale Trauma: Limitations of Traditional Interventions and Future Practice Recommendations. Prehospital and Disaster Medicine, 19(01), 64-72. doi:10.1017/s1049023x00001497

Hobfoll, S. E., Watson, P., Bell, C. C., Bryant, R. A., Brymer, M. J., Friedman, M. J., . . . Ursano, R. J. (2009). Five Essential Elements of Immediate and Mid-Term Mass Trauma Intervention: Empirical Evidence. Focus, 7(2), 221-242. doi:10.1176/foc.7.2.foc221

Mollica, R.F., Y. Kikuchi, J. Lavelle, & K. Allden (1995). The Invisible Human Crisis : Mental Health Recommendations for the Care of Persons Evacuated and Displaced by the Hanshin-Awaji (Kobe) Earthquake. Boston: Harvard Program in Refugee Trauma.

Ommeren, M.V., Saxena, S., & Saraceno, B. (2005). Mental and social health during and after acute emergencies: emerging consensus?. Bulletin of the World Health OrganizationL 83, 71-76.

Perilla, J. L., Norris, F. H., & Lavizzo, E. A. (2002). Ethnicity, Culture, and Disaster Response: Identifying and Explaining Ethnic Differences in PTSD Six Months After Hurricane Andrew. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 21(1), 20-45. doi:10.1521/jscp.21.1.20.22404

Tol, W. A., Bastin, P., Jordans, M. J., Minas, H., Souza, R., Weissbecker, I., & Ommeren, M. V. (2013). Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Humanitarian Settings. Global Mental Health, 384-400. doi:10.1093/med/9780199920181.003.0017

Uhernik, J.A., & Husson, M.A. (2009). Psychological First Aid: An Evidence Informed Approach for Acute Disaster Behavioral Health Response.

Walsh, K., & Cross, W. (2013). Depression: Classification, Culture and the Westernisation of Mental Illness. Mood Disorders. doi:10.5772/54176

Watters, E. (2011). Crazy like us: the globalization of the American psyche. New York: Free Press.

World Health Organization, 1993. Diagnostic criteria for research, p. 213–225

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