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The arc of history bends toward emotional support peacocks

wesleyyang.substack.com

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Re: The arc of history bends toward emotional support peacocks

#11

Post by actuallyalys »

There's quite a few dubious assertions here, but the interpretation of a poll jumped out at me.

> A poll of students taken at Pomona College in 2014 found that 5 percent of them identified as "disabled". That same poll administered in 2019 found that the figure had grown to 22 percent. A nearly fourfold increase in so brief a surely tracks the explosive growth of a culture of systemic advantage seeking; but it likely also indicates a changing perception of the self, a higher threshold of sensitivity to the vicissitudes of everyday life, and an overall normalization and valorization of the condition of disability.

It doesn't necessarily say that at all. In a country with thousands of colleges and universities, I don't think you can rule out chance. (Also, Pomona has 1500 students.)

Even if we saw a large increase across the U.S., it could also be due to increasing numbers of correct diagnoses (rather than overdiagnosis or fraudulent diagnosis) or a change in what conditions count as "disabilities." People considering, say, certain mental illnesses disabilities that they didn't before, that is an shift worth studying and commenting on, but not necessarily one caused by "systemic advantage seeking" or a "higher threshold of sensitivity".

Re: The arc of history bends toward emotional support peacocks

#12

Post by the_third_wave »

taurath wrote: post #8

> A network of trial lawyers and medical entrepreneurs found a profitable niche in colluding with a growing number of Americans regarding themselves through the prism of victimhood that happens to confer legally protected status onto them What a statement. Its as if its saying lets just invalidate actual meaningful treatment modalities for ailments we've struggled to treat for decades. This is conservative talking po…

No, stating that legal protections for certain categories of people are being abused by others has nothing in common with what you compare it to, it is a simple statement of fact which veracity can be gleaned both from the article as well as from experience for those who've been confronted with some "emotional support" creature when the fad became popular. The fact that the subject is not discussed on liberal channels like PBS and NPR also has no bearing on its veracity, that is just an example of the limiting effect of political bias on what can be discussed.

Re: The arc of history bends toward emotional support peacocks

#13

Post by dotcommand »

taurath wrote: post #10
dotcommand wrote: post #5

"That we allowed the proliferation of emotional support animals in the first place tells us a lot about the evolving nature of the civil rights industry...A network of trial lawyers and medical entrepreneurs found a profitable niche in colluding with a growing number of Americans regarding themselves through the prism of victimhood that happens to confer legally protected status onto them." So well stated. Civil righ…

I think you're really fundamentally misunderstanding treatment modalities that allow people to be better, because you're conflating having an injury with weakness. Ex-soldiers with PTSD are one of the best studied. > A wide body of anecdotal evidence and scientific studies reflects what many already suspected—animal companionship can help support positive outcomes in physical and mental health. https://www.dav.org/ve…

> I think you're really fundamentally misunderstanding treatment modalities that allow people to be better, because you're conflating having an injury with weakness.

I don't think the white woman with an emotional support dog who got the black man kicked off the flight had any ptsd.

> Ex-soldiers with PTSD are one of the best studied.

Do they need animals to serve as their crutch to go everywhere? Don't think so. I have plenty of ex-soldiers in my family. None of them ever had an emotional support animal.

> So either you doubt the realism of PTSD

No. I think people can have traumatic experiences. Pretty much everyone deals with it and moves on with thier lives like they have throughout history. The "business" around PTSD is what I have an issue with.

> That begs the question, what is a treatment that doesn't foster weakness?

Might want to look up what "begs the question" really means.

> Mental illnesses and their effective treatments don't care about whether you believe in them or not.

Right. Good one.

You obviously didn't read the article and just want to peddle more weakness justification or virtue signal or have financial incentives to respond the way you did.

Re: The arc of history bends toward emotional support peacocks

#16

Post by taurath »

dotcommand wrote: post #13
taurath wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you're really fundamentally misunderstanding treatment modalities that allow people to be better, because you're conflating having an injury with weakness. Ex-soldiers with PTSD are one of the best studied. > A wide body of anecdotal evidence and scientific studies reflects what many already suspected—animal companionship can help support positive outcomes in physical and mental health. https://www.dav.org/ve…

> I think you're really fundamentally misunderstanding treatment modalities that allow people to be better, because you're conflating having an injury with weakness. I don't think the white woman with an emotional support dog who got the black man kicked off the flight had any ptsd. > Ex-soldiers with PTSD are one of the best studied. Do they need animals to serve as their crutch to go everywhere? Don't think so. I h…

> Pretty much everyone deals with it and moves on with thier lives like they have throughout history.

On what basis do you draw this conclusion from?

> Do they need animals to serve as their crutch to go everywhere? Don't think so

Are you their doctor?

> You obviously didn't read the article

I did. Service animals + allergies are definitely a problem. Saying service animals aren't useful is your unjustified opinion.

> just want to peddle more weakness justification or virtue signal or have financial incentives

I have PTSD. I have friends who have benefited from service animals. I have considered one. Weakness justification is a frankly offensive phrase for those who are seeking treatment for their ailment.

Why isn't the person who has allergies also fostering weakness?

Re: The arc of history bends toward emotional support peacocks

#17

Post by taurath »

the_third_wave wrote: post #12
taurath wrote: post #8

> A network of trial lawyers and medical entrepreneurs found a profitable niche in colluding with a growing number of Americans regarding themselves through the prism of victimhood that happens to confer legally protected status onto them What a statement. Its as if its saying lets just invalidate actual meaningful treatment modalities for ailments we've struggled to treat for decades. This is conservative talking po…

No, stating that legal protections for certain categories of people are being abused by others has nothing in common with what you compare it to, it is a simple statement of fact which veracity can be gleaned both from the article as well as from experience for those who've been confronted with some "emotional support" creature when the fad became popular. The fact that the subject is not discussed on liberal channel…

Take it up with the ADA then. Conservative memes are not simple statements of fact unless you want to bring data to the conversation.

Re: The arc of history bends toward emotional support peacocks

#18

Post by happytoexplain »

dotcommand wrote: post #5

"That we allowed the proliferation of emotional support animals in the first place tells us a lot about the evolving nature of the civil rights industry...A network of trial lawyers and medical entrepreneurs found a profitable niche in colluding with a growing number of Americans regarding themselves through the prism of victimhood that happens to confer legally protected status onto them." So well stated. Civil righ…

>people running much of social media are enabling mental, emotional and moral weakness. Instead of encouraging people to overcome and be better, they foster weakness.

Online, this is frequently used as an excuse to express hatred for people.

Re: The arc of history bends toward emotional support peacocks

#19

Post by jazzyjackson »

munk-a wrote: post #3

If a blind woman enters your office with her dog and it poops on the rug you may be rather peeved over the event - but seeing eye dogs are exceedingly rare and blindness itself is a rather uncommon condition. I think part of the issue with ESAs was that suddenly they were everywhere - it didn't come on as a slow adaptation - it exploded like a fad because, well, it was one to a big portion of the population abusing i…

Actual support animals are so well trained I’d be shocked if there was a single occurrence of one pooping on someone’s rug. I was recently on a 76 hour train sitting a few rows back from a support dog in training: not a peep out of him the entire ride, was able to hold his bladder for the infrequent smoke stops, I couldn’t believe the capability of the trainer to get a dog acting so professionally xD

Re: The arc of history bends toward emotional support peacocks

#20

Post by jazzyjackson »

derbOac wrote: post #14

Am I the only one who feels like there are more important things to worry in the world about than emotional support animals?

I mean sure if you’re not in a position where you’re actually dealing with people trying to bring animals where they don’t belong every day.
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