Mental Health and Disability Rights...How can we do better?

[Steel Magnolia]

How can we do better as a fanbase?

The topic of mental health appears to be deeply dividing Britney's fans.

How can we come together to discuss this topic in a way that does right by our girl? 

Can we begin to educate ourselves about what "ableist" language might look like?

We all have a specialty...Some of us are long-time stans. Some of us are legal beagles. Some of us work in the field of mental health.

Who are the experts in the #JusticeForBritney movement when it comes to disability rights?

What can we learn from them?

Please help me be a better fan. I want to learn. 

Leave your suggestions here.

[GlitterRain]

Love you, Britney 🤍

[generation glory]

@Steel Magnolia Thanks for the thread!!

Tbh idk realistically what we can do. Seems like post-Free Britney we’ve reverted back to being a dysfunctional fan base. 
The Justice For Britney movement, like, WTH is that exactly supposed to be now?! Some fans are mad at Rosengart because they feel he’s overhyped but not doing enough. There is conflicting opinions about how Britney presents herself on Instagram. Basically, the LQ of it all. The sometimes rambling IG captions mixed in with more thoughtful coherent IG captions. The nud3 pics, telling people to kiss her 🍑.
 

Randomly name checking other celebs but then seemingly throwing shade at some of them but nobody’s sure who or what she’s talking about. The way she publicly addresses her anger and pain is brave yet sad.❤️‍🩹 Some think it’s okay sometimes or all the time, while others think she should handle it privately. The way she popped off on the Jack N The Box guy. She hates her family (rightfully so) but it sucks that they’ve ****ed her over so much cuz she could sure use some family now!!

There is no right or wrong way to for her to confront her trauma and begin heal. This is Britney, like it or not. But it’s a Britney in the midst of coming to terms with her heartache, regaining her voice & her freedom in a time that’s quite different than 2008. Britney is different yet the same. So, how do you “stan” a complicated, mentally ill pop star without becoming a sycophant or without becoming critical of how she exercises her right to do/say/be whatever she wants to be?
 

She will never get treated fairly. Kim K, JLo, influencers and others post skimpy pics or nud3s all the time. Kanye is a mentally ill raging anti-semite. There’s people doing and saying worse than Britney does but the bias, the scrutiny is hella different. I’m sure there’s things going on with her we have no clue about. But the fan base has long been sensitive to any criticism of her and, of course, we’ve been infiltrated with disinformation candidates like BAnon that’s really thrown us off focus.

Her sister won’t STFU about her, her dad is still an abusive *******, her mom is a disgrace, her brother sucks too, her kids don’t want to deal with her, one ex-husband stalks her, the other ex-husband does interviews and is writing a book in which we know he’s gonna drag her. They’re aggravating her! People’s IG comments got so bad she shut it off. She can’t get a break! BUT she also isn’t doing herself any favors with her IG posts that inadvertently feeds into the BAnon conspiracy theories. Just my opinion, but some are just gullible people but some have to be part of Team Con’s smear campaign.

OP, I can’t answer your questions but we’re definitely in a helluva dilemma!!

Edited January 14, 2023 by generation glory

[Tom13]

Ideally fans should stick with her art and leave her life and get one. 

[easy]

i think it definitely starts with learning and understanding ableist language. then being able to identify it not only in our own "opinions" but the opinions of others.

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20210330-the-harmful-ableist-language-you-unknowingly-use

people who comment every post and state how "concerned" they are, how britney's "not ok" and you hope she's "getting help" are alarmist and forcing a narrative that any behavior they don't understand or recognize is somehow concerning. it's not. britney is a multifaceted human being, dealing with an immense amount of trauma that we will never be able to understand. the goal we all should have is to allow britney the grace and space to heal on HER terms. not what we think she should do, not our opinions on behaviors she may or may not present.

imo it's not our place at all to discuss her mental health unless it's something she's decided to share with us. we don't need to decipher every post she makes and every caption she writes. we can support her as a human without reducing her to some kind of science experiment we need to "figure out".

[SlayOut]

Honestly I’m not sure there is anyone in the fanbase that has the range or has utilized a disability rights framework in their analysis of Britney’s pre/post conservatorship life.  You have fans that stamp out speculation of mental health challenges because they can’t fathom their fave having these challenges, you have fans that stamp out speculation because there’s no hard facts, you have some that believe Britney’s privacy is invaded by talking about mental health. You also have fans that are uninformed and use mental health diagnoses to shame Britney, or to exert some kind of control or narrative about her.

So idk. I haven’t come across anyone in the fanbase who speaks eloquently, compassionately, or informed enough on mental health. It seems that the discussion amongst fans is largely some trying to armchair diagnose Britney with XYZ based on anecdotal or perceived behaviors, which in my opinion is dangerous. I do think it’d be beneficial that, as a fanbase, we become more informed, especially when Britney has mentioned struggling with anxiety, depression, etc.

[blackingouthenegativity]

Ban half of the members here and let them hang out at TMZ like rats in a sewer. 

[SlayOut]

18 minutes ago, blackingouthenegativity said:

Ban half of the members here and let them hang out at TMZ like rats in a sewer. 

we should redirect their comments to the TMZ comment section

[Antidote]

I was banned for creating a similar thread months ago since talking about mental health + Britney is a censored topic here, I hope this has changed and fans can educate themselves about mental health, thanks for posting.

[Steel Magnolia]

15 hours ago, easy said:

i think it definitely starts with learning and understanding ableist language. then being able to identify it not only in our own "opinions" but the opinions of others.

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20210330-the-harmful-ableist-language-you-unknowingly-use

This is a great article.

I've been using some of this language myself without thinking about it. 

Thanks for posting! 

[kevin.]

unfortunately so many people here just want to ignore it and pretend it's all normal.

 

[Steel Magnolia]

15 hours ago, SlayOut said:

Honestly I’m not sure there is anyone in the fanbase that has the range or has utilized a disability rights framework in their analysis of Britney’s pre/post conservatorship life.  

I've seen people on Twitter!

https://twitter.com/Mx_Defying

https://twitter.com/MoonChalice_

I'm sure there's got to be more...But I'm new to Twitter so I haven't quite got a handle yet on who is posting about these kinds of topics.

[ICouldntThinkOfOne]

I think a huge part of this is recognising the language, particularly around Britney, but in general...

If a headline seems sensationalised to weaponise health, it has a purpose; generate clicks. Right now, it's coming from "fans" using it against Britney based on conspiracy, and fans defending her.

When you remove the emotive language, it looses its power. I mean, if celebrity A, a random example of celebrity, was diabetic, and were seen drinking a dark coloured drink that resembled cola, and the headline was along the lines of "celebrity a disregards health, binging on sugary treats" we'd immediately recognise it as hyperbole. Why? Because we don't know what's in the drink. This applies here. 

While other celebrities can openly talk about their health, struggles, how they manage etc. Britney is excluded from this and its weaponised against her. Not only that, but that same narrative is then used to paint everything she does in that context; if he posts on Instagram, if she buys shoes, even if she does bicker once in awhile.  Depower the language, and bring the focus back onto the purpose of the language being used. Who benefits from it? Who does it harm? 

This doesn't need to be a conspiracy theory, or a ridiculous effort. Explain it simply, get the individual to explain how I applies. Its a very simple logical thread.

[Switchy]

37 minutes ago, Steel Magnolia said:

I've seen people on Twitter!

https://twitter.com/Mx_Defying

https://twitter.com/MoonChalice_

I'm sure there's got to be more...But I'm new to Twitter so I haven't quite got a handle yet on who is posting about these kinds of topics.

Imani Barbarin is a disability advocate that I follow. I've learned a lot from her! Her focus is not on Britney or conservatorships, but she is definitely one to follow. 

Edited January 15, 2023 by Switchy
Capitalization

[torontofan]

I work in mental health and have been a long time Britney fan since day 1. I think there are many fans who need to educate themselves on mental health in general and recognize just how common it is and that it’s OKAY to acknowledge it. I think a lot of fans are in denial about Britney’s mental health struggles even though it has long been documented. (And I’m not talking about the fake dementia claims). 
That said, it could also be unfair to Britney to have the whole world discussing her mental health when she herself rarely acknowledges it in public. Definitely a tricky situation. But I think the first step is just education. 

[MintChocoLatte]

Honestly it’s a societal issue. This deeply rooted belief it’s ok to judge people. To react with hate when confronted with things we don’t understand or that don’t make sense to us at first glance. 
 

music stans in general are two-faced about this. I don’t know why do many people think it’s ok to do these things when it concerns people/stars they don’t like. 
I wish we could stop doing it and instead encourage to learn and forgive. Do better. But social media in general is so toxic I don’t see this changing anytime soon. If it ever will, even.

[easy]

2 hours ago, Steel Magnolia said:

This is a great article.

I've been using some of this language myself without thinking about it. 

Thanks for posting! 

no problem, i'm glad it could help!

i think i we're all unknowingly guilty of using ableist language at times and as long as we educate ourselves and rectify it— that's the growth we can hope for. but it truly does start with education and the desire to want to be better and change! 

[PhoebeJemima]

I think ppl need to stop trolling ppl that don't repeat the "everything is fine" mantra. Who knows, everything may be fine, but in the face of current circumstances, things don't look it. So many want their idol to be perfect & are projecting their own stigma about mental health when they abuse others for even mentioning their concerns about her mental health. I get she has a right to privacy, but when these things are done in public eg on Instagram, ppl are going to comment on them. Ppl need to remember to just be kind & respectful.

[wukemon]

It would be convenient to have experts to look toward, but I don’t know that there is a one-size-fits-all approach. Even among disability rights advocates, there won’t be agreement about the best approach. The situation is full of contradictions. Britney is absolutely entitled to privacy and should not be pressured to share more about her mental health than she’s comfortable with. But at the same time, the cloud of secrecy that she and her circle maintain and Britney’s apparent resentment at being labeled serve to perpetuate stigma surrounding mental health and disability. Different advocates might have different reactions to the same situation, and they can all be valid in my opinion.

That said, I agree that education and awareness is a reasonable first step and that we should be welcoming the input of experts and creating safe spaces for discourse.

[SatisfactionOops]

I think there needs to be a larger awareness that people are not their mental illnesses. Recently I saw an interview with a CEO who suffers from bipolar disorder and he said he's always stunned how people phrase him and others who are ill from the disease as "he/she is bipolar" when we don't do the same for people with other conditions, e.g. we don't go around saying "he/she is cancer."

 

We really don't know the breadth of Brit's health. From what she has shared herself on Instagram, her state of affairs seems like a real unpleasant medley of sadness and bitterness. The armchair diagnosing is tacky, everyone can agree on that. But by the same token, ruling out the possibility Brit may be ill is not objective at all. I think many fans refuse to entertain the possibility Britney may be unwell because 

 

1. It's absolutely heartbreaking to think that someone you love suffers from mental illness 

2. They are traumatized themselves from the conservatorship and do not want to entertain anything that gives it the slightest bit of credence (this applies ONLY to the ignorant - any rational & well-informed person sees that a conservatorship is a drastic & inhumane breach of a person's civil liberties, and no diagnosis should automatically result in you losing your personal autonomy) 

3. The world has already been cruel enough to Britney, and in a society that stigmatizes those that suffer from mental illness, she does not need any more s#!t thrown at her. 

 

So yeah, a lot of the discourse is lacking the nuance, empathy, and compassion it deserves and it sucks to see!