some recent bigotry on this list

Tree Fitzpatrick therese.fitzpatrick at gmail.com
Mon Mar 6 21:41:49 PST 2006


Paul, I did read Birgitt's entire post.

Just because all of the participants at Birgitt's event had bipolar or
schizophrenia, you had no reason to make the bigoted assumption that when on
member voiced anger and pain she was 'clearly mentally unstable'.

It has never been the custom to publish private emails on this list.  I
tried to approach Paul privately and he rebuffed my efforts.  In the past, I
have gotten private emails from Paul that I found so offensive that I have
asked him to never write to me privately.

I wrote to him, first, privately this evening because I knew that I tried to
confront his bigotry about mental illness online, he would be even nastier
than usual -- which is exactly what he has done.

You had no right to publish my private emails online, Paul.  You do not own
the copyright to my words, of course.  I suppose you did so in an attempt to
show that I used profanity.  Or maybe you hoped to continued your
bigotry????

On 3/6/06, EVERETT813 at aol.com <EVERETT813 at aol.com> wrote:
>
>
> In a message dated 3/6/06 8:09:36 PM, therese.fitzpatrick at gmail.comwrites:
>
> In the same nasty note, Paul portrayed a woman that Birgitt told us
> about as 'clearly mentally unstable."
>
> Tree,
>
> Perhaps you should read Birgitt's post again, produced below, especially
> the first sentence or two.  It was that to which I was referring.  Sane
> people do not come up and scream at a leader because they could not make the
> choice to not participate.  That is extreme individualism and mental
> instability, in my humble opinion.
>
> Further, your posts to me reek of another kind of individualism that feels
> it is OK to heap calumny, invective and profanity on another.  Perhaps you
> have not heard that the use of profanity is the attempt of a weak and
> disordered mind to express itself forcefully.
>
> Since this is an unmoderated list anyone can post anything they wish.  I,
> however, do not wish to be the recipient of such ranting and ravings so will
> be exercising the law of two feet.
>
> Paul
>
> Birgitt's Post:
>
> Years ago I was taught a big lesson. I facilitated an OST for about 300
> people, all of whom were on medications, all of whom had bipolar disorder or
> schizophrenia. And all of whom were leaders in their communities and
> incredible people. The side effects of the medications and of their
> illnesses had an effect on all that happened in the 3 day event. They found
> a way of working around it all to achieve what they wanted to achieve. They
> were remarkable. I was deeply moved. At the closing, I did something that I
> had learned from Harrison. After the microphone had gone around the circle
> for comments, I had everyone stand up and hold hands as the start of a
> closing to the event. We then did a the exercise of paying attention to the
> energy inside of the circle of us, and then turning 180 degrees to feel that
> energy at our backs as we went out into the world. When it was all done, a
> woman came up to me and in a rage said "Do not ever do that to another human
> being again. I had had a wonderful time here until you asked us to touch.
> And then it was destroyed for me. I cannot touch another person. It is my
> story and it has roots in my childhood and in my illness. By asking us to
> hold hands, I had a choice...to be part of what the group was doing and
> feeling violated by it, or not participating and feeling awful about
> that....neither option was okay for me. YOU (and she shouted) have NO IDEA
> of what anyone's personal story is so you should never do this to a group
> again...to ask them to hold hands. You just don't know what is going on for
> someone and by asking me to hold hands, you invaded my space."
>
> *Tree's rants and raves to me, my replies, both public and by email:*
>
> Sent to me via email, not list)
>
> just because people on the oslist believe in the principles of open
> space, don't you think it about time you stopped taking advantage of
> their good nature and stopped shoving your extreme indvidualism down
> our throats?
>
> you get, right, that people put up with your bigoted, out-of-date crap,
> right?
>
> I am happy to tell the list what I really think of your recent, ugly
> words about a woman you have outrageously concluded had to be
> 'mentally unstable' but I consider you to be a big mentally unstable.
> . . so I won't.
>
> who among us has never voiced angry, anxious energy form time to time?
> who the fuck are you to declare someone mentally unstable?
>
> and do you have any clue that the oslist is used by professional
> facilitators to design real world events for real people and that,
> golly gee, Paul, many events have people that bring their
> individualism into a circle?  are you so ignorant about process design
> and facilitation that you don't know a thing about it?
>
> go pop off somewhere else, you bigoted old pig
> --
> Warmly,
> Tree Fitzpatrick
> Hearthkeeper
>
> (Reply by Paul Everett)
>
> Tree,
>
> I thought we had a respectful agreement not to correspond with each
> other.  Why have you violated that?  Think hard about what that implies
> related to your need to put me down.
>
> Paul
>
> WE did not have an agreement to not correspond with each other.
>
> But okay, then I will tell the list what I think of your recent,
> hideous, ugly, bigoted denigration of the mentally ill.
>
> And, by the way, fuck you.  No respect from me.
>
> Tree
>
> I told you to leave me alone.  If you got the impression that you had
> my respect, you misunderstood me.
>
> Tree
>
> (Paul's reply to the above two notes)
>
> Tree,
>
> Yes, and I did leave you alone.  It is you who is not leaving me alone.  I
> did not comment on your post.  I expect you to afford me the same courtesy.
> As for respect, I was referring to the agreement, not you or me.  I know
> there is a mutual dis-respect there.
>
> Paul
>
> Posted to the OS List:
>
>
> We were having a nice conversation on this list called 'a quiet time'.
> . . and then Paul posted a couple of nasty phrases that stung me.
>
> He wrote derisively about 'extreme individualism', making it feel to
> me, in a very ugly way, that he does not think it is okay for people
> to try to get their needs met.  His derisive portrayal of examples of
> individuality as 'extreme individualism' left me thinking that he
> might not be a professional designer of human gatherings. . . at least
> not one with the value of inclusion.
>
> In the same nasty note, Paul portrayed a woman that Birgitt told us
> about as 'clearly mentally unstable."  Ouch.  That one seems even
> uglier.  Who among us has never popped off, expressing anger in a less
> than optimal manner?  It might not matter to most on this list but I
> do have a mental health disability and I am fed up with being made to
> feel like I have to tolerate ignorant, bigoted statements about the
> mentally ill.  Like most bigotry, these kinds of statements usually
> stem from the speaker's lack of knowledge about what they are talking
> about.
>
> I have made a personal commitment to point out bigotry when I see it
> and I believe Paul's nasty comment of 'clearly mentally unstable' was
> bigotry.  I know 'most people' routinely tolerate bigoted
> generalizaitons about people with mental health disabilities and when
> they do tolerate such bigotry, I always wonder why.  why would anyone
> think people with mental health disabilities did not deserve the same
> absence of bigotry as anyone else?
>
> Sorry to bother the list with this but Paul's statements were, for me,
> shockingly offensive.
>
> Tree
>
>
>


--
Warmly,
Tree Fitzpatrick
Hearthkeeper

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