Paul, I did read Birgitt's entire post.<br>
<br>
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'.<br>
<br>
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. <br>
<br>
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.<br>
<br>
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????<br><br><div><span class="gmail_quote">On 3/6/06, <b class="gmail_sendername"><a href="mailto:EVERETT813@aol.com">EVERETT813@aol.com</a></b> <<a href="mailto:EVERETT813@aol.com">EVERETT813@aol.com
</a>> wrote:</span><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;"><div style="direction: ltr;"><font face="arial,helvetica"></font></div>
<font face="arial,helvetica"></font><div style="direction: ltr;"><span class="q"><font face="arial,helvetica"><font color="#000000" face="Geneva" size="2"><br>
In a message dated 3/6/06 8:09:36 PM, <a href="mailto:therese.fitzpatrick@gmail.com" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">therese.fitzpatrick@gmail.com</a> writes:<br>
<br>
<blockquote style="border-left: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 255); margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 0px; padding-left: 5px;" type="CITE"></blockquote></font><font color="#000000" face="Geneva" size="2">In the same nasty note, Paul portrayed a woman that Birgitt told us
<br>
about as 'clearly mentally unstable."<br>
</font></font></span></div><font face="arial,helvetica"></font><div style="direction: ltr;"><font face="arial,helvetica"><font color="#000000" face="Geneva" size="2"><br>
Tree,<br>
<br>
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.<br>
<br>
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.<br>
<br>
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.<br>
<br>
Paul<br>
<br>
Birgitt's Post:<br>
<br>
</font><font color="#000000" face="Lucida Grande" lang="0" size="2">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."<br>
<br>
</font><font color="#000000" face="Lucida Grande" lang="0" size="2"><b>Tree's rants and raves to me, my replies, both public and by email:</b></font><font color="#000000" face="Lucida Grande" lang="0" size="2"><br>
<br>
</font><font color="#000000" face="Lucida Grande" lang="0" size="2">Sent to me via email, not list)<br>
<br>
just because people on the oslist believe in the principles of open<br>
space, don't you think it about time you stopped taking advantage of<br>
their good nature and stopped shoving your extreme indvidualism down<br>
our throats?<br>
<br>
you get, right, that people put up with your bigoted, out-of-date crap, right?<br>
<br>
I am happy to tell the list what I really think of your recent, ugly<br>
words about a woman you have outrageously concluded had to be<br>
'mentally unstable' but I consider you to be a big mentally unstable.<br>
. . so I won't.<br>
<br>
who among us has never voiced angry, anxious energy form time to time?<br>
who the fuck are you to declare someone mentally unstable?<br>
<br>
and do you have any clue that the oslist is used by professional<br>
facilitators to design real world events for real people and that,<br>
golly gee, Paul, many events have people that bring their<br>
individualism into a circle? are you so ignorant about process design<br>
and facilitation that you don't know a thing about it?<br>
<br>
go pop off somewhere else, you bigoted old pig<br>
--<br>
Warmly,<br>
Tree Fitzpatrick<br>
Hearthkeeper<br>
<br>
(Reply by Paul Everett)<br>
<br>
Tree,<br>
<br>
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.<br>
<br>
Paul<br>
<br>
WE did not have an agreement to not correspond with each other.<br>
<br>
But okay, then I will tell the list what I think of your recent,<br>
hideous, ugly, bigoted denigration of the mentally ill.<br>
<br>
And, by the way, fuck you. No respect from me.<br>
<br>
Tree<br>
<br>
I told you to leave me alone. If you got the impression that you had<br>
my respect, you misunderstood me.<br>
<br>
Tree<br>
<br>
(Paul's reply to the above two notes)<br>
<br>
Tree,<br>
<br>
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.<br>
<br>
Paul<br>
<br>
Posted to the OS List:</font></font></div><font face="arial,helvetica"><font color="#000000" face="Lucida Grande" lang="0" size="2"></font></font><div style="direction: ltr;"><span class="e" id="q_109d31e608875449_3"><font face="arial,helvetica">
<font color="#000000" face="Lucida Grande" lang="0" size="2"><br>
<br>
We were having a nice conversation on this list called 'a quiet time'.<br>
. . and then Paul posted a couple of nasty phrases that stung me.<br>
<br>
He wrote derisively about 'extreme individualism', making it feel to<br>
me, in a very ugly way, that he does not think it is okay for people<br>
to try to get their needs met. His derisive portrayal of examples of<br>
individuality as 'extreme individualism' left me thinking that he<br>
might not be a professional designer of human gatherings. . . at least<br>
not one with the value of inclusion.<br>
<br>
In the same nasty note, Paul portrayed a woman that Birgitt told us<br>
about as 'clearly mentally unstable." Ouch. That one seems even<br>
uglier. Who among us has never popped off, expressing anger in a less<br>
than optimal manner? It might not matter to most on this list but I<br>
do have a mental health disability and I am fed up with being made to<br>
feel like I have to tolerate ignorant, bigoted statements about the<br>
mentally ill. Like most bigotry, these kinds of statements usually<br>
stem from the speaker's lack of knowledge about what they are talking<br>
about.<br>
<br>
I have made a personal commitment to point out bigotry when I see it<br>
and I believe Paul's nasty comment of 'clearly mentally unstable' was<br>
bigotry. I know 'most people' routinely tolerate bigoted<br>
generalizaitons about people with mental health disabilities and when<br>
they do tolerate such bigotry, I always wonder why. why would anyone<br>
think people with mental health disabilities did not deserve the same<br>
absence of bigotry as anyone else?<br>
<br>
Sorry to bother the list with this but Paul's statements were, for me,<br>
shockingly offensive.<br>
<br></font></font></span></div><font face="arial,helvetica"><font color="#000000" face="Lucida Grande" lang="0" size="2"></font></font><div style="direction: ltr;">
<font face="arial,helvetica"><font color="#000000" face="Lucida Grande" lang="0" size="2">Tree<br>
</font><font color="#000000" face="Lucida Grande" lang="0" size="2"><br>
<br>
</font><font color="#000000" face="Geneva" size="2"></font>
</font></div></blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>Warmly,<br>Tree Fitzpatrick<br>Hearthkeeper<br>
*
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