INTERNET JUST LIKE A PUBLIC BATHROOM

Originally Written by “Yevhn Gertz” Co-wrote by Andi Bazaar | Aug 6, 2023

There is some conditioning from society when it comes to types of hatred like misogyny and racism, but as adults with access to Internet connected world choosing to perpetuate them is a choice. Hatred requires an active, conscious renewal of it to keep it sustained.

Actually, my life isn’t full of hatred. Mostly because I really don’t give a shit what anybody thinks of me. I’m also not a troll, I have a sense of humour. You on the other hand, probably wouldn’t know a joke if you elected it for three consecutive terms.

This is why I could never handle being big on social media. The internet is full of toxic people who always twist shit and people who are way overly sensitive, it’s disgusting.

All this peace and love stuff breaks down when the internet is so full of fake. You have to be a little cynical just to remain true not even to your ideals but to basic parameters about human reality.

People suffer and shit is imperfect. (degree of cynicism is still optional)

WHY DO PEOPLE ON HERE HAVE TO BE SO FULL OF SHIT LIKE ALL THE FUCKING TIME?

I am depressed and have anxiety and this constant negativity is litterally killi'g me, sometimes I just feel like digging a hole and stay in it forever away from the Internet.

IT’S NOT LIKE

“These one or two things you do cause me unintended anxiety."

IT’S

“Your whole life is full of illegal shit that I don’t value and I’m telling the whole internet about it so they agree with me so cut it out or I’m gone."

This is the internet, no one is special and everyone is full of shit so buckle up or get off the ride. Sometimes closing your eyes is a good idea, sometimes it will kill you. If I learned one thing last weekend, it’s that way more people than you think are going through some serious shit.

My Inboxes are full of people who need someone to lift them up, aside from the fact they “seem ok” on the internet.

Today I’m feeling incredibly grateful for the 27 years of life I’ve had, there have been many hardships and challenges along the way but I wouldn’t change any of it. The journey has made me who I am today and I can confidently say that the last few years have been the best of my lifem

• I’m so grateful for having someone I loved and very supportive partner in life.
• I’m so grateful for everything and I am so grateful for the amazing people I’ve connected with in this space.
• I’m so grateful I’ve made some of the best, most genuine friendships of my life here.
• I’m so grateful to be able to create art, support lots of people in this community and shape the future of this space.

Let’s talk about comparing ourselves to others and its impact on mental health, it is something that is ingrained in us when we are young and can stay with us as we are adults. This is especially true when our mental health isn’t well and we feel like we are lagging.

While some amount of comparing is normal, doing it too much can quickly become harmful. This is especially true because the internet has made it easier to compare ourselves to other people, social media is full of people sharing their joy and successes.

This is especially true for certain categories that may be triggering for us like marriages, jobs, school and a host of other things. It can make it harder for us to get better because we get in that spiral of low self-esteem that can increase depression and anxiety.

It is important to remember that social media is not a reflection of reality, we could be sharing some fun stuff or talking about how happy we are while actually not doing well behind the scenes. This is especially true because we tend to see many posts at once.

Consumption of social media is important. If we feel ourselves comparing ourselves to other people a lot, it will be good to reduce how much time we spend on social media because it can be triggering, knowing what our triggers are will be important in terms of reducing them.

Also, boundaries will play a big role. Since families and other people around us will compare us with others a lot, we need to establish the boundary that they can’t talk about others especially to put us down. We have a lot of that in our culture.

It is also important to place things in context. We will be more triggered with things where we feel we are not doing well. For example, as a single person I may feel sad seeing pictures of couples, but I have to remember all the other good things in my life.

"Just because one area of our life isn’t doing well doesn’t mean it is a bad thing, things can’t be perfect all the time in all areas of our life. Putting it in perspective (even in writing to re-read it when we get triggered again) is a crucial exercise."

Also, if the symptoms are impacting our quality of life please consider getting treatment through medications and therapy. We all deserve to recover and live a happy life, furthermore recovery will enable us to be more motivated in seeking things we want.

Unlearning constant comparison with other people can take time and a lot of work but it is worth it when it starts working because can more easily put things in perspective and not let it impact our mental health as much!

Let's write a new topic on "patriarchy and mental health," any form of oppression will have long lasting mental health impacts. Patriarchy has lasted for so long with many generations sharing and passing that trauma, let's dive a little deeper into what it can entail.

"Patriarchy" is a form of oppression that has infiltrated every institution and social norm from religion, government, education to family. As with most forms of oppressions, patriarchy is comfortable blaming women for situations they cannot control rather than fixing the system.

Within families, patriarchy is very much alive. Many if not most families raise their children differently based on whether they are boys or girls. Girls tend to be limited in what their parents allow, from going out, to interacting with boys or even discouraged from science.

These dynamics play out so early that young girls realize that something is wrong, even if can't fully understand the ramifications yet. They can see how their own brothers or boy peers at school are treated versus how they are treated and create a conflict within themselves.

While we are young, parents are the main form of socialization and the people we learn the world and environment from, those early years are crucial for the development of our mental health. When girls are treated differently, it affects their mental health early on.

Self-esteem suffers greatly and paves the way for self-esteem and self-efficacy to be greatly impacted into their adult life even while they try to unlearn those ingrained behaviours taught by parents. Furthermore, childhood is a time of possibilities and exploration.

But for many girls, their parents limit them on what they can do. They tell them early in their childhood that their job is to get married and have kids. Their creativity and spark may get stopped because they cannot explore that environment themselves, it was chosen for them.

Furthermore, as with any form of oppression the truth may not be believed even when there is evidence. Their word carries less weight than that of their brothers or other men in the family even when girls or women approach their parents after an assault, they are not believed.

The system was made to defend boys whether it is within families or the justice system. Getting justice is practically impossible, this is not just within our culture even in Canada for example only 11% of sexual assaults result in conviction, the lowest in any category.

Because of these deep rooted inequalities that start from birth, mental health will be impacted in a great way. By limiting possibilities of young girls, treating them differently from their brothers, etc... will result in many mental health issues.

The biggest is internalizing that oppression, that results in helplessness and hopelessness that creates an intense form of depression. They don't resist anything because they may realize it is pointless, that combination can be very dangerous because it can lead to suicide.

Trauma from going through assaults and not being believed or supported by anyone in the family or system at large. They are forced to repress those emotions, and without externalizing leads to an explosion of those emotions later in life.

Anxiety is also a big one, navigating a system that was not made for them and where their safety is threatened at all times will certainly lead to a lot of anxiety because that fight or flight reflex is activated at all times even at home where it is supposed to be safe.

These are just scratching the surface in terms of how patriarchy affects the mental health of little girls and women in their life, there is so much more. This is why we need to make mental health accessible for women for free in order to help with that internalized trauma.

We also need to remove patriarchy completely from our systems and families, allowing future generations of young girls to grow up without it, unleashing their full potential not only career wise but also their full potential in happiness.

Thank you to Yevhn Gertz for asking me to rewrite about this very important topic and I hope you all have a lovely weekend. Love ❤️

A SPECIAL THANKS TO:

• Andi Bazaar (Writer)
• Mark J. Levstein (Co-Editor)
• Yevhn Gertz (Director Photography/Co-writer)
• Dr Oliver Schofield, MD (Consulting)
• Dr Seth Gryffen, MD (Consulting)
• Timothée Freimann schofield (Photographed)
• Clayton Euridicé Schofield (Editor/Journalist)
• Scott Wynné Schofield (Publisher)
• Henrie Louis Friedrich (Analyst)
• Jwan Höffler Conwall (Art Interior Design)
• Hugo-licharre Freimann (Ass Director)
• Shot at GQ’s Studios by José Schenkkan and Benjamin Schenkkan Joseph
• In appearance by "Andi Bazaar" (From the Creator of MHMTID Community