Can't say I know what mental illness was meant to be shown here. Maybe it's Scary Bad Person Syndrome? That well-known condition that people have been depicting for ages to profit on the ignorance of the masses? The one where people with mental illnesses are terrifying boogeymen? You know the one.
I'm sure the author didn't intend to suggest people like me are more likely to be unfaithful, but the implication was there. And that implication is everywhere.
It has become so deeply ingrained into the zeitgeist that every single time there's a tragedy like a mass shooting (why yes, I am American, how could you tell?) we're scapegoated to avoid dealing with the actual problems. With politicians saying we can solve the problem if we take better care of the mentally ill! And then promptly sweeping that idea under the rug and ignoring us til the next tragedy they drag us out for.
Sorry for getting rant-y. But it's something I'm so very, very weary of. I've legit seen people thinking bipolar disorder (what I have) is something that makes people wild and dangerous, rather than a very painful mood disorder I've been saddled with for my entire life. (Nobody on Dynasty, thankfully. But it's out there elsewhere, and all-too-common.)
edit: OK I just looked at the other works in this anthology and none of these have anything to do with the mentally ill beyond the notion of "they don't act like regular humans". Is this a difference in usage of terms between Japan and the west? Because these people aren't "mentally ill", they're "horror-movie insane".
last edited at Feb 27, 2021 12:27AM