Every Saturday, we’ll be posting a new illustration by David Lester. The Mecca Normal guitarist is visually documenting people, places and events from his band’s 30-year run, with text by vocalist Jean Smith.
An acquaintance asked me for feedback on an article he wrote in which he claimed that misogyny and sexism are mental health issues. “Everybody has to deal with the mental illness that is misogyny and sexism,” he wrote.
I emailed back: “I don’t think people who hate women are necessarily mentally ill. Misogyny and mental illness are, in my opinion, two distinct issues.”
He replied with: “So are you saying misogynistic tendencies can be a product of a healthy mind?”
Never really liking assertions disguised as questions that start with “So you’re saying … ” I nonetheless proceeded to outline my thoughts on the matter:
“A healthy mind is more subjective than mental illness. People who believe in God might not think I have a healthy mind because I don’t believe in God. Does that mean that I’m mentally ill for not believing in God? Are racists mentally ill? Are homosexuals mentally ill? Are conservatives mentally ill? Are liberals mentally ill? Are all people we dislike mentally ill? Mental illness is a catch phrase referring to specific, diagnosable behaviors and afflictions like depression, narcissism, schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder, etc.
A healthy mind has more to do with exposure to various types of stimuli and how any given person processes information. Is that person fearful of exploring outside cultural and religious boundaries, empathetic, illogical in their methods of deduction, lazy, curious, etc.? Mental health can be impacted by physical factors including psychological trauma, physical injuries and chemical levels in the brain. An unhealthy mind seems more about how easily a person is indoctrinated into belief systems that stem from family, religion, peer pressure and a cultural landscape that includes advertising, video games, music and movies.
Then there’s good old fashioned intelligence, which is evidently measurable by testing across various cerebral functions for the ability to deal with data. Can intelligent people be mentally ill? Yes, they can. Can misogynists be intelligent people who do not fit any criteria for mental illness? Yes, I believe they can. I believe misogynists have been affected by cultural stimuli and personal experiences that encourage them to believe and act as though women are evil, inferior, untrustworthy deviants to be hated and or feared.”
“I Know A Little Bit” from Calico Kills The Cat (K, 1989; Matador, 1991; Smarten Up!, 2003) (download):
