Re: I'm leaving for now
Moderation:
Moonwalker, consider this an official warning. Do not, absolutely do not, walk into a topic with an incendiary device like this. Not okay, and you should know better.
mental health isn't trendy. It's not a picnic. I take it that if you're saying this, you're one of those special people who thinks mental health concerns are something you just voluntarily decide to invoke. Well here's the thing. Some few (a very, very small minority, I assure you) probably play that card for attention. But unless you are an accredited mental health professional with Sam's history, and unless Sam has actually legally allowed you to divulge that history (because otherwise it's a legal ethics breach and you could be sued), you have no ground to stand on here. You are in no position to prove that Sam's mental health issues are fake or overblown. The burden of proof is not on Sam to demonstrate that he's feeling legitimately suicidal; the burden of proof would fall on you to prove that he's not. And good luck with that.
This is a tactic generally called victim-blaming, and it's almost always a terrible idea. If Sam were making accusations about a specific user that could not be validated or verified, then we'd have to view them differently, but since he is clearly making statements about his own mental health, we should be taking him at face value until or unless new evidence comes to light to render Sam's statements unverifiable. It is really no different than a person saying they were mugged/attacked/sexually assaulted. In those cases, you may not want to accuse or arrest without proof, but you still begin with the belief that the person who came to you is likely telling the truth; you simply perform your investigation with the understanding that you might be wrong.
There are false victims out there, yes, it's true. But the number of truly false victims vs. the number of real ones is actually pretty skewed. Most people who say a thing happened are telling the truth, or at least what they truly believe is the truth.
I don't see how coming in here and essentially throwing Sam's mental health under the bus was going to do you any favours or help in any way. It just got you a warning and the admonition to cut it out.
One of two things will happen from here. Either 1. it'll be determined later that Sam was bullshitting us (which, by the way, I find insanely unlikely), or those who know him and can actually vouch for him, should they choose to, will validate his state of mind. Speaking personally, I'm willing to just take him at face value at this point, as he hasn't eroded my trust and is thus deserving of the benefit of the doubt, at least as far as mental health is concerned.
Sam, if you're still reading this, I'm sorry you had to read that, both the spark which kindled my response, and my response as well. Mental health concerns are still negatively stigmatized in society, and I fully understand that most of us who go through them do not choose it willingly and are, in fact, trying to find our way through as best we can. Please know that Moonwalker's stance isn't the one adopted by most of the forum, and that you do not have to defend yourself or explain yourself any further. I hope that you do not see it as indicative of the overall stance.
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