Sanism essay
Sanism refers to the prejudice, inequality, and discrimination that people who have been constructed as crazy face within dominant culture 77. It refers to a traumatic oppression form that leads to discrimination, negative stereotyping, or arguments that mad people are neither fit for life nor professional practice. It permits binary, which splits people into two groups; power-up and power-down group. The former is believed to be capable, healthy, and normal, while the latter is believed to be unreliable, sick, violent, and disabled97.
Listening to Eleanor discuss the voices in my head informs my understanding of the concept through the experiences she recounts having gone through and how others received them. It began when she started hearing a voice in her head, which escalated to being many voices later. She admits that that was something that rarely happened to normal people. After she shared the experience with her friend, the friend recommended that she seeks medical attention, which is a clear sign that from what Eleanor had narrated to her, she had questioned her sanity and perceived her as a sick person in as much as Eleanor felt okay. After seeking medication, she was diagnosed with schizophrenia and spent time undergoing recovery. It was not an easy journey because she says that she still recalls those who never stood by her, which shows that at that point, there was a rift between her and the other class of people that was deemed normal. People would not harbor it in their mind that one day she will be a resourceful person.
Howard had a weird behavior like having a gun in his car in case he came across enemies, odd dressing in certain places, and at particular times. His reaction made many people think that he was crazy and looked at him as a weird writer except for those who were close to him and understood him.