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Social Acceptance vs. Self Acceptance

Posted by Dante on 2014-August-15 05:53:42 EDT, Friday
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At present I don't believe that it is possible to present a single public message to promote both social and self acceptance at the same time.

The goal is ultimately the same, but the two audiences have very different needs.

From a mental health stance self acceptance needs to be complete. Work with other minorities and orientations demonstrate that there are no half-measures in rejecting self-loathing. And that allowing the seeds of shame to fester only compromises health.

One shouldn't reject the self-loathing out of hand. But at every turn they should be encouraged in their goal of accepting that there is nothing wrong with who they are.

OTOH social acceptance isn't about mental health, but about politics ( unless one is speaking abstractly about a pathological social belief. ) Realpolitik teaches us to accept compromise where advancement is a real offering being delivered. And it teaches us that incremental progress is in itself a worthy goal at every stage.

No minority has yet achieved complete social acceptance. And they can't take their eyes off the prize. But very real gains have been made.

Those gains depend on a mentally healthy leadership who don't regret who they are or feel a lack of pride.

But no single message serves both goals. And with a stigmatizing myth promoting criminality and harm as part of the "baggage" assumed by our people; any service which serves to advance self-esteem will be seen as threatening the public. And any platform trying to mollify the public in order to advance politically will have to abandon the goal of helping out the self-loathing.

Its not that both can't be done. They just can't be done by the same party in a single coherent message.

Dante

Dante

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