It was hard to know how to put this question, because it’s obvious that if you don’t tell people, you won’t tell people here. And yet… and yet…
Maybe there are other people who are like me, and who keep this world totally separate from the real world. I say all kinds of stuff about myself here that I would never tell people in person.
I can certainly understand people who have real world friends here not saying their stuff. Still, I was hoping that some people did feel safe enough to say, and even those who don’t feel safe might find an oblique way to hint at what they can’t say.
It’s also aimed at talking about stigma, I think. A number of people who did say here are like me, in that they suffer from a mental illness of one kind or another. We tend not to say these things in the real world. A few brave ones do, and more power to them.
Abuse is another thing that people tend not to talk about in the real world, but do talk about here. Rape, abuse, trauma in childhood. Somehow these things stigmatize people with such experiences, as if they made them happen themselves.
I think it’s mostly that people don’t know what to do when they find out you’ve got this in your background, or you’re like this. It isn’t just mental illnesses, either. Cancer and other major illnesses can make other people extremely uncomfortable.
Anyway, I really appreciate the stories, and hope to hear more. Maybe you will encourage others to be a bit braver. For many, it’s safer on the internet.