I
belong
to
“The
Broken
Generation”, at least according
to a story run by Maclean’s
(think Canada’s The Atlantic) in
2012.
Aggregate survey data from the
Healthy Minds Network run out of
the University of Michigan show 25
percent of college students report
having depression. This statistic
comes from no small study; Healthy
Minds has had over 175,000 survey
respondents to date.
Mental health is just as important
as physical health, and mental
illness is a serious public health
issue. Depression is the leading
cause of disability worldwide.
Among young adults aged 15 to
24, suicide was the third leading
killer in 2010. Alcohol use disorder,
which is a form of mental illness,
is also widespread among college
students (20 percent) with about
one in four of us reporting academic
consequences from alcohol and
more than 1,800 of us are dying
each year due to an alcohol-related
injury.
Of course, you probably already
knew that mental health was a
concern on campus. Regardless of
how you feel about the University’s
handling of student mental health,
their messaging has been anything
but subtle. For what seems like
a thousand times, I have been
told about the existence of the
Counseling
and
Psychological
Services, also known as CAPS: by
housing staff, by professors and by
University administration in tritely-
worded emails. CAPS is only the tip
of the iceberg, though. Almost every
unit or group on campus seems to
want to do something surrounding
mental health, be it the backpacks
on the Diag commemorating those
lost to suicide to Central Student
Government’s myriad of destress
events. Like I said, anything but
subtle.
As a University student with
a mental illness, I appreciate the
amount of positive discourse the
subject gets; however, important
points, ones that have been critical
in my own journey, are too often lost
or glossed over.
I have had a mental health
problem since at least middle
school; however, I did not face my
depression until the very end of my
senior year of high school. It took
the advice of a very good friend for
me to realize what was going on and
to seek help. Then began a journey
toward overcoming that mental
illness, a journey that I am still on
today.
The first point that campus
discourse on mental health, in my
opinion, misses is the power of
knowing your enemy. I believe that
a diagnosis, be it for depression,
general anxiety, social anxiety, etc.,
can be an important step toward
improving
mental
health.
For
me, having something to expect
from my mental health problem,
i.e.
racing
negative
thoughts,
empowers me to put these thoughts
in their context so they do not cause
me distress. Incessant, percussive
doubts like those that told me I
had no true friends used to make
me feel even worse. Now, however,
I can recognize those thoughts as
a symptom of depression and that
there is no logical basis for those
doubts. It’s not easy to do; after all,
these are my thoughts. Nevertheless,
learning to understand symptoms
as symptoms has been enormously
helpful to me.
According
to
University
research, only 34 to 36 percent
of college students with mood
disorders (e.g., depression, bipolar
disorder) seek treatment. Why are
so many students neglecting care?
It’s not because they are not aware
of treatment options on campus.
Instead, the most common given
reasons are “I prefer to deal with
issues on my own,” “I question how
serious my needs are,” “stress is
a normal part of college” and “no
time.”
Many people I have talked to
who do not seek treatment for
mental illness espouse a similar
idea: that they know what is causing
them stress and therefore can act to
relieve it and relieve their mental
illness. While I often know the
source of my stress (e.g., an organic
chemistry exam) and what I need
to do (get the exam over with), that
stress has a life of its own. This can
most clearly be felt when I have done
everything imaginable to ensure
a satisfactory outcome but still the
stress persists. Furthermore, just
because the source of the stress
is known does not mean that that
stress is any less real or burdensome.
The journey I have been on, with
mental illness as my companion,
has not been a linear progression.
Sometimes, in fact, it seems that for
every step forward I take, I must
take three steps back. A second
issue that mental health discourse
on campus neglects is painting a
realistic picture of treatment. There
is no guarantee that any medication
your doctor prescribes will help, and
the same goes for psychotherapy.
When promoting mental health, the
University and other entities need
to be candid about this nuance.
Otherwise, I fear that those who do
seek help will be turned off to the
process far too early.
These things take time. I have
been on four different medications
since I was diagnosed with clinical
depression in 2015 and have just
started going to CAPS in addition
to the medication I am currently on.
Mental illnesses are complex but
treatable. The right treatment is out
there, it just may take a while to find.
I wish I had really known that when
I started my journey.
I acknowledge that everyone
is different, and so is their mental
health. I present the lessons I have
learned in my own journey both
to continue my healing and to
hopefully inspire further nuanced
dialog on this critical subject.
Opinion
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
4A — Monday, January 8, 2018
DAYTON HARE
Managing Editor
420 Maynard St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
tothedaily@michigandaily.com
Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890.
ALEXA ST. JOHN
Editor in Chief
ANU ROY-CHAUDHURY AND
ASHLEY ZHANG
Editorial Page Editors
Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily’s Editorial Board.
All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS
ALI SAFAWI | COLUMN
Carolyn Ayaub
Megan Burns
Samantha Goldstein
Emily Huhman
Jeremy Kaplan
Sarah Khan
Max Lubell
Lucas Maiman
Madeline Nowicki
Anna Polumbo-Levy
Jason Rowland
Anu Roy-Chaudhury
Ali Safawi
Sarah Salman
Kevin Sweitzer
Rebecca Tarnopol
Stephanie Trierweiler
Ashley Zhang
Higher standards for male rappers
CARLI CONSENZA | COLUMN
Missing the mark on mental health
KEVIN SWEITZER | COLUMN
New year, same bad policy
Ali Safawi can be reached at
asafawi@umich.edu.
NIA LEE | CONTACT NIA LEE AT LEENIA@UMICH.EDU
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A
s 2017 turns to 2018,
and the age of President
Donald Trump continues
into
its
second
year,
the
emotional roller coaster that
has taken place for progressive
Americans has been nothing
short of exhausting and difficult.
From Special Counsel Robert
Mueller’s
investigation
into
the Trump campaign’s alleged
collusion with Russian interests
to sway the 2016 election, to
the
numerous
attempts
to
repeal
the
Affordable
Care
Act, Democrats have been left
without a single topic with
which to focus their opposition.
This has led many progressives
down a dangerous path of
disorganized
brinkmanship
that will only serve to advance
Republican
policy
proposals
into the remainder of the Trump
administration.
Last year’s biggest policy
debate was the Republican led
effort to repeal the Affordable
Care Act, commonly known as
“Obamacare.” Democrats were
steadfast in their opposition
to the repeal of the ACA -
dramatically defeating a repeal
bill on the floor of the US
Senate in September. However,
while
we
were
celebrating
the preservation of the ACA,
progressives
unknowingly
walked Obamacare to its grave.
December’s
GOP-led
tax
overhaul bill - called the Tax
Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017-
represented
the
culmination
of a year’s worth of policy
objectives built into one bill. In
addition to cutting corporate
taxes and reducing tax brackets,
the bill - which was signed into
law by President Trump on
December 22nd - also repeals
the “individual mandate” of
the ACA, which requires that
all Americans purchase health
insurance - or pay a tax penalty.
The passage of the Tax Cuts
and Jobs Act is a failure on all
levels by progressives to come
together to advocate for the best
interests of their constituents.
President Trump tweeted on
December 26th “Based on the
fact that the very unfair and
unpopular Individual Mandate
has been terminated as part
of our Tax Cut Bill, which
essentially Repeals (over time)
ObamaCare, the Democrats &
Republicans
will
eventually
come together and develop a
great new HealthCare plan! [sic]”
correctly suggesting that the
repeal of the Individual mandate
will bring about the end of ACA
health insurance markets. This
means more expensive insurance
for everyone in addition to tax
cuts for wealthy Americans. At
the least, a complete repeal of
the ACA would have elevated
discussion of replacement, but
the repeal we see now leaves
everyone worse off.
As Congressional Democrats
eye
their
next
target
for
“resisting”
the
Trump
Administration’s policy agenda -
which may be shutting down the
government over the Deferred
Action for Childhood Arrivals
program, commonly known as
DACA. No progressives can feel
good about what has happened
thus
far
during
President
Trump’s first term in office. Even
as the focus of pundits shifts to
the upcoming midterm elections,
and the special elections in
Alabama and elsewhere, many
on the left have placed their
hopes in the impending “wave”
of Democratic wins that will
reclaim control of the legislature.
With this shift of focus goes
any hope of creating change, or
ensuring the best representation
of the people.
While dreaming of 2018 wins
and celebrating the symbolic
preservation of Obamacare are
good for public perception of
Democrats,
progressives
are
failing their constituents on
all levels to protect the values
that they believe in, and are
failing to stop the Trump
Administration’s
objectives,
which fly in the face of the
demonstrated
interests
of
progressive Americans. In order
to serve their constituents best,
progressive
Congressional
Democrats have to get real
about stopping Trump’s policy
proposals - even if this means
giving
in
on
other
policy
areas that are less important.
If every Democratic call to
action is a boilerplate “call your
senator” and “elections have
consequences” then the call to
action isn’t action, but is rather
kicking the can down the road,
with the hopes of Democratic
majority in the future.
This isn’t an outcome we can
accept, as progressives, students,
or members of communities that
will be affected by public policy
changes in 2018. Doing nothing
is a statement in and of itself,
and while beneficial to the party,
cannot benefit the people of the
United States, and only those in
Congress can avoid it. Democrats
have
already
made
their
disdain for President Trump
expressly clear, but the time for
grandstanding is over, and the
time for protecting American
institutions is in order.
Kevin Sweitzer can be reached at
ksweitz@umich.edu
T
he
average
American
consumer spends 24 hours
per week listening to
music. Among those consumers,
the most popular genre to listen
to is R&B and hip hop. In fact,
Forbes reports R&B and hip hop
are responsible for 25.1 percent
of all music consumption in the
United States.
Earlier this fall, it was almost
impossible to turn on the radio
and not hear the song “Rockstar”
by Post Malone and 21 Savage,
which led the Billboard Hot 100
for eight consecutive weeks. So,
it’s reasonable to say a significant
portion of our population likes
rap music. It’s even reasonable
to say rap music, and rappers
specifically, exert an influence on
the values of their listeners and
thus popular culture.
Take a look at the anticipation
surrounding the release of Kanye
West’s new clothing collection,
Yeezy Season 6, for example.
This is why rappers, with such a
massive platform and the ability
to influence millions of fans, must
also face responsibility for their
words and actions.
As an outcome of the #MeToo
movement,
which
denounces
sexual assault and harassment,
several
men
in
positions
of
power, from Sen. Al Franken of
Minnesota to comedian Louis
C.K., have finally been held
accountable
after
decades
of
getting away with horrendous acts
of sexism. As a dedicated fan of hip
hop, I understand its significance
as a cultural phenomenon with a
deep-rooted history of art, words
and movement. And as a cultural
phenomenon, it must lead by
example, particularly in the way it
treats women. It is time for rappers
to be held accountable.
It’s no secret that misogyny
and sexism have troubled the
hip-hop world for quite some
time. It’s also no secret that the
issue has, for the most part,
been dismissed in the industry.
Remember when the makers of
“Straight Outta Compton” left out
the part about Dr. Dre’s abusive
behavior toward women? Or
how about the fact that rapper
Rick Ross refuses to sign female
artists to his record label in fear
that his desire to have sexual
relations with them would get in
the way? In a recent interview
with The Breakfast Club, Ross
openly explained his rationale:
“I gotta be honest with you. She’s
lookin’ good. I’m spending so
much money on her photo shoots
— I gotta f**k a couple times.”
Not only is Ross unashamedly
objectifying
this
hypothetical
female artist, but his reasoning
shows he believes he is entitled to
the artist’s body because he spent
“so much money” promoting her
— he deserves sex. His ideology
reflects a male-dominated field
with little regard for women as
professional equals, but instead
as commodified sex objects.
In a more direct sense, lyrics
hold the most direct influence
over fans. Lyrics are sung by fans,
used as captions for pictures and
can even become common slang
(remember “thot”?). As a female
listener with a president who
dismisses jokes about grabbing
women’s
genitals
as
“locker
room” talk, it is growing more
and more frustrating to listen to
rap lyrics. Take the beginning of
21 Savage’s verse from “Rockstar,”
for example: “Drankin Henny,
bad b*****s jumping in the pool/
And they ain’t got on no bra (bra)/
Hit her from the back, pulling on
her tracks/And now she screaming
out, ‘No Mas!’”
21 Savage paints the picture
of a pool party filled with naked
women who clearly have nothing
better to do than drink and
be sexy. Next, he jumps into a
vulgar description of having
rough,
potentially
unwanted
intercourse with a woman who
is begging him to stop. To me,
the above exchange does not
seem
consensual.
It
doesn’t
seem enjoyable for the woman;
on the contrary, she wants it to
end. To me, it seems like sexual
assault. As a female listener, it is
disgusting to hear lyrics like this.
I ask myself, “How on earth was
this song, with those lyrics, #1
on the Billboard charts for nine
straight weeks? How did listeners
allow this to happen”?
Another one of most popular
songs of 2017 was “Bad and
Boujee”
by
the
new-money
Atlanta rap trio Migos. The song
spent 36 weeks on Billboard
Charts and skyrocketed the group
into popular “Culture” (pun
intended); however, the song is
a misogynistic anthem. First of
all, the title “Bad and Boujee” is
a shortened version of Offset’s
line “My b***h is bad and boujee”;
this implies Offset’s ownership
of a woman who he does not
respect enough to call a woman,
but rather a deprecating “bitch.”
Second of all, the line “F*****g on
your b***h she a thot, thot, thot”
reinforces
the
objectification
of these women as sex objects
that are essentially being passed
around among the rappers. There
is no evidence of any respect for
women, period.
As a longtime and dedicated fan
of hip hop, I have always been the
first to defend my favorite music
genre; however, my identity as a
female has finally taken precedent.
I used to look to rap lyrics as a
source of confidence, but the more
aware I become of the inequalities
and
sexual
harassment
that
women face every day in this
society, the more discouraged
it makes me feel. I am deeply
disappointed by the misogyny that
continues to permeate hip hop.
With the influence that rappers
hold over popular culture, this
behavior must come to a stop.
I now want to ask all music
listeners: What do you think?
Why are we still allowing this to
happen? Do you feel okay rapping
along to lyrics that degrade, insult,
harass and objectify women? What
kind of example are we setting by
allowing this behavior to continue?
We need more female leaders like
Beyonce and Nicki Minaj. Women
deserve to be treated equally in
all industries, and hip hop has
the ability to set the standard.
We must hold these rappers to a
higher moral standard in order for
a society of consumers to do the
Carli Cosenza can be reached at
carlic@umich.edu.
Rappers must also
face responsibility
for their words
and actions.