To be a minority is to have a disorder

slant

slant

Capitalist pig
Donor
MBTI
None
To be a minority is to have a disorder


According to Merriam-Webster's online dictionary1, the word 'disorder' can be defined with two interpretations:
1. to disturb the order of
2. to disturb the regular or normal functions of

In the context I will be discussing, the applicable definition of the word 'disorder' is 2.

In order to understand this definition to it's fullest, the word 'normal' must be defined. According to the same online dictionary, the word 'normal', the, adjective can be defined with eight interpretations2:

1 : perpendicular; especially : perpendicular to a tangent at a point of tangency
2 a : according with, constituting, or not deviating from a norm, rule, or principle b : conforming to a type, standard, or regular pattern
3 : occurring naturally <normal immunity>
4 a : of, relating to, or characterized by average intelligence or development b : free from mental disorder : sane
5 a of a solution : having a concentration of one gram equivalent of solute per liter b : containing neither basic hydroxyl nor acid hydrogen<normal silver phosphate> c : not associated <normal molecules> d : having a straight-chain structure <normal butyl alcohol>
6 of a subgroup : having the property that every coset produced by operating on the left by a given element is equal to the coset produced by operating on the right by the same element
7 : relating to, involving, or being a normal curve or normal distribution <normal approximation to the binomial distribution>
8 of a matrix : having the property of commutativity under multiplication by the transpose of the matrix each of whose elements is a conjugate complex number with respect to the corresponding element of the given matrix

The definition that I will focus on of the word normal that is applicable to this context is 2.

In the world today, there are a variety of medical disorders. A medical disorder can be defined as "A disease or medical condition is an abnormal condition of an organism that impairs bodily functions, associated with specific symptoms and signs"3.
Medical disorders can be classified five different categories:4
1. Mental Disorders
2. Physical Disorders
3. Genetic Disorders
4. Emotional and Behavioral Disorders
5. Functional Disorders

It is important to note that disorders are defined culturally, and not universally. In some areas of the world a set of traits may be considered a behaviorial disorder, and elsewhere be considered the norm. In fact, disorders are completely based upon what is the norm and what is not the norm; now take a look at the definition of the word 'minority'.

1 a : the period before attainment of majority b : the state of being a legal minor
2 : the smaller in number of two groups constituting a whole; specifically : a group having less than the number of votes necessary for control
3 a : a part of a population differing from others in some characteristics and often subjected to differential treatment b : a member of a minority group <an effort to hire more minorities>5


It can be concluded from these definitions, specifically 3, that a minority is a part of the population that differs from other. In otherwords, differing from what is 'normal'.

If normal is defined as conforming to a type, standard, or regular pattern, and a disorder is to disturb the regular or normal functions of -insert topic here-, all minorities are a disorder.

Personality disorders are diagnosed based on a set of traits that are different than most of the population, and this is considered an acceptable diagnosis.

However, when one applies the same logic to any other area they are disputed.

According to what I have defined, any deviant to the normal would be a disorder. Homosexuality, asexuality and bisexuality are all disorders- for they are not the normal functions of sexuality, which normal is defined as the 'masses'.

Being an INFJ is a disorder, for they are not the normal functions of personality, which are defined by the masses.

How can a person take a disorder seriously when it just means something is not functioning 'normally', as is observed in the masses?

Physical disorders are easier to accept because if you have something in your body that is visibly not working the way it should be in contrast to how it works in the majorities of other peoples, it is understood to be abnormal, a disorder, and therefore should be fixed.

Usually physical disorders are labeled as 'diseases' or 'conditions'.

If one is a minority, culturally, it is typical for them to be labeled with a disorder. Therefore, my conclusion is, that if one is a minority they have a disorder.

What is the validity of disorders if they are so culturally based on the norm and cannot be universally applied?

Any thoughts?


1http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disorder
2 http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/normal
3 Quoted from Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disorder_(medicine)
4 Based on information from Wikipedia,http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disorder_(medicine)
5 http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/minority
 
Last edited:
Which is exactly why I do not believe I am mentally ill an any way. We are not supposed to be the same, THAT is the problem. Our world is becoming a machine, and creativity will be lost at the expense of being labelled insane. People fear you when you can see the four walls of the box, instead of the one dimensional square.
 
InTheWomblikeCocoon said:
Which is exactly why I do not believe I am mentally ill an any way. We are not supposed to be the same, THAT is the problem. Our world is becoming a machine, and creativity will be lost at the expense of being labelled insane. People fear you when you can see the four walls of the box, instead of the one dimensional square.
Click to expand...

exactly what I'm thinking. Humans are loosing their individuality...everyone wants to be the same for some reason, they want to be socially accepted and not been seen as ''weird'', not realizing that there's nothing wrong with being yourself, we are all different and there's nothing wrong with that.
 
But to a certain extent the invention of disorders is possibly one way to enforce the social contract and maintain social order. The concept of the masses ruling the minority, that what the majority of people say is 'right' is diplomacy. Most people agree with that concept.
 
slant said:
But to a certain extent the invention of disorders is possibly one way to enforce the social contract and maintain social order. The concept of the masses ruling the minority, that what the majority of people say is 'right' is diplomacy. Most people agree with that concept.
Click to expand...
Exactly but majority rule keeps the MAJORITY safe at the expense of the minority...its a game of mind control, tell the people that they can choose how they are ruled, and apply conditions. If change occurs, it is malignant, it is wrong because right is all or nothing. Do you notice, when rules change (population shift, constitution...) that it is always under warlike circumstances. Change is seen as bad. UNLESS, the majority agrees. WHich is why we even have to use advertising, propaganda...
It depends on what is trying to be changed...if it is a deep rooted belief like religion, expect opposition.
 
Then again,take one minorities opinion and apply it to the masses. You'll have to become a Saddam Hussein in order to be able to enforce minority opinion on masses.
 
Which is why neither majority rule or minority rule is right. The world of populations cannot live in a relativistic universe without conquering others. That is why majority rule is necessary. The only thing wrong is calling minorities "wrong" because they are different. That makes no sense to me, but to them, it makes sense.
 
Well because if minorities aren't labelled as wrong they are a threat to the current ideas. If enough people start to accept the disorder as being 'not a disorder' it may change to be a norm. In order to control and maintain the social contract, and mostly out of fear, ideas have to be suppressed. I notice large groups tend to do this- the more people you get who think alike want to suppress ideas.

A room full of people who don't believe in God want to suppress the idea that God does exist, because the idea that God does exist conflicts with and threatens their idea that God does not exist.
 
slant said:
Well because if minorities aren't labelled as wrong they are a threat to the current ideas. If enough people start to accept the disorder as being 'not a disorder' it may change to be a norm. In order to control and maintain the social contract, and mostly out of fear, ideas have to be suppressed. I notice large groups tend to do this- the more people you get who think alike want to suppress ideas.

A room full of people who don't believe in God want to suppress the idea that God does exist, because the idea that God does exist conflicts with and threatens their idea that God does not exist.
Click to expand...
if only insecure. as you can see, i dont supress mine, because truth (or perception of it) is conviction enough. supression of ideas is a result of insecurity, or self preservation, one or the other
 
Well, I am not familiar with the constructed rules of logic, so I wont be able to see it
Logic is manmade, I hope you know, a result of the thought processes of human brain, which is why some things that are "illogical" still occur...
 
I'll just wait until someone disagrees with me, that's basically why I posted this.

I get ideas and then I have to filter them out to see if my logic is valid or not, and where I went wrong. I think this idea has some shaping up to do because there are probably some factors I did not evaluate very well.
 
slant said:
I'll just wait until someone disagrees with me, that's basically why I posted this.

I get ideas and then I have to filter them out to see if my logic is valid or not, and where I went wrong. I think this idea has some shaping up to do because there are probably some factors I did not evaluate very well.
Click to expand...
Go on INTJforum
They will tear you apart
 
I can't post anything on the INTJ forums like this, it isn't my persona there, and it would also reveal my identity.
 
I not going to speak on the idea of minorities as a whole or whether or not they are a disorder, but minority rights often times bring new issues to light. Having opinions/thoughts that are in the minority sheds light on a new way of thinking. If it was simple majority rule we would lose out on many new ideas such as; social justice, scientific discoveries, and so on.

While not be socially accepted right away, the fact that they exist allow new ways of thinking. If anything outside of the norm was squashed, we'd be limiting and possibly destroying ourselves. People have been known to throw their own ideas of right and wrong out the window in order to conform. Over time they adopt the ideas of the majority as their own.

The way i see this, suggesting that minorities are a disorder suggests that there's something wrong with being outside of the majority. In my opinion, the majority needs the minority to continue to exist in a balanced way.
 
slant said:
Well because if minorities aren't labelled as wrong they are a threat to the current ideas. If enough people start to accept the disorder as being 'not a disorder' it may change to be a norm. In order to control and maintain the social contract, and mostly out of fear, ideas have to be suppressed. I notice large groups tend to do this- the more people you get who think alike want to suppress ideas.
Click to expand...

Agree.

A room full of people who don't believe in God want to suppress the idea that God does exist, because the idea that God does exist conflicts with and threatens their idea that God does not exist.
Click to expand...

Quite true.
 
Do you want someone who is onesided? Or do you want open alternatives? Is the purpose of this specifically for informative debate? Or to disagree with someone? Im confused...
 
I was expecting people to disagree with me or debate my idea so I can see different perspectives and the flaw in my reasoning here.

Also nobody answered the opening post's questions either.
 
Last edited:
slant said:
I was expecting people to disagree with me or debate my idea so I can see different perspectives and the flaw in my reasoning here.

Also nobody answered the opening post's questions either.
Click to expand...

I think you kinda answered your own questions, so it's a bit difficult to disagree. Your perspective was pretty balanced so it's hard to take a position one way or the other.

You're better off making an assertion and asking others to support or refute it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top