A-D-D? A-D-H-D? HOW ABOUT B-U-L-L-S-H-I-T?
When I was growing up I was energetic, daydreaming was my favorite activity, I had a wild imagination and would sometimes get so wound up it was hard for me to focus.
When my son was growing up, he was all of these things.
I was labeled a "boy" and appropriate measures were taken to channel my boyish energy at home and at school that enabled me to get through school and make my way into the world as an adult with a reasonable amount of success,using my imagination and energy to further myself.
My son,on the other hand,was labeled ADHD (attention deficit hyperactive disorder) and placed on ritalin initially and then other drugs designed to combat this menace I will refer to as "boyitis" for the rest of this post.
This placed a stigma on him from grade school on...a giant red letter on him that caused his teachers to 1) assume the worse and 2) react accordingly...which means they predisposed him as a "problem" and made his life miserable,punishing him for being born a boy.
His mother (bitch) was/is a teacher in the very district he was "educated" in,and because of this she was able to get him a special designation in the district that amplified this stigma...I don't recall what the real designation was...R-17 or something...but it amounted to an immediate almost global reaction from his teachers when he walked into class the first day:"here comes trouble".
And even though he was a bright,likeable kid,he couldn't win in school...I can't tell you the frustration I would feel at conferences about him...I would say my piece and would be responded to in that patronizing psycho-babble/teacher speak about how deluded I was in thinking that my son was normal and they must be doing something wrong...after all,he's an R-17...don't you get it?Maybe he needs a higher dose.
No,he doesn't...what he needs is for you people to do your FUCKING JOBS...that's what I wanted to say,but I didn't.
I don't look like the typical person who spent almost all of his adult life working in treatment centers and hospitals...most of these people probably thought I was a tattoo artist or a musician or a career criminal (it was kind of fun for me to see the looks on these asshats faces when they would meet me,some would literally bristle with fear).
But when I revealed my vocation and started asking the hard questions they would invariably choke and the conference would deteriorate into a bunch of bullshit assurances and my son would get a walk,until the next time.
When I was growing up people responded to my needs and helped me navigate the hell that is "boyitis".
My son was labeled and stigmatised..thanks to his mother (bitch) and a system designed to educate but ultimately discriminate.
To his credit,he survived.And I can attest to the ones who didn't and ended up in my care...stripped of their worthiness,beaten down by the system.
A-D-D?
Yeah...right...fuck you.