Is it okay to ignore the mentally ill?

If a person with a disorder is bothering you, can you be harsh to them? I've never seen a person be kind to the mentally ill and I've seen many mentally ill. Even when it seems they are being nice, they say really insensitive things. So I've come to believe it is socially okay to mock, ignore, and be cruel to the mentally ill. After all, when they kill themselves, it seems people don't care, illustrating the low value we place on life.

Mentally ill? There are many who function as "normal" as anyone else only to harbor a weight that they carry unbeknownst to those around them. To shun another simply for something they have no true control over, that is sick. If you wish to be known as a bigot, by all means mock what you do not understand. Am I saying it's fine to knowingly ignore an issue? No. But, to blatantly hold a stance of aversion and malice about things you truly have no clue about is as "mentally" I'll as one can be. Also, somehow I think op should know how being shunned feels. Those who hide in the shadows are still seen, even if as darkness. Understanding is the first step towards a solution.

No. Mentally ill and stupid are different things. They may be mentally ill and not understand the world like the rest of us. But piss anybody off enough and they'll figure out how to work a gun just fine. There's a guy who comes into my job quite often that has a mental disorder. We'll chat a little from time to time and then he'll be on his way. I say always treat others as you would want them to treat you.

I agree we place low value on their lives. It's pitiful and pathetic. We tend to forget that they are people, too. With their own problems, fears, anxieties, etc. If we lived in a socially responsible democracy like we claim, we would teach children the reality of mental disorders, instead of tabooing the issue and sweeping it under the rug along with other things. What really pisses me off is the way none fraternizes with the severely mentally ill, and people always get this stupid tense look on their face when they are near someone handicapped like they're dangerous. I'd say mentally disabled have it the worst in this department, next poor people, than blacks. At least people talk about gay rights on the news. I'll admit that it's difficult to work with handicapped children at first because it's depressing if you are not the kind of person that can handle seeing your fellow brother or sister so helpless. I had worked in school with severly handicapped children in wheelchairs who would have convulsions and braces for their heads to prevent injury when they would swing their heads back involuntarily. After some time, I realized that it's a new experience to be around them when all your life you are hardly aware of diseases even existing of that sort, but if we don't instituionalize some kind of program in schools or at least raise awareness they will be the last undoubtedly to be treated as equals.

And it sounds like your trolling. There's no way people think it socially okay to mock the mentally ill. That is like one of the gravest social offenses a person can commit to demonstrate his turpitude and everyone knows it. I doubt a girlfriend would be alright with you pushing someone disabled up against a wall. If that's true, your neighborhood must be complete shit.

What he means is that even though we all like to give the correct answer when publicly exposed, it seems people still do horrible things when they think they won't be judged by anyone else. Like talking amongst yourselves about someone who's mentally challenged. How we all make jokes (i.e. Are you retarded?!). Or sometimes will try to avoid a mentally challenged person to avoid having to interact with them. I've seen people do it all the time. But when asked directly or put in the spotlight, everyone always gives the "right" answer.

Yes jinsei, that is what I was asking. I have seen this first hand and know the points you mentioned. I wasn't trolling. I've seen people say and do some low brow things with the mentally ill. I'll even admit I've done it.

Well to be fair, I'd be harsh towards anyone who was being harassing towards me, mental illness or not. Nothing excessively harsh but well.... it really depends on the situation doesn't it? Not all mental illnesses are the same and I might not be able to immediately recognize if they have any mental illnesses or which ones and how that individual person responds to whatever stimuli. Like if a person grabs me inappropriately, they're getting slapped and the question of whether or not they have mental issues won't really go through my mind. In generally though, I don't think the vast majority of people are intentionally cruel to the mentally ill for cruelness sake. There's just not enough awareness and the stereotype of the mentally ill is that of being unpredictable, dangerous, and/or generally incompetent is so rampant. I mean, think of how many people support the background check for being able to purchase guns be so heavily weighted towards a person's mental health being the answer to eliminating mass gun violence even though only 3-5% of violent crimes can actually be attributed towards mental illness. While I don't think society will reach a point of total and complete understanding and seamlessly fluent communication/interaction towards those with mental illnesses, I do think that with broader awareness we can all at least have the basic level of respect one human being deserves from another.

A person is a person no matter what any paper says. I have met a number of mentally ill and normal people both are just as bad as each other. Anyone can become mentally ill. In fact when you grieve after a loss you are considered mentally ill at that moment. In truth, I ignore people in a whole, but it isn't if someone is mentally ill or not. I do understand everyone has problems. I ride public transportation often. And this woman use to ride the same route I did and she was always talking to herself. While others looked down on this and spoke ill of her. I just listened to my headphones, sat across from her (or she would sit across from me) and I would just make the uh huh, mm hmm, nuthuh. So it looked like she was talking to me. I know what it is like to have others speak ill of you for things that you can not control. I won't look down, but I will ignore everyone equally.