I just watched (part of) 9-1-1 s8 ep 10 "voices," some spoilers below but I think that this is important.
I know we all make jokes about this being the silly goofy firefighter show, but this is serious.
The portrayal that 9-1-1 has made of people with dissociative disorders/systems is not okay. There is this stereotype in media that people with DID/OSDD automatically have an alter in their system that is going go on a killing spree and murder people, which is not true in the slightest. I am, quite frankly, disgusted and disappointed in the writers and producers of 9-1-1 that they decided to perpetuate this stupid, and frankly unoriginal, 'plot device.'
My best friend is a system. They are, all of them, some of the kindest, sweetest people I have ever met. We have know each other almost all our lives. They have never, and I mean NEVER, ever in their life EVER come close to hurting anyone else physically because they "couldn't control it" or "it wasn't them."
Despite this, Hollywood continues to perpetuate these harmful stereotypes about systems. It's 20 fucking 25. I know the times are rough, but my best friend and everyone like them should be able to be open about their diagnosis without asswipes on the street asking if they're going to kill everyone around them. That's not fucking nice, and when big shows like 9-1-1 do 'storylines' (and I'm using the term loosely) like this, it actively makes life more difficult for the 1.5% of the population living with dissociative disorders.
Because of this, I've decided to stop watching 9-1-1. While I understand this may be difficult, I ask that you do as well if you care at all about people living with disabilities.
I've included a link to do more research on DID, but there are also many other available resources both online and in print if anyone (*cough cough* 9-1-1 writers and producers *cough cough*) would like to educate themselves more thoroughly on the topic than just one Tumblr post :3
Dissociative identity disorder (DID) is a disorder associated with severe behavioral health symptoms. DID was previously known as Multiple P
