This doesn’t have a direct tie to “women in literature”, but I believe that it speaks to the much broader ideas we’ve talked about in regards to the marginalization of certain populations in society. In our class, we’ve explored the ways women are overlooked in society, we’ve analyzed the way the LGBTQ community is treated, and we’ve asked questions about the immigration debate, and so on. These are all really important questions, because the way we talk about these subsets within the population speak volumes to the way we choose to approach those very people. There’s another subset of the population that often forgets to be discussed, and that is people who struggle with addiction.
As everybody knows by now, Prince was found dead at his home a few days ago. This news has seemingly shocked the world, and for good reason. It’s alarming to hear that someone could be gone so suddenly, so unexpectedly, and it makes us ask questions we desperately want to know. What happened that night? How did he die? Was anyone with him? Could anyone have stopped this from happening? Within the last couple of days, the buzz that is going around mentions a drug overdose as a possible cause of death, and media around the world desperately wants to know the answer. (To be honest, I don’t think it’s any of our business to know. Just because someone is well-known doesn’t mean we are entitled to every detail about them. But, that’s a whole new topic for another time.)
Granted, I’m mentioning this issue of addiction in light of the events of the past week, but we can have this conversation without focusing on Prince. The purpose of this post is not to analyze how he died, or to suggest that those *rumors* are true. It’s not to stake a claim on any events going on, or to even focus on him as the subject of the conversation. My purpose of writing this is to shine a spotlight on a separate, but I would argue equally important issue that needs discussion: the way that we choose to talk about addiction.
The past couple of days, I’ve grown increasingly agitated by the way the media has been reporting on his death; specifically, the claims that there may have been a drug abuse/addiction/overdose/etc. (Again, not going to speculate.) And, now that this *rumor* has been added to the docket, I can’t help but point out that the language that is being used everywhere – social media, news anchors, friends, family – has implications for how we view the serious problem of addiction. The biggest thing I’ve noticed has been the incessant desire to explain away the alleged involvement of drugs through explanations such as “he was such a spiritual man,” “he never would have gotten into any of that stuff,” “he’s always stayed true to his values,” etc.
Yet, what we fail to see is that these things are not mutually exclusive. Contrary to public opinion, addiction is not an outright choice, and is most definitely not a result of any moral failing or lack of values. It is very possible to have both be true: to be a spiritual person, to be surrounded by loved ones and to have a strong set of values and belief systems, while also being afflicted by addiction. Those characteristics are not guaranteed immunity to succumbing to this tragic illness that takes far too many lives.
Why is this important? Because far too many people are having to face these problems alone for fear of being stereotyped into a category that does not define them. Using phrases that include words like “values” and “morals” may seem to be well-intended, but what it actually does is even further marginalize the people who do deal with those struggles. Addiction, in its most basic form, is not a sign of weak character or a lack of values; it is a result of life events, genetics, and biological chemistry being imbalanced.
I have seen too many loved ones being trampled, imposing this stereotypical view of addiction upon themselves because of hearing those messages about such a deep and difficult topic. It adds to the shame and feelings of inadequacy, especially to those who already have to feel enough of that based upon their own view of their struggle. We can’t really tackle this problem until we change the way we talk about it. Language is powerful, and by even slightly changing the words we use to define such a difficult topic is the first step in creating a movement that views this for what it really is: an illness.
