Blog 3 - Battle with Unhappiness

Against:
People choose to express their unhappiness in many ways, but when these methods become deadly, shouldn't we be the ones to say enough is enough? Shouldn't we attempt to stop those that are promoting these deadly ways? Eating disorders, such as anorexia and bulimia, are outlets for many women's discontent. According to Mim Udovitch's, "A Secret Society of the Starving," about one in 200 American women suffers from anorexia and two to three women in 100 suffer from bulimia. Many of these women find their safe haven in pro-ana and/or pro-mia sites, which claim to help individuals with eating disorders; but, do they really? In a journal entry written on a pro-ana livejournal webpage, a member wrote, "I now have fat legs, arms, tummy.. ew ew ew.. I want my bones back!", to which another member commented, "I'm sure I am worse off than you!! I have gained 22 lbs since last spring." Now, I can only imagine the member, who wrote the entry, imagining herself gaining 22 lbs and, thus, her resentment towards herself would only increase and she would become scared of seeing herself like that. The thought of being so 'fat' would be so hideous that she would attempt to lose even more weight, and consequently, bring herself near death. How is this helping, by helping women find outlets, which have the support of so many others, to express how much they hate themselves, by having one women talk to another only to find themselves more depressed, or by giving people a way to make themselves look as bad as they feel? As a girl, Claire, interviewed by Mim Udovitch said, "..you can't say that every ana loves herself and that she doesn't think anything is wrong with her at all. Or else she wouldn't be ana in the first place." So, in a place where everyone believes that something is wrong with them, how can they find anything right? The answer: they can't.

For:
Everyone needs someone to talk to. So, why should we be able to steal that comfort away? People with eating disorders are just that, people. If we are allowed to write about our emotions and feelings on a daily basis, then why shouldn't they be allowed to? Pro-ana and pro-mia websites are sites used by those with eating disorders. These sites allow them to communicate with others who are experiencing what they are. It's what lets them know that they are not alone. The members of this online 'community' not only become friends, but also become a family. As Claire, a girl interviewed by Mim Udovitch, put it, "..at the end of the day, I can go online and talk to them there, and they know exactly what I'm going through and how I feel. And I don't have to worry about them judging me for how I feel."

Not For or Against:
A person is diagnosed with anorexia when she is 15% under normal weight for her height and age. According to Mim Udovitch's "A Secret Society of the Starving", one in 200 American women suffer from this disorder. Furthermore, two or three in 100 women suffer from bulimia. In order to get through the hardships of their eating disorders, these women make use of pro-ana and/or pro-mia sites to record their feelings, while hearing and listening to others. So, you may be wondering why people don't use recovery sites. According to Chaos, a girl interviewed by Mim Udovitch, on recovery sites, you have to speak "recovery talk". "A lot of times people just need to know that they aren't reacting in a completely crazy way," said Chaos. For this reason, people with eating disorders find pro-eating disorder sites to be a safe haven. Although these sites are beneficial to those who have the disorder, they can be a harmful and bad influence to others. In "A Secret Society of the Starving", Chaos and Futurebird, two girls interviewed by Udovitch, attempted to dispute the assertion that the pro-eating disorder sites could give anyone an eating disorder. An eating disorder, they said, could not be given to someone unless they have the vulnerability towards it. In response, Mim Udovitch wrote, "..many adolescent girls teeter on the edge of vulnerability. And the sites certainly might give those girls the suggestion to... hey, what the hell, give it a try." So, how should one decide whether these sites are good or bad?