That said, I do not support folks taking cheap shots at a person who is clearly going through some things. There are tons of legitimate critiques of him and while generally I am all about some Schadenfrauden, I cannot get down on this particularly brand of it.

I don’t actually think about the man too much, unless he says something outrageously racist or sexist enough to pop up on a show or blog.

You know what else bugs me? Whether he has pain or not (maybe that’s why he’s so grumpy *nods*), I’m sure his wealth and celebrity make it easier for him to chemically deal with it. While I spend a week crying and lashing out because my insurance is made up of sadistic robots. And since he’s had health problems, you’d think he’d be more sympathetic to insurance issues. (I like to out hyperbole them – they have “death panels”, I say “the man on TV wants me dead.”)

Of course there’s always the question that accompanies the more extreme right wing voices – is this an act or do they mean it? What’s worse?

This isn’t the place to discuss it, of course, it’s been hashed out a million times.

Amandaw – Using him is a great idea. It’s “oh, he’s in pain, poor guy” vs “shut off the radio NOW” – how dispassionate can you be when dealing with the issues.

Your points are duly taken. I’m still trying to wring coherent sentences out of my mind on the Good Crip/Bad Crip phenomenon with addictive substances, i.e. the “responsible,” “legitimate” users (and you can, of course, imagine the social factors that go into determining whether a person is one of them) and the “irresponsible” “illegitimate” user (the rec user, the addict, the person who would be responsible/legitimate if only they weren’t nonwhite or poor or with an unconventional accent/speaking affect, etc.) I really want to post on this, because several people have brought it up when I speak about narcotics as a treatment for chronic pain, and I feel a responsibility to address that straightforwardly.

I still really struggle with some amount of bitterness against the very existence of recreational use of some of these drugs. But I know that at least one of the places that bitterness comes from is not aligned with my general purpose in activism, and I have to work on that.

I’m just speaking about people who use substances compulsively, even when they know its not in their best interest.

However, I think there is another angle that this could be taken from.

I don’t think that your access to medication would be nearly as hindered by people wanting to get high if recreational drug use wasn’t stigmatized and criminalized.

Many if not most recreational drug users are responsible, and the problems associated with drug use are caused or made worse by stigmatization and the war on drugs – not made better.

Addiction is particularly stigmatized and people seem to forget that no one plans on getting addicted to drugs. But once someone does get addicted, addiction is a disease, and stigmatization and criminalization hinders access to treatment.

This blog entry seems to be normalizing the stigmatization of recreational drug use, and I’m not sure if that’s helpful for anyone.

Also, I’m not positive but I recall reading that he began taking narcotics for back pain/surgery.

I’m sorry you have to deal with this crap, Amandaw. Sorry any of us do.
I just don’t have the energy to fight people’s assumptions and condemnations concerning the treatment of my chronic pain. I feel so powerless to do anything to change people’s opinions or inspire any empathy, I just want to curl up and cry. If I’m too assertive in defending narcotic pain control, then I’m clearly an addict who’s afraid of my supply being cut off. If I’m silent about the subject, I’m not allowed to complain about the effects of this stigma on my life, ’cause, you know, I don’t do anything to fix it. Can’t win. It’s not enough that the pain’s wreaking havoc, also have to contend with the judgment, disdain, etc. It’s not fun. I want to be able to focus on my life and getting along with it.

His hypocrisy (and his voice…) burn me up. Why can’t he be sympathetic to… reality different yet similar to his own?

I do understand this post, and since my pain has increased, I have never gone, “Ha ha, he’s a drug addict.” I do – if I think about him – rarely address his pain medication usage, except for the hypocrisy. It’s not a joke, it’s an addiction, and he doesn’t deserve derision. I’d say he deserves sympathy, but I’m no saint. Maybe understanding? I’d love for him to talk about his struggle with pain or pain killers… but I don’t see him admitting a “weakness” like that.

I hate that it’s called “hillbilly heroin” – classist and ableist! Plus, he got so much derision for taking it and omg, now I’m taking it, what does that make me?