Honestly with Bari Weiss

Does Glorifying Sickness Deter Healing?

Jul 13, 2022

Freddie deBoer, a thought-provoking writer and critic of social justice politics, dives deep into the complexities of mental health and disability. He challenges the romanticization of mental illness, arguing it distracts from real issues like class struggle. Freddie shares his personal journey with bipolar disorder, advocating for genuine understanding of suffering over glorification. The discussion also touches on the urgent need for effective mental health interventions and critiques contemporary societal views on success and identity.

01:27:45

Episode guests

Freddie DeBoer

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Intro

2min

Redefining Mental Health and Disability Identity

22min

Mental Health and Violence: A Case Study

4min

Navigating Identity and Mental Illness

26min

Navigating the AI Revolution: Cost-Effective Cloud Solutions

2min

Redefining Success in a Complex World

11min

Revisiting Leftist Ideals: Collectivity vs. Individualism

12min

Reimagining Success and Purpose

9min

In Bari’s view, Freddie deBoer is one of the best writers in the country. It’s not because she always agrees with him. Hardly. Freddie is a self-described Marxist.

What she appreciates about him is that he is unflinching about criticizing “his side.” Freddie is one of the most trenchant critics of what he calls “Social Justice Politics”—which he argues distracts the left from the real issue of class.

He is also unflinching in his views about mental illness and the way it is being glorified in our culture right now. Freddie knows about this subject intimately. He has severe bipolar disorder, and has been institutionalized in the past when he was on the verge of violently acting out.

Today: a conversation about “the gentrification of disability,” how sickness became chic, and how our society should handle the epidemic of mental illness.

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