he was also great in good morning vietnam. it was one of the few serious movies of his i liked. i tended to prefer his comedies with a smattering of poignant serious moments than vice versa. if birdcage or mrs. doubtfire come on tv, i am probably not going to be able to turn the channel. i tried to get my daughter interested in mork and mindy, but it didn't take. i loved it when i was 12 and it was in syndication.
one hour photo was excellent, and he was excellent in it. he served up a scary, creepy, all-too-real nutjob in that movie. you didn't know whether to fear him or feel sorry for him in it.
williams was one of the most gifted comedians to ever grace a screen. he was also a huge nerd (check out his reddit ama from last year, his son mario and daughter zelsa are named after nintendo games, he's a console gamer, collects war hammer 40k armies and loves dune, aasimov, and the lion the witch and the wardrobe), and an amazing friend (his relationship with christopher reeve was tear jerking stuff). he was also a notorious joke thief. dozens of standup comics over the years have refused to play with williams in the audience, or reported vein accused of stealing their own material, after williams made their jokes famous. he's a long term depression and bipolar disorder sufferer and his drug abuse and premature death, as well as his larger than life manic persona are textbook examples of his disorder. his performances will remain some of the most memorable of our lifetimes, both for the phenomenal highs... and for flubber. he was a fascinating, complex, flawed genius.
it's sad that was the only way out he could think of. as for me, i will be spending my day at work tomorrow listening to robin williams -a night at the met. rip mr. williams.
rip mister williams. i was very distressed when i heard this. i know i didn't know him personally or anything but he is iconic to me. i just watched some of his old standup on amazon prime a couple nights ago. it's so weird to think of him gone forever.
shit sucks. some of my favorite childhood movies were his. aladdin, hook, mrs. doubtfire (thank god we're dodging that sequel). i think one of my all time favorites of his was awakenings where he played a dedicated doctor who tries an experimental drug to reawaken a ward of catatonic patients. robert deniro is the main patient and they both put on acting clinics. very touching movie. the world according to garp is another serious film he's in that really showed his great range.
bummer. is there any problem more misunderstood and less discussed in a productive way than depression? i mean jesus christ, whats it going to take to get people to (really) acknowledge it? if adam lanza walking into a classroom and gunning down first graders doesnt do it, im a little worried about what will.
as long as people are allowed to say things like "suicide is stupid", or "why is [person] depressed? they have so much to be happy about" or "why don't depressed people just stop being so pessimistic" or "depressed people should just suck it up and deal with it" without being promptly and firmly smacked across the face for their stupidity, the situation will mostly stay the same.
i will hear your discussion about depression, try and help understand, and be willing to move the conversation forward. and, i think the crowd that says, just suck it up and deal with it, are missing what real depression is. but, suicide is stupid. it's a horrible choice, and it is very selfish. i am not allowed to say that? fuck that noise. that person is dead and gone. i am the one still here, hurting and left to pick up the pieces and deal with the aftermath. yes, people that kill themselves are sick, they need treatment, and hopefully mental health awareness and treatment continues to advance, so that folks can get the treatment, understanding and medication they need. but, i'll be damned if you get to tell me i'm not allowed to say suicide is stupid.
this may tow the line of propriety on this board, so if it does, mods, please nuke it. but i'm throwing it out there. when a person has, for instance, als, and we watch their body slowly break down to the point where they can't function as they once did, sometimes they can barely function at all, and we know that the end will be painful for them, and those people then seek out the assistance of a medical professional to help them end their life, there are many who applaud their decision to end their life by choice rather than have it stolen from them. what if that disease isn't als but mental illness? why is it suddenly a coward's way out? is it because we can't see the effects of that disease on the person?
more like they're ignorant assholes who have no fucking clue what they're talking about. my ex-father-in-law kept telling my ex-wife to just "snap out of it", and was very annoyed when she didn't. yeah... because brain chemistry works that way, you fucktard. had a huge "fuck you no fuck you" almost physical fight with my dad when i noticed he was suffering from depression a few years ago (part of why i moved back to where the family lives). i had to practically restrain and drag him to the doctor to get it looked into, and now he takes a small little pill, that he calls his "happy pill", every morning, and he's a whole different guy. he had such a fear of the stigma of having brain issues that he didn't want to do anything about it, regardless of the effect it was having on everyone around him, and himself. "i'm not depressed". "dad, normal people don't threaten to go into the back yard and eat a shotgun". "oh... did i say that?" "yep... that's why i took your gun safe keys from you". *crickets* my philosophy is that if it's someone you love, and they don't want to get it looked at, fuck you, i'm making you get it looked at, even if it takes a huge confrontation.
define mental illness, then we can talk. it's very much about the specific context, not just a general all-encompassing topic.
but all you have to do is dump a bucket of ice water on your head and youll be fine. or something. ill let the conversation run since its topical, as long as it doesnt turn into a euthanasia pissing match. maybe we should spin it off into a serious thread. ill leave that up to the other mods if they want to do that.
that topic would go nowhere, in my opinion. either you're for or against it. after that it's just a matter of figuring out where in the grey areas is your "line" of what is acceptable or isn't. it's very much like abortion in that regard, and no amount of rational discussion will do much to change someone's mind.
yeah, i think when it comes to a person you hold dear that when they have a serious issue they refuse to get help for, like depression or addiction that their freedoms go in the garbage. their lives come first and when they can't do something about it themselves, force is the one true option. if my child was addicted to drugs, she wouldn't be having it for long. she wouldn't be sneaking off or stealing jewelry from the house. she would be locked in her room like ewan mcgregor until she sweat it out. fuck their rights, fuck their freedom and fuck even their opinion. i'd be damned if i let somebody i love deteriorate before my eyes.
mental illness can be very touchy for a lot of people. i know i've dealt with it with my family for a long time. i have some very close family friends who had a marriage of close to 30 years disintegrate because of his depression issues. he never got the help he needed, which i think is actually a symptom. i personally feel that if someone is suffering from something, its not for us to judge them for having the condition. i do, however think that once they know something is wrong, have a diagnosis and medication, that it does become their responsibility. my mom likes to give people endless outs when it comes to mental illness and shitty behavior. "its not his/her fault. they have a mental illness." and my retort would be something along the lines of..."they have been to a doctor, gotten help and medication. you can't medicate douchebaggery." and that's why i don't really associate with anyone from her side of the family.
i miss mississippi. all that's missing is an artist's rendition of the suspect: http://www.wtva.com/news/national/story ... de7gg.cspx
for me it would depend on whether the mental illness is treatable, whether the person is suffering, how much that person is needed (i.e. a parent or caregiver), etc.
suicide is really misunderstood and often the person who is considering it isn't thinking about the effects it will have on the family. when a person is like this, they kinda lose the option of not seeking help. alls it takes is one impulsive moment and many many peoples lives are shattered. my uncle sucked off a shotgun and it rippled across my family. the question was why, and since he didn't leave a note or anything everyone was left wondering and many people were blaming themselves. when i had severe panic disorder i was getting close to that precipice. i was getting there because it seemed like nothing was working to alleviate my suffering. and really, this is why many people commit suicide, not to hurt their family, but to alleviate their suffering. when i was in that bad spot, my dad forced me to go in (mind you i was 25) and he had my brother go and drive me in. he was fully committed to getting me the helped i had to have even if that meant putting me in a psych ward for a week. thats parenting, thats family, thats caring. when the brain gets to this point, it is deeply mentally sick and the person is in a very selfish state of mind. its at this point people need to suck it up, and take the person in. whether this means getting this person on a psych hold or simply arranging an appointment with a shrink, something needs to be done. as net said, make sure the person has no access to a firearm, much to easy for that person to say fuck it and end it when they didn't intend to and were just in a really bad spot temporarily. i think another thing is no matter how uncomfortable it is, let the person talk about their depression and suicidal thoughts. letting them talk about these thoughts lets the person know you're there for them and you can handle whats going on. if you recoil about talking, it drives the person more and more into themselves. threats of suicide may not be always serious, they may be more just a passing thought, but all it takes is an impulsive moment and things are never the same.