On her 2008 album Jeanius, produced by the legendary 9th Wonder, the talented lyricist Jean Grae released a track entitled “This World” which featured a sample from Love Unlimited’s song “If This World Were Mine.” Lyrics from the hook are as follows:
Y’all wanna let me in then you wanna change me up
Man, how the fuck you think you’re ever gonna play me up?
You can’t play me out, y’all just acting crazy now
I’ll be doing Jeanie until “this world” fades out
Viewing the hook through the lens of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), I appreciate the distinction offered by Grae in regard to people being “crazy” versus acting “crazy.” Crazy may be defined as mentally unsound, marked by thought or action that lacks logic and reason.
Recently having spoken with a friend (“Jammies”), I was reminded of how the term “crazy” is now used pejoratively. Perhaps due to the stigma associated with mental, emotional, and behavioral health, the term “crazy” is now shrouded in shame when this wasn’t always the case.
As an example of how common use of the term once was, the late psychologist who developed REBT, Albert Ellis, once humorously sang the following lyrics:
“I Wish I Were Not Crazy”
(To the tune of “Dixie,” composed by Dan Emmett)
Oh, I wish I were really put together –
Smooth and fine as patent leather!
Oh, how great to be rated innately sedate!
But I’m afraid that I was fated
To be rather aberrated –
Oh, how sad to be mad as my Mom and my
Dad!
Oh, I wish I were not crazy! Hooray, hooray!
I wish my mind were less inclined
To be the kind that’s hazy!
I could agree to try to be less crazy,
But I, alas, am just too goddamned lazy!
(Lyrics to all songs by Albert Ellis. Copyright 1977 by Institute for Rational Emotive
Therapy)
Likely a societal over-corrective measure, discouraging use of the term “crazy” may lead to people feeling better when not having to take personal responsibility and accountability for the irrational beliefs with which they disturb themselves. Is this a net benefit to society?
I suppose that by acknowledging how craziness, often referred to as “madness,” is at times an organic condition (e.g., schizophrenia), people who inorganically disturb themselves can be lumped into a cluster of the population who exhibit symptoms which are easily dismissed by others.
For instance, individual X who is diagnosed with schizophrenia and who experiences a psychotic break may behave in a maddening manner. Person Y who has no diagnosed condition self-disturbs using unhelpful beliefs and also exhibits crazy behavior.
If it stands to reason that shaming person X for her erratic behavior is unkind, then so too is the case in regard to person Y. After all, being crazy is the same as acting crazy when using this logic. Right? Wrong!
While I cede the point that there is a small cluster of the population with organic disorders which may qualify for insanity, I reject the notion that people who don’t fall into this category – though who disturb themselves into crazy behavior – embody the condition of pathological madness.
Although person Y may feel better by not having his behavior challenged by others, I argue that he won’t actually get better if he doesn’t face reality by disputing his crazy beliefs which cause maddening behavior. Regarding this matter, one American Psychological Association (APA) source states:
“The seeds of madness,” said Zimbardo, “can be planted in anyone’s backyard.” But “mad” behavior may not necessarily be the product of “some ‘premorbid’ personality disorder,” he noted. Psychologists would do well to consider physical, situational and societal influences—and the timing of these influences—in their work with patients. “Madness is the sufferer’s unintentional disruption of society’s norms, of reasonable and normal actions,” he said.
Noteworthy, the APA defines madness as “an obsolete name for mental illness or for legal insanity,” and states of insanity:
[I]n law, a condition of the mind that renders a person incapable of being responsible for their criminal acts. Defendants who are found to be not guilty by reason of insanity therefore lack criminal responsibility for their conduct. Whether a person is insane, in this legal sense, is determined by judges and juries, not psychologists or psychiatrists. Numerous legal standards for determining criminal responsibility, the central issue in an insanity defense, have been used at various times in many jurisdictions.
Remarkably, there is no APA definition for “crazy.” However, the term “mental illness” is redirected to “mental disorder” in the APA definition of terms, which states of the latter:
[A]ny condition characterized by cognitive and emotional disturbances, abnormal behaviors, impaired functioning, or any combination of these. Such disorders cannot be accounted for solely by environmental circumstances and may involve physiological, genetic, chemical, social, and other factors. Specific classifications of mental disorders are elaborated in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (see DSM–IV–TR; DSM–5) and the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Diseases.
Although I have diagnosed mental disorders, when a Marine Corps friend of mine used to call me “crazy,” she did so affectionately. This label was given to me, because of how I behaved (i.e., Deric, you’re acting crazy by going against the military command).
After I was kicked out of the military, my friend would say with a grin when greeting me, “What’s up, crazy?” Regarding use of “crazy” as a term of endearment, one source states:
So, when did “crazy” become a positive descriptor? How has a word used to describe mentally ill people developed into a positive — and common — compliment?
I think one contributor is how our generation fetishizes mental illness and often tries to compete with each other’s mental instability.
We have become so good at making our mental health a competition about who has it worse. You’ve had a bad day? Too bad, my day was worse.
People tend to make their negative emotions something to brag about, which has made most people lean into the archetype of making their problems their personality.
My administrative and legal issues associated with military service became a label of how I behaved, though didn’t indicate who I was. This distinction was addressed in Grae’s song “This World.”
In the hook referenced herein, the lyricist criticized people for apparently trying to influence her toward change, labeling their actions as “crazy,” while Grae professed that she intended on remaining how and who she was “until ‘this world’ fades out.” What do you think of her stance?
I respect her advocacy for self-determination and autonomy. It’s hardly a surprising component of Grae’s persona, as she reportedly favors the Church of the Infinite You. Yet, I digress.
When speaking with Jammies yesterday, she expressed intention to remove the word “crazy” from her vocabulary. While I respect her steadfast approach to addressing the mental, emotional, and behavioral health stigma through self-censorship, I won’t follow down Jammies’ path.
Of course, this wasn’t always my stance regarding this issue. I, like Jammies, used to favor an anti-stigmatization perspective. For instance, in a blogpost entitled Mind Tricks, I stated:
Generally, I don’t support use of the stigmatizing term “crazy.” I tend to agree with Dave Chappelle when he stated, “The worst thing to call somebody is crazy. It’s dismissive. ‘I don’t understand this person, so they’re crazy.’ That’s bullshit.”
That stated; I don’t support language policing. While I understand attempts to reduce harm—such as Rosa’s Law, signed by former President Barak Obama—I disagree with infringements of free speech.
I’ve since altered my outlook. Crazy is as crazy does. If some self-disturbed individual is acting crazy, I’m going to call out what simply is while at the same time rejecting language policing from those who advocate self-censoring behavior.
Crazy are the actions of those who attempt to control of influence me otherwise. Like Grae, I’ll remain how and who I am “until ‘this world’ fades out” – or until I decide otherwise. This decision is a matter of unconditional self-acceptance, and that’s not crazy at all.
If you’re looking for a provider who works to help you understand how thinking impacts physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral elements of your life, I invite you to reach out today by using the contact widget on my website.
As the world’s foremost old school hip hop REBT psychotherapist, I’m pleased to help people with an assortment of issues from anger (hostility, rage, and aggression) to relational issues, adjustment matters, trauma experience, justice involvement, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression, and other mood or personality-related matters.
At Hollings Therapy, LLC, serving all of Texas, I aim to treat clients with dignity and respect while offering a multi-lensed approach to the practice of psychotherapy and life coaching. My mission includes: Prioritizing the cognitive and emotive needs of clients, an overall reduction in client suffering, and supporting sustainable growth for the clients I serve. Rather than simply helping you to feel better, I want to help you get better!
Deric Hollings, LPC, LCSW
References:
AEI. (n.d.). About Albert Ellis, Ph.D. Albert Ellis Institute. Retrieved from https://albertellis.org/about-albert-ellis-phd/
Anderson, L. (2022, January 25). Hate speech. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved from https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/hate-speech/
APA Dictionary of Psychology. (2018, April 19). Insanity. American Psychological Association. Retrieved from https://dictionary.apa.org/insanity
APA Dictionary of Psychology. (2018, April 19). Madness. American Psychological Association. Retrieved from https://dictionary.apa.org/madness
APA Dictionary of Psychology. (2018, April 19). Mental disorder. American Psychological Association. Retrieved from https://dictionary.apa.org/mental-disorder
Daw, J. (2002, November). Why and how normal people go mad. American Psychological Association. Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/monitor/nov02/gomad
Educationallinguist. (2016, February 3). Are you a friendly language police? Retrieved from https://educationallinguist.wordpress.com/2016/02/03/are-you-a-friendly-language-police/
Ellis, A. and Bernard, M. E. (1985). Clinical applications of rational-emotive therapy. Plenum Press. Retrieved from https://www.pdfdrive.com/clinical-applications-of-rational-emotive-therapy-d176935977.html
Ewing, R. (2018, September 27). “That’s crazy”: Why you might want to rethink that word in your vocabulary. Penn Medicine. Retrieved from https://www.pennmedicine.org/news/news-blog/2018/september/that-crazy-why-you-might-want-to-rethink-that-word-in-your-vocabulary
Facebook. (2016, October 30). Church of the Infinite You w/Minister Jean Grae at Union Hall – Brooklyn. Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/events/906295209503207/
Galloway, J. (2012, November 21). The worst thing to call someone is crazy [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/BcLZNpRtfBo
Hollings, D. (2022, May 17). Circle of concern. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/circle-of-concern
Hollings, D. (2022, March 15). Disclaimer. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/disclaimer
Hollings, D. (2023, September 8). Fair use. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/fair-use
Hollings, D. (2024, April 2). Four major irrational beliefs. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/four-major-irrational-beliefs
Hollings, D. (2023, October 12). Get better. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/get-better
Hollings, D. (2024, August 27). Guilt and shame are choices. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/guilt-and-shame-are-choices
Hollings, D. (n.d.). Hollings Therapy, LLC [Official website]. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/
Hollings, D. (2022, November 10). Labeling. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/labeling
Hollings, D. (2023, September 19). Life coaching. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/life-coaching
Hollings, D. (2023, January 8). Logic and reason. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/logic-and-reason
Hollings, D. (2023, March 21). Matching bracelets. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/matching-bracelets
Hollings, D. (2024, March 4). Mental, emotional, and behavioral health. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/mental-emotional-and-behavioral-health
Hollings, D. (2022, May 19). Mind tricks. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/mind-tricks
Hollings, D. (2024, April 22). On disputing. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/on-disputing
Hollings, D. (2023, September 3). On feelings. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/on-feelings
Hollings, D. (2023, April 24). On truth. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/on-truth
Hollings, D. (2022, November 7). Personal ownership. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/personal-ownership
Hollings, D. (2022, March 24). Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT). Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/rational-emotive-behavior-therapy-rebt
Hollings, D. (2024, May 26). Self-determination and autonomy. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/self-determination-and-autonomy
Hollings, D. (2022, November 1). Self-disturbance. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/self-disturbance
Hollings, D. (2022, December 14). The is-ought problem. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/the-is-ought-problem
Hollings, D. (2023, March 1). Unconditional self-acceptance. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/unconditional-self-acceptance
Hollings, D. (2023, May 12). Use of humor. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/use-of-humor
JoCo Cruise. (n.d.). Jean Grae [Image]. Retrieved from https://jococruise.com/jean-grae/
Love Unlimited – Topic. (2020, December 2). If This World Were Mine [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/afgtqhHgWQE?si=jkNDHvFjqvPJ979X
Piano with Beth. (2017, May 7). Dixie by Dan Emmett. FunTime Piano Ragtime & Marches level 3A-3B [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/DobiFS5DHZU?si=FCBlOZJYWnVBijU2
Theoriginalgompers. (2011, February 19). Jean Grae - This World [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/P86rnCuKj5A?si=SQY5N6GUui_vVGVV
United States Courts. (n.d.). What does free speech mean? Retrieved from https://www.uscourts.gov/about-federal-courts/educational-resources/about-educational-outreach/activity-resources/what-does
Weaver, S. (2023, April 25). Edit desk: The etymology of crazy. The Brown and White. Retrieved from https://thebrownandwhite.com/2023/04/26/the-etymology-of-crazy/
Wikipedia. (n.d.). 9th Wonder. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/9th_Wonder
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Barack Obama. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Dan Emmett. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Emmett
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Dave Chappelle. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Chappelle
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diagnostic_and_Statistical_Manual_of_Mental_Disorders
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Jean Grae. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Grae
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Jeanius. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeanius
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Love Unlimited. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_Unlimited
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Philip Zimbardo. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Zimbardo
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Rosa’s Law. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa%27s_Law
Comments