Archives for September 2018

Watch the full Q&A for my film American Circumcision at it’s premiere at the Lone Star Film Festival.

The film was so well-received that later that night we won “Best Documentary” at the Lone Star Film Festival.

In the coming months, I plan to release the full footage from the American Circumcision film tour.

I would really appreciate it if in the comments, you let me know what your favorite moments are from these discussions by timecode, so I can break this out into shorter clips we can use to share this film and issue.

You can see all future film Q&As by subscribing to my YouTube page here.

Watch the documentary film American Circumcision here.

Read more: My Director’s Statement for American Circumcision

If I told you 1% of most groups or fanbases was mentally ill would you believe be? “Seems low,” you might chuckle. But 1% of a 100,000 person fanbase is a thousand people. That’s enough to form a group, start a website, rewrite a wikipedia page… A thousand people could really hurt a person’s reputation. And if it’s more than 1% of a group….

Mentally ill people tend to be more active than casual fans. They’re looking to a reason their life is the way that is it is. They might be unemployed or have more time on their hands. They might not have friends or healthy hobbies. They’re angry and upset and don’t have anything better to do. Someone whose life is going well reminds them that their life isn’t. It triggers them and is a visible target to lash out at. Yes, most people aren’t this way – but we’re talking about the 1%.

The Impact of The Mentally Ill

Pre-internet this ill 1% might send a few angry letters to the editor. In the age of the internet, they can publish directly. They might start a blog or make a YouTube video defaming that person. It only takes one for the rest of the group to spread it around the internet, and this is just the mentally ill. This doesn’t include genuine critiques or disagreements someone might have with a public figure, or actual bad things that public figure has done.

What percent of the population do you think is mentally ill? According to the National Institute of Mental Health, it’s around 20% of the population (source) – so 20,000 of our 100,000 person fanbase – or 1 in 5 – and that’s just the people who are diagnosed. How many do you think are undiagnosed? Do you think that percentage increases in certain hobbies? Certain fanbases? Does it increase among people interested in politics?

On top of that – how many people do you think are not mentally ill, but suffer from more common conditions like limiting beliefs, bad childhoods, or low self-esteem – things which big pharma might not be able to prescribe something for, but still effect a person’s life? Even if it isn’t serious, could it effect them at least enough to go online and say “yeah, screw that person who is more successful than me”?

Mental illness might manifest a lot of different ways. It doesn’t have to hate. Mentally ill people might imagine themselves in secret romantic relationships with their favorite artist, or think the public figure is offering a message they are not.

For example, while filming a protest for my documentary, I asked a guy on the street if he’d sign a film release. Years later, someone linked me a facebook post by the same guy, claiming I’d tried to get him to sign something that would allow me to “hide cameras in his bathroom” and film him for the rest of his life. “That’s how the illuminati gets you,” he added. I’m pretty sure that’s not how the illuminati or film releases work.

This is an outlandish example, but a more grounded claim – like an imagined sexual advance or perceived insult might be born from just as much mental illness, and be harder for a public figure to fight. The more people you interact with, the more mentally ill people you’re also likely to interact with.

Mental Illness Goes All The Way To The Top

Now let’s look at public figures. What percent of them do you think are mentally ill? What percent do you think might become ill under the pressures of fame or success? Are people driven to wanting fame and wealth healthier people or are they seeking those things to fix problems – problems which might be emotional and only amplified by the pressure of success?

That doesn’t include public figures who just might be on the wrong side of an issue or have more everyday emotional problems like lust, a quick temper, or just lack the support system that comes from community and good family.

Oh, and if you want to get really wild – what percent of journalists do you think are mentally ill? What percent of the people writing about these public figures from authoritative sources might have serious issues? What percent might not be diagnosed with anything, but just feel resentful talking to successful people while working in an industry that is slowly dying with plummeting wages and increasing layoffs?

What percentage of doctors are mentally ill? Therapists? Politicians? Religious leaders? A lot of issues make more sense when you realize that mental illness doesn’t stop at the bottom – it affects people at every level of society in every sub-culture and industry.

Mental Illness Is Part Of The Game

I bring all this up because I’ll occasionally have someone write me upset that I would engage with a public figure because the two seconds of research they did on this person brought them to a hate article. Likewise, when someone does a hate piece on me, people in my audience will be shocked that a journalist would so brazenly lie. I understand that these things are (unfortunately) part of the reality of public life. They are not the way things “should” be, but they are the reality we currently have to work within.

There are mentally ill people at every level of society, and the greater your fanbase or following, the greater number of people you will attract who might be troubled in some way. I try to suffocate the hate and negativity, and focus on the positive energy I want to spread, but I’m also not worried about other people’s reactions to my work. Expect controversy, and remember to have compassion for the public figures you read about. The person writing about them or making an accusation could just be mentally ill, and that public figure undoubtably has their own issues they’re struggling with.

In conclusion, here is some video of a guy who died from overdosing on pharmaceuticals and might have had his own illness to contend with singing about controversy and how we’re all just the same.

Read More: Why I Don’t Mix Issues

A couple of times, I have had someone ask me to post about an issue unrelated to circumcision from the accounts I have for my documentary American Circumcision.

Usually, the conversation goes something like this:

“Here is an article/video/blog post about this issue. Can you share from your account?”
“No. We only share stuff related to the film and it’s issue.”
“But this other issue is reaaaalllyyyy important.”

If they say it’s more important than circumcision, I usually mute them “so that you have more time to work on the issues you think are really important.” But if they persist…

“Okay. I have the opposite opinion on that issue.” (I’ll say this even if I don’t.)
“What? I can’t believe you think that way!!”
“I think I’m gonna post about that from the American Circumcision account.”
“No! Don’t do that!!”
“Nah, you convinced me. This is a really important issue. Everyone needs to know about it.”

They usually don’t ask me to mix issues again.

This Message Is For Everyone

This is an amusing response but it’s also a lesson in empathy. The way they’d feel if I was to post an opposing opinion from that account is that way the other half of my audience would feel if I was to post their perspective from the film account.

I have met activists on the circumcision issue from every background, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religious belief (or lack thereof), age, and gender. I’ve met activists with the opposite perspectives on every major issue you can think of. I want all of these people – and their opposition – to feel like they can watch my film.

The issue of circumcision affects people from every background. I believe this information is too important to limit to one social or political tribe. Just because someone’s parents might hold ideas I disagree with, doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t have the knowledge they need to make the best decisions for their children.

(Sidenote: Whenever I see an activist say you can’t be an Intactivist (anti-circumcision activist) unless you believe [X], I always tell them they should change their signs to reflect that. “Intact Genitals Are A Human Right (Unless Your Parents Believe [X]).” Or even better, “If you believe [X], go ahead, cut your kids dick off.” I hope this joke catches on, because I find this attitude wildly unproductive.)

If I feel another issue is really important, I’ll do it right. Not an impulsive tweet or one time post, but what I did with the circumcision issue – I’ll create a work of art that presents the issue powerfully and accurately.

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You might want to watch the film I made on the issue of circumcision, American Circumcision, because it is a powerful work of art.

I’m looking for help. I’ve added a jobs page here.

The first two roles are here:

• Social Media Content Creator
• Publicist

If interested, follow the directions on the jobs page.

Read More: My Film American Circumcision is Available Now