The labeling of prominent women, such as political figures or activists, as insane or unstable remains a tactic used to discredit and undermine their credibility and authority.
Here’s a prominent example that seems to be a case of defamation.
It’s the usual gaslighting from this guy, so perhaps no surprise with the abruptness of a flip-flop. Note the timestamp between saying that everyone should be left alone to live their lives, and him directly defaming a woman that he disagrees with.
The inconsistency lies in the stark contrast between his two messages:
The first statement promotes a non-judgmental, live-and-let-live attitude. It suggests a philosophy of acceptance and authenticity.
The second statement contradicts this by harshly judging someone else. It promotes judgmental and dismissive comments to devalue a woman with a derogatory term.
While we could debate whether it’s possible for someone to hold complex views and make statements that seem contradictory, these two particular statements within two hours reflect completely different attitudes — one of acceptance and the other of judgment — with clear political disinformation methods behind the very calculated switch to defamation.
There is a long and troubling history of labeling women as insane, particularly as a means of controlling or discrediting them. This practice has roots in societal and medical traditions that were used by insecure men to undermine women’s autonomy and authority.
The term “hysteria” in ancient time was used for a range of symptoms believed to be specific to women, attributed to a “wandering womb.” This fallacy persisted into the 19th century, with hysteria being a baseless yet common diagnosis for women exhibiting behaviors that were called “deviant” based on bogus societal norms. The term itself derives from the Greek word for uterus, “hystera,” reflecting the absurd idea that mental illness in women was caused by their reproductive organs.
During the Victorian era, women were labelled with hysteria by men who were challenged by them. “Treatment” was intentionally invasive to reduce or silence their voice with things like “rest cures” and isolation to forced sterilizations and lobotomies. This period saw the rise of asylums where women were basically jailed after being charged with things like being unfeminine, or rebellion and disobedience — simply refusing demands of men.
The rise of psychiatry then played a significant role in the pathologization of women’s behavior. Freudian theories often continued to push dumb ideas like mental illness came from sexuality or even just roles as wives and mothers. Feminists in the 1960s and 70s debunked this political nonsense, arguing correctly they were rooted in sexism and aimed at maintaining patriarchal control.
Although much progress was made, clearly men like Elon Musk continue to push the stigma around women’s mental health. He labeled a woman as “insane” because she asserted herself in a way he felt threatened by and unable to respond to with basic logic or actual reason.
