In the midst of the ongoing feud between Penticton council and BC Housing, something Mayor John Vassilaki said struck me.
It wasn鈥檛 anything directly about the closure of the Victory Church shelter.
More, it was his words about how the money going to the shelter could be better spent, funding a mental institution that was closed more than eight years ago because it was out of date, and sending people in our community who need help down to the Lower Mainland.
鈥淢aybe they could get rid of their addictions and their mental illness, and make them somewhat normal, so they could live a better life,鈥� said Vassilaki during a council meeting March 16.
That sentiment 鈥� those words 鈥� have no place coming from anyone鈥檚 mouth in 2021, let alone from an elected government official.
Let鈥檚 get something straight. You do not 鈥榞et rid鈥� of a mental illness. You do not 鈥榞et rid鈥� of an addiction.
What you can do, is learn to live with your illness and to manage it 鈥� like diabetes or Parkinson鈥檚, or any other disease.
An addict can stop drinking or taking drugs, but they will always have a dependence 鈥� their brains and bodies are rewired forever. All they can do is learn to live with their addiction.
People now learn to 鈥榤anage鈥� their addictions and their mental illnesses, because our understanding has grown and evolved beyond the thought that we can simply wish it away.
There is another aspect of the mayor鈥檚 words that I find distasteful, and that is that by magically removing someone鈥檚 mental illness or addiction, that they will be made 鈥渟omewhat normal.鈥�
What is this 鈥榥ormal鈥�?
There is no such thing for every individual, and to say that because of something out of your control, you no longer fit that nebulous concept, is simply astounding.
Making people 鈥榥ormal鈥� has been the justification behind centuries of harsh treatment, and even until recently, was used as a justification for horrific 鈥榗onversion therapies鈥� for people who were homosexual, because that wasn鈥檛 鈥榥ormal.鈥�
Modern society, science and medicine have long left that way of thinking behind.
It鈥檚 no longer a binary of 鈥榥ormal鈥� or 鈥榥ot-normal鈥�, everyone falls somewhere on a scale.
Get rid of their mental illness and make them somewhat normal.
That sentiment may have been acceptable 30 or 40 years ago, but it must be left where it belongs 鈥� in the past.
Not a single councillor called out the mayor on his words.
No statement or even acknowledgment of his utterances have been made.
When people talk about the stigma around mental health, illness and addiction, they are probably thinking along lines similar to the mayor鈥檚 鈥� just get rid of these mental illnesses?
If those words had come out of the mouth of an MP, or even an MLA, there would be calls to apologize and resign. Words matter.
I have Asperger鈥檚 Syndrome. I know several people on the Autistic Spectrum who in the past would have been considered 鈥榥ot normal鈥� and because of that likely wouldn鈥檛 have been able to get a job, or live with any independence.
Yet, the world has moved on.
The mayor and council are the people elected to lead the city, and are in theory, a reflection of the people they serve.
A suggestion: Look in the mirror and ask, what do I see鈥nd what do I want to see?
Brennan Phillips is a journalist with Black Press Media.
