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chibam
Senior Contributor

Topic Tuesday Suggestion - Getting The Opportunities We Need

Hi all.🙂

Every now and then, you'll see posts from the SANE management on here asking for ideas for Topic Tuesdays. I haven't seen one of those requests recently, but I'm gonna assume that it's an ongoing open invitation for suggestions.

I've been thinking a lot about Joel Cauchi and his life story all week. From what we've heard, it really sounds like he was badly deprived of most/all the social opportunities that most people get, because he wasn't very good at playing the social game.

It sounds like he didn't have many/any friends to set him up with potential girlfriends, or a job, or a home with mates; basically all the building blocks of a life worth living.

It just boggles my mind at times like this how so many people just get to have all these things like they just fell off a tree... just because they know how to play the social game and trigger people to go: "Oh! He's nice! I think I'll set him up with my single friend from work!" While others never recieve such essential kindness - for no coherant reason - and nobody seems to care about this deprivation!

And I'm not just talking about Joel Cauchi who, many might reason, has surrendered any right to sympathy because of what he did; I'm talking about the thousands of people suffering virtually the same plight, who haven't hurt anybody! Society's rejects; the ones who are out there, suffering all alone; poor, unemployed, houseless, homeless, friendless... Just because they don't understand how to play the social game as well as all the rest of you. Because they don't know what their supposed to say or do to make you like them enough to set you up with your single friend or relative, or set you up with a job at your uncle's factory, or brother's construction company.

So maybe I'm alone in this, but I think it might be relevant and timely for us to have a topic tuesday some time soon where we can talk about this brand of alienation and how it robs it's victims of everything that makes up a worthwhile life.

And I really, really hope that by the end of it we can stop playing silly buggers and finally just get someone to explain to us point blank precisely what it is we're supposed to say/do to get people to treat us like they treat everyone else, and give us the same opportunities that everyone else gets!

9 REPLIES 9

Re: Topic Tuesday Suggestion - Getting The Opportunities We Need

Hey there @chibam ,

 

Thank you for sharing. 

 

Unfortunately, Topic Tuesdays have now ceased, and perhaps that is why you have not heard about Topic Tuesdays in a while.

 

Instead, we will continue to old Peer Group Chats on the Chatwee platform and are hoping to implement a second one each week.

 

However, we can use this space to continue the conversation if any members want to delve into the intricacies of this issue. 

 

It's certainly an interesting one and one worth unpacking!

Re: Topic Tuesday Suggestion - Getting The Opportunities We Need

Dang.

Well I guess that's that, then.

Thanks for letting me know, @tyme . 🙂

Re: Topic Tuesday Suggestion - Getting The Opportunities We Need

Thanks for joining the PGC tonight though. It was great having you @chibam 

Re: Topic Tuesday Suggestion - Getting The Opportunities We Need

Thanks @tyme . 🙂

Re: Topic Tuesday Suggestion - Getting The Opportunities We Need

We are holding a free format Peer Group Chat on Sunday 5th and 12th May 7-8:30pm. 

 

Please join us. I'll remind you closer to the time. 

 

We'd love to continue our convo lol. 

Re: Topic Tuesday Suggestion - Getting The Opportunities We Need


@tyme wrote:

We are holding a free format Peer Group Chat on Sunday 5th and 12th May 7-8:30pm. 

 

Please join us. I'll remind you closer to the time. 

 

We'd love to continue our convo lol. 



Sunday evenings are kind of tricky for me timewise, but I'll see what I can do.

Re: Topic Tuesday Suggestion - Getting The Opportunities We Need

No stress at all @chibam 

 

We are happy to have you any time 🙂

Re: Topic Tuesday Suggestion - Getting The Opportunities We Need

Hi @chibam , just jumping in here.  While Topic Tuesdays have ceased, we are going to be starting up some monthly mental health recovery webinars.  I'm going to start a separate thread about this to ask for topic suggestions.  

 

Would something around "playing the social game" be helpful?  How to get by in a world where you constantly feel like you're the square peg in a round hole? 

Re: Topic Tuesday Suggestion - Getting The Opportunities We Need

Sounds good, @espressologic , although it would be nice to aim for "thriving", instead of just "getting by". Although I guess their both pretty ambiguous terms when you think about it.

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