I've been trying to come up with a good way to describe, in one of my doofy little paragraphs, what this song means to me, and I've been having trouble.
I guess what it comes down to is I'm frightened for us, and you can define "us" any way you like. I fear that people are embracing a culture where feelings, individuality, personal struggles, are looked at as dangerous things, instead of vital ingredients to humanity. We're encouraged to medicate away any little problem we have, and actively discouraged from examining it. It's one thing for an adult to do this to themselves--it's another that we're bringing children up to think this way, to think that the answer to their problems lies in a pill, not earnest reflection and hard work to change one's life for the better.
And suddenly, personal problems become anything but personal. If you're not going through your life kinda happy, kinda complacent--if something hurts you emotionally and you feel bad and it's showing too much--well, then it's time to see a professional. Get that taken care of. Get back to work. Don't worry so much.
I'm not necessarily calling out the entire concept of psychiatry--I know there are people with legitimate mental illness who are legitimately helped by certain drugs, and nothing else. But in far greater numbers, I see people who have real, recurring problems in their lives turning to anti-depressants instead of fixing them. I see commercials urging parents to consider miscellaneous medications for their kids who are acting too much like kids, for their teenagers who are acting too much like teenagers (and all too often not allowed to acknowledge their own maturity). I see people I care about giving up on happiness because they think that if the pills aren't helping, then there's nothing else they can do.
It's frightening. Sorry to get so heavy.
quick diagnosis
and when i cried that day
it did not reflect the greater need to medicate
it was because i was thinking
and conclusions sometimes hurt
for an eighth grade girl who's just beginning to realize
that just 'cause something's stupid doesn't mean it's not there
just 'cause i don't need to be pretty doesn't mean i don't care
just 'cause everyone goes through it doesn't mean that i'm not there
and then the theories came
after invitations to unburden myself on you
because i could tell you anything
you said that i could tell you anything
but i like the rain so it must mean that i'm lonely
and the need for pain must mean that it's the only thing
that i wanna feel, like it was an addiction
because self-exploration is sometimes an affliction
and the tv and the magazines all say
you can make it all just go away
just when you needed something to get you through the day
and isn't that just what you meant to say?
so, are you ready to give yourself up now?
oh generation of
guinea pigs, of blind compliance
with a quick diagnosis
and an easier fix
i sing requiems for what we might have been but
we're not too concerned
and my newly sparkling friends all say
you can make it all just go away
just when you needed something to get you through the day
and isn't that just what you meant to say
are you ready to give yourself up now?
and echoes of fairy tales you heard when you were
just this age, believe what you're saying to me
believe the sugar water's gonna make it better
believe the leeches will suck the sick from my blood
am i ready to give myself up?
and you say in the morning
you'll see how everything looks so much better in daylight
it's a sunny day tomorrow
just the kind you'll learn to like
copyright rorie kelly 2004
