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Gen Z therapists are literally leaping on the viral “Betrayal Checklist” development on TikTok, which is an enormous meme rooted in Kanye West’s public psychological well being struggles, and it’s completely ticking off folks within the psychological well being neighborhood who suppose they need to be specializing in precise points of their discipline. Social media, all the time the chaotic new outlet for our each day frustrations, has taken one thing extremely critical and warped it right into a cathartic meme format, however this time round, when professionals obtained concerned, it felt prefer it crossed a line.
The entire thing began with an erratic, now-deleted publish by Kanye West (Ye) again in September, the place he posted a wild checklist of folks and characters he felt had betrayed him, per Day by day Dot. He dramatically tweeted, “I AM IN PAIN THAT NO ONE PERSON CAN FIX,” and titled his weird stock “THE BETRAYAL”. The checklist itself ranged from his ex-wife Kim Kardashian and President Donald Trump to the fictional cartoon monkey Curious George and the SpongeBob SquarePants character Patrick Star.
Though most individuals handled the development as innocent enjoyable, the temper modified when individuals who ought to completely know higher, i.e., licensed therapists, began collaborating. When precise therapists, who’re speculated to be beacons of ethics and accountability in a really delicate discipline, soar on a meme that income from psychological well being misery, you possibly can anticipate some robust pushback. That’s precisely what occurred on Reddit within the r/therapyabuse neighborhood, a spot the place folks share respectable issues about their therapy.
Persons are copying Kanye now
Actually, I don’t know what Patrick Star might have carried out to betray Ye, however you possibly can’t make these things up. Even worse, the checklist included deeply stunning names like Harriet Tubman, “Adolf” (presumably Hitler), and, most concerningly, his personal daughter, North West. The web, being the web, instantly realized the meme potential on this degree of high-stakes, dramatic grievance.
One consumer, u/MyMentalHelldotcom, shared their frustration in an in depth and deleted publish that didn’t mince phrases. They identified the hypocrisy, writing that “therapists who deal with sexual trauma survivors are normalizing a dude who’s being [accused] of sexual battery and intercourse trafficking”.
That’s a strong assertion, and it utterly reframes the seemingly “innocent” nature of the development when you think about the moral implications. They then listed the sorts of complaints the therapists have been placing on their very own “Betrayal Lists,” which have been eye-rollingly trivial in comparison with the problems their purchasers face: issues like “session notes,” “unpaid internships,” and “not having time to pee”.
u/MyMentalHelldotcom’s critique of this was completely sharp. They continued, “I’m not saying these aren’t necessary ([except] for the notes, recover from yourselves) however as an alternative of utilizing their platforms to speak about precise points within the discipline, like ethics, accountability, or how licensing boards ignore hurt, they’re out right here joking about working out of tissue packing containers on the flawed time”.
That is the core betrayal, isn’t it? The general public expects these professionals to champion critical change, like making remedy extra accessible or guaranteeing moral habits, however they’re utilizing their platforms to chase a viral second. That actually appears like night time and day in comparison with what their job entails.
Including insult to damage, the unique poster on Reddit additionally introduced up a monetary level that many individuals might need missed: the usage of Ye’s music. They identified, “Additionally, they’re all utilizing Kanye’s music of their reels, which suggests he’s getting royalties”. So, not solely are they trivializing a meltdown and ignoring critical business issues, however they’re actively producing income for the very artist whose psychological breakdown fueled the development within the first place.