If you surround yourself with dysfunction voluntarily, are you dysfunctional yourself?

[cindersslipper]

Originally Posted by Emigrations

If a person is dysfunctional in one aspect, it is likely that this dysfunction bleeds over into other areas of their lives. IMO, it's much more likely that someone who is economically dysfunctional will also have personal dysfunctions.

I agree with the sterilization of the substandards.

Perhaps you'd better go live in Afghanistan or China or North Korea then, were the government decides if you are fit to live or not.

[Nighteyes]

Originally Posted by Emigrations

If a person stays in a dysfunctional environment, relationship, job, etc, do they become dysfunctional by association?

The simple answer is "It depends...". It depends on WHO defines "dysfunctional" and HOW they define it. It also depends on how you fit into the picture.

As a hopefully instructive example, let's consider the leper colonies of not-so-long-ago. Society as a whole would certainly have considered a leper colony to be a dysfunctional environment, right? And, to someone who did not have leprosy, it would have been. But what about someone who DID have leprosy?

===================================

Now -- here -- today -- can you think of any groups that the local 'society' might regard as dysfunctional, but members of that group would not? How about Liberals in a primarily-Conservative community, or the reverse? How about Atheists in a Fundamentalist Protestant community, or the reverse? Hindus in a Roman Catholic community or the reverse? For that matter, how about ANY minority group in a local 'majority' society?

As The Eagles said in their hit Life in the Fast Lane, "Are you with me so far?"

-- Nighteyes

[Sandbow]

This is why I despise social networking. I escaped from a very dysfunctional town, got over my initial programming, and built a life for myself... and was hunted down by one of my old "friends" via my professional Facebook page. Not the first time that's happened, either.

But if you don't have some sort of online presence, then obviously you're not social (or have something to hide), and potential employers use that as an excuse to not take a closer look at you!

I know I'm just reacting right now-- I just discovered the "friend" request a few minutes ago-- but speaking as one who's endeavored all her life to shuck off all traces of a sh!tty beginning, I feel like I cannot. Freaking. WIN.

Edit: And the built-in Morality Police algorithm on here can suck my left buttock. People can be utterly, psychotically foul to one another on here for trivial reasons, but you can't type out the actual word that "sh!tty" represents...? Wow. Really intelligent standards of "decency" there.

[malamute]

In many ways yes.

It's why for example successful blacks don't want to have to stay in the ghetto but relocate to middle or upper class neighborhoods. It's not so much that they don't want to be around black people, they don't want to be around dysfunctional people.