Hey Everybody! I have a proposition for you! I am going to be writing a paper for my Humor, Play, and Religion class and I was wondering if you all would give me some of your perspectives if you have some free time and energy in the next week or two. The paper is going to be on the marginalization of people with mental illness and how laughter is a form of resistance against/relief from the social stigma of mental illness. So….if anyone has any experiences that they would be willing to share with me and would be willing to let me quote from them that would be super awesome. You can just send me a personal message. Here are some topics/ideas/questions to get you going and to let you know kind of the direction I am going in.

Have you ever felt excluded from anywhere because of a mental illness you have? (Especially applicable are exclusions (or feeling excluded) from religious ceremonies or traditions).

Have you ever used laughter/play/joking as a way to cope with this mental illness? What did/do you do? How does it help?

Have you ever laughed about your symptoms, made or heard jokes about mental health issues? What do you find funny and what do you not find funny and why?

Do you think laughter can be a cathartic experience that releases the mentally ill from their inner restraints and allows them to express themselves (in any way, but especially in the context of religion) more freely?

Okay, those are just some ideas. If you have any information or experiences that you wouldn\'t mind sharing with me just shoot them my way. Also, I might use quotes for my paper but I will not use your real name unless you give me express permission. The only one reading this paper will be the teacher. I am also giving a presentation on the paper, and the only ones seeing that information will be the 15 or so individuals in my class. If you have any questions just let me know and thanks for your help!