So, I sort of like playing Devil's Advocate. And I rarely write about current events because everyone else is.
Today, my friend Molley over at A Mother Life posted about Angelina Jolie’s decision
to opt for preventive surgery because she carries the BRCA gene. This gene has
been shown in studies to cause a predisposition to cancer.
There’s a topic that I haven’t seen many people
discussing with regard to this whole debate.
Cancer, genetic predisposition, science, health history, genetics. Check, check, and check.
But not mental
health.
I tend to like Angelina. I think she is beautiful and
appears, from what I’ve seen in the media to be a good mother (so it must be
true). And she seems to be a decent partner to Brad. I happen to think Brad is a complete and
total douche canoe, but that’s irrelevant at this time. And don’t even get me started on the
home-wrecker thing. Poor Jen is completely clueless.
Anyway...Angelina lopped off her jubblies. For personal reasons. It seems
to have been a relatively significant concern, since her own mother died of cancer.
I’m not qualified to say whether or not Angelina suffers
from anxiety. But if she does, I wouldn’t be surprised. She lost her mother to
a very ugly and scary disease. She and her mother were extremely close,
especially after her father and mother split up. And I know that she previously disclosed having performed self-mutilating and other harmful behaviors. And that she has stated, "My Mother Was a "Better" Mom Than Me. I think she may have issues.
The average person has a normal fear of abandonment and loss. These
are natural human feelings. But for those of us who have actually suffered loss
of a close loved one to trauma or disease, our anxiety is often magnified to
unbearable levels.
It changes us.
Affects our moods.
Our
existence.
Our decisions.
I suffer from anxiety myself. I cannot tell you how incredibly
stressful circumstances are when they are out of my control. I will do almost
anything within my scope of abilities to prevent that stress from consuming me
and sending me spiraling out of control.
So I can absolutely understand why someone with the
resources, money, and family history might make a seemingly drastic choice like Angelina Jolie
did. Cancer or elective double mastectomy? Her choice minimized the risk of dying and
leaving her children without a mother. At least in her own mind.
And let's be honest.
She is in the business of whoring herself out for attention.
Just saying.
And now, she is the absolute center of a full fledged media frenzy. Again. The whole world is engaged in a debate about Angie's boobies. Is cancer horrible? Yes. Was Angelina's decision shocking and drastic? Yes. Would I have done the same? Maybe.
Either way, let's not forget. Negative press is still press. And we are taking the
bait. Hook. Line. And sinker.









