Crazy

I chose a word that has personal meaning to me, “crazy.” Struggling with my own mental illness, I have found that mainstream society will label any and all who suffer from mental illness as being “crazy.” This label has affected my life and many of my friends who have gone through similar bouts. So what is crazy? And why have we come to use this word as an umbrella term in popular culture? Throughout this blog piece I will focus on historical definitions, the rise of the umbrella term, and how it affects those persons termed “crazy.” Essentially, I will be using the same process Becker uses to analyze labeling theory, with some acknowledgement of social characteristics involved in this label. “I will be less concerned with the personal and social characteristics of deviants than with the process by which they come to be thought of as outsiders and their reactions to that judgment” (Becker, 39).

History

            The etymology of the word 'crazy' is originally derived from a medical diagnosis of someone with a break down in mental health; earlier definitions explain this as “diseased, sickly” or a “break down in health.” While these limited definitions do not specifically identify the health problem as a mental illness, it is presumed to be a characteristic of the mentally ill. I mean, if it was suggestive of a physical ailment, you would hear things like- “Shoot, that girl has cancer, she's so crazy.” Have you heard this in your life without it referencing someone's mental health? If you have, I bet it has been rare.

            In 1927, the definition of 'crazy' is altered in Jazz music to mean “cool, exciting”. The Jazz music genre was reaching popularity in mainstream culture at this time. By 1610, the definition is now inclusive of a mental flaw, being of “unsound mind.” Being able to annoy someone, or “drive [them] crazy” was now used as acceptable speech in 1873. From 2000-2011, my definitions for crazy came predominantly from Urban Dictionary. Therefore, some sentiments may be repeated but I felt it was important to include them in the table because of the language each definition used. As you can see from the table being “crazy” was an undesirable trait until about 1927, when definitions of this word begin to have contextual meaning. The jazz slang-usage for the word allowed social acceptance of the label ‘crazy.’ This acceptance has morphed the label crazy into a desirable characteristic by some. My favorite UrbanDictionary definition is “'Crazy' is generally a positive, desirable characteristic, describing someone who is very out there, fun to be with, unrestricted, creative and plain awesome.” So where does this place the mentally ill originally placed in this category? They’re still crazy, it’s just a different kind-is the answer I received when I asked this question. To legitimize and socially organize, however, those labeled mentally “crazy” could also possess titles like lunatic, bonkers, deranged, demented and maniacal. Those words, coincidentally, never mean ‘cool.’

Why is labeling so important?

Society subdivides groups through labels, where some labels are the desirable default and others are implicitly deviant. Society does this; thus, society creates labels for what is good and bad, right and wrong. “The deviant is one to whom that label has successfully been applied; deviant behavior is behavior people so label” (Becker, 39). Labeling someone ‘crazy’ creates this idea that mentally ill is deviant, bad, and wrong. These labels are then internalized by those whom society has deemed deviant. Starblanketriverchild says this labeling speech is ableist language. “There are many varied manifestations of ingrained ableism in contemporary society and pop culture, but I see it most often in uncritical use of language based on ableist assumptions...”

 Personal Influence and Importance of Labels

            I was recently in a mental health situation in which I had to work with someone from Clark County Crisis. Her official title was a DMHP (Designated Mental Health Professional). I'm sure some of you are wondering where I'm going with this, like what does this have to do with the word crazy? Why do we need to know? Well, she is around people we've labeled 'crazy' every day and as a professional can understand both sides of the story. I asked for her definition of the word, how she thinks society perceives it, and how she thinks it affects the consumers she sees. ('Consumer' is the politically correct term for patients today. To be called a patient is suggestive of illness, and not all patients wish to be seen as ill, but as consumers of medical assistance). She thinks 'crazy' typically refers to a slur on mental illness, “I find it to be demoralizing, just not a nice word.”

            The consumers she sees, like me, can often be triggered or relapse when called 'crazy.' This causes “stereotypical fears and misinformation preventing them from getting help.” Hope Ambassador, a blog I found online discusses the fear and need to reclaim the negative label of 'crazy.' She says, “Even though I have been well for over a decade and have my life very together with a healthy understanding of this illness, and a good support network, I have lived in fear of 'going crazy' again. Of ending up in hospital, again. Fear. Fear can be good. It tells us to be careful. And when you're someone with a history of hypomania or mania, it makes good sense to be careful. Too much fear, however, is unhealthy. It keeps us stuck. It stops us from trusting ourselves and others. That is why I need to reclaim crazy. I am endeavoring to loosen the grip of fear...” 

For the consumers that are inwardly consumed (internalize) by this label, 'crazy' can be deadly. For me, when I hear this term I think there is something inherently wrong with me as a human being; so wrong, in fact, that it will never change or be accepted. It makes me feel like less of a person. To the mentally stable population this is exactly why I was labeled 'crazy.' I prefer 'emotionally-sensitive', just saying. The DMHP felt that this term has been popularized by both the mentally ill and mentally stable. It's an “easy word to use for something they don't understand or are scared of. It may very well be a word mentally-ill use to own-themselves, forgetting the small line in-between which others may misinterpret.” Labeling theory attacks again. “Treating a person as though he were generally rather than specifically deviant produces a self-fulfilling prophecy. It sets in motion several mechanisms which conspire to shape the person in the image people have of him” (Becker, 41). A label reflecting a mental illness has a harder time healing with the illness while faced with an expected image to fulfill.

            Look at it this way; watch the trailer for “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.” Jack Nicolson, the star of this film, is playing a character whom pleaded to insanity in criminal court to avoid going to federal prison. He is supposed to be mentally stable, but plays such a good role at being “crazy” it’s hard to tell what is fake and what is real. This is a great example of internalizing a label into actions. 

 

While this is rather long, I appreciate the fact that you took time to read it. As I did an immense amount of research and exposed personal identification with my subject. I hope after reading this, you're a bit more careful about how, when, why, what situations, and to whom you use the word 'crazy' around. For it is not just an umbrella term for “cool” but it rife with medical meaning for the mentally ill.

 Becker, Howard S. "Labeling Theory." Readings in Deviant Behavior. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 2010.  39-41.

Online Etymology Dictionary

Year	Definition	Source
1476	Obsolete metaphoric use for “break down in health.”	Wiki Answers
1570	“diseased, sickly.”
1580	“full of cracks, or flaws.”	Online Etymology Dictionary
1610	“of unsound mind, or behaving as so.”	Online Etymology Dictionary
1617	“insane.”	Wiki Answers
1813	Extension to “mania fad” first recorded.	Wiki Answers
1873	To drive (someone) crazy is attested.	Online Etymology Dictionary
1927	Jazz slang for, “cool, exciting.”	Online Etymology Dictionary
1935	“Crazy like a fox.”	Online Etymology Dictionary
2000	1. Affected with madness; insane. 2. Informal Departing from proportion or moderation, especially: a. Possessed by enthusiasm or excitement b. Immoderately fond; infatuated c. Intensely involved or preoccupied d. Foolish or impractical; senseless	TheFreeDictionary
2005	Usually put before a word to increase its meaning and emphasize. similar to wicked or totally. crazy - Popularized in the post millenium as a substitute for cool, hip, exciting, dope, off the hook and was widely accepted by middle class whites. 2. An adjective describing an individual (particularly a gangsta) who is mentally unstable and prone to bursts of violence or recklessness without regard to oneself.	Urban Dictionary
2007	1) insane,psycho,high,loony,absolutely awsome,free-willed 2)often used by people to describe what they do not understand or think is not how something or someone should be and or act	Urban Dictionary
2008	'Crazy' is generally a positive, desirable characteristic (unless you are very calm yourself), describing someone who is very out there, fun to be with, unrestricted, creative and plain awesome. You might associate a crazy person with partying, being ridiculously obscene and loud in public with their friends, and cracking jokes. You would not usually find a crazy person pondering on their philosophy of life, discussing how amazing War Literature is or talking about how delightfully tasty their English tea is. Crazy people can either be cool or just plain annoying. There is the crazy that everyone loves, where you are the life of the party, or the crazy that goes overboard, where people want to avoid you. 1. Often misinterpreted as a bad characteristic, crazy is used to describe people that are random, hyper, creative, and flat out fun to hang with.(adj.) 2. Used to describe someone with serious mental issues that often effect their interaction with other people. (adj.)	Urban Dictionary
2011	“That sh*ts cray.” A shortened term for crazy, popularized in mainstream hip-hop music to explain an off-the-hook experience.