Dan Harmon's Apology

[Phoebe]

Well, at least I'm not the only one who is orthogonal to normal, and that is okay! Hypnosis gives you a fascinating glimpse into your own internal structures of self-control and emotional damage management. The brain has translated it all into "pillars of the ancestors". These powerful avatars deflect problems by encouraging the small inner child to be Stoic ("considering all the astonishing ways that we suffered and coped with it before you came along, so that we could give you this opportunity at a good life, now you with your small problems can get your shit together and keep it there! you owe it to us!") and also to float above it somehow ("nobody can ever really touch you no matter what they do - just laugh it off and keep on laughing until you get what you want"). These mechanisms perhaps mean that emotional abuse can't get a purchase on you, but maybe in such a way that you can't even recognize it anymore. It looks like a normal thing you have learned to handle. I'm afraid I see things people sometimes call emotional abuse as "normal" in some way - just one of those challenges life presents, that you should buck up and deal with already. I dislike being criticized but I have ways of dealing with it. I dislike having my feelings disregarded but I can handle that too. Like a resourceful raccoon I just find another route to get access to what I need in the situation and forget about it. My guess is that a greater openness to personal injury is required for things like true friendship e.g. with other women, and I don't have it. There is no such openness; I can't even fathom what that would be.

[Phoebe]