We've all heard it. We've probably all said it. “She's crazy!"
In our college culture, it's one of the most tossed around -- and most hurtful -- insults someone could say about a girl. It often gets thrown around in a relationship; we'll call some guy's ex (who still seems to care a little too much) crazy. When a girl gets visibly upset seeing some guy at a party, she's crazy. Whatever the reason is to say it, this knee-jerk insult needs to stop.
First of all, calling someone “crazy" plays into the negative stigma that already exists surrounding mental health. Second, just because guys don't understand a particular female mindset, or we don't like some other girl, does not mean that we should label them as insane. I personally have a few theories surrounding “The Crazy Card":
1. Alcohol plays a big role and is great at making people do things they wouldn't do otherwise
2. Mixing alcohol with iPhone use is a cocktail that can lead to doing regrettable things much faster and easier than it has ever been before
3. “Crazy" is a lazy way of writing someone off without trying to make sense of their situation or feelings
I get that men have a difficult time understanding the actions of women, I really do. It's not like we're experts on the opposite sex, by any means. However, by coming to the mutual understanding that we will probably never get each other, I'm asking that "crazy" stops being the go-to descriptive term for girls you don't sleep with anymore.
As women we have a knack for being dramatic and emotional, you knew this getting into it. Just because a girl had three shooters too many and cries about a guy at a party doesn't mean she's nuts. It means she's inebriated, and, at one point in time, possessed feelings for someone.
I also think there is some blame that should be attributed to women for perpetuating this activity as well. Every girl has cried about a significant other at some point in time. (Guys, if a girl denies this, she is a huge liar and that is something you should actually be worried about.)
So stop agreeing with guys when they're telling a story about a girl and the word crazy comes up. You don't have to be a champion of her cause, you don't even particularly have to like her. But a simple “Oh, it just sounds like she was a little emotional that night," instead of “Yeah, she seems bonkers," will go a long way for the female cause. Just imagine how you would feel if your name came up in a conversation like that, and nobody stuck up for you.
What I'm trying to get at is it's not fair to slap an overarching title on an entire gender, because, truth be told, if we can all be considered “crazy" by one guy or another that's probably not the real issue. The problem is a difference in genetic make up. The same goes for saying “All guys are jerks." All guys are not terrible, heartless people. As genders we just react differently to emotions and situations.
I think we should all be a little more understanding, and honestly, a little more creative with our insults, and lay the crazy card to rest.