Note: This is part one of two posts. As these are text-heavy and I’ll be providing transcripts, I’m separating each card into their own posts for easier access and readability.
So instead of my typical letters for Dear World, I bring you plurality stereotyping bingo cards!
Originally written by the Zyfron System, authors of the web comic Gemini and members of the website HealthyMultiplicity.com, they have been awesome enough to give me permission to make images for easier distribution. You may find the original page for the bingo card at their section of HealthyMultiplicity.com, posted under Articles.
I apologize in advance if the images are difficult to read for some, due to a smaller font size. These particular cards have a lot of text to them and I was trying to balance between visibility and not making the images too large for smaller resolutions (especially since mine’s relatively high). It wasn’t an easy task.
Without further delay, the first bingo card!
Transcript:
Image is a black and white five by five grid. The header header has the word “BINGO” in large capslock letters, the letters spaced out individually for each column. There is subtext written at the bottom.
Row one, cell one: “It is sad that you exist at all, because it means that [“real” person] must have been horribly abused!”
Row one, cell two: Believes that it is impossible to know you have headmates unless told so by a psychiatrist.
Row one, cell three: Believes that multiple personalities “was just made up by psychiatrists.”
Row one, cell four: “Part of me wants to play, part of me thinks I should be working, but I know I’m not multiple!”
Row one, cell five: Believes only one person is “real,” and bases the decision of which person it is on who they met first.
Row two, cell one: Doesn’t see any reason why you would want to tell anyone else (including loved ones) about it.
Row two, cell two: Believes you are a danger to yourself and others, regardless of any evidence.
Row two, cell three: “You’re interfering with [real person's] life!”
Row two, cell four: “That’s interesting, but I’m not really into all that new-age stuff.”
Row two, cell five: “It would be impossible for anyone with multiple personalities to hide it!”
Row three, cell one: “Well, I guess it’s OK so long as you’re not depressed or unhealthy” * [reference to subtext]
Row three, cell two: “So you’re schizophrenic?”
Row three, cell three [center square]: Free Space “But you aren’t a real person! You’re just an alter/ fragment/ coping mechanism!”
Row three, cell four: Asks about “the voices.”
Row three, cell five: “You can just stay in the closet to avoid discrimination. Therefore it’s not a problem.”
Row four, cell one: “But, [real person] likes x, why don’t you like x?”
Row four, cell two: “How can you tell? / Prove it!”
Row four, cell three: “But, Dr. x says that MPD doesn’t exist! Therefore you can’t possibly be multiple!”
Row four, cell four: “Stop dissociating and just realize that you are actually [real person]!”
Row four, cell five: “You’re not really multiple. If you were really multiple, I would be able to tell.”
Row five, cell one: “Ooh! Which one of you is the Protector Guardian? Have you met your ISH yet?”
Row five, cell two: “If you don’t remember being abused, it just means you have repressed memories.”
Row five, cell three: Wants to be supportive of [real person's] horrible disease, but refuses to acknowledge anyone but [real person].
Row five, cell four: Assigns names to emotions, calls it multiplicity, and then uses it as an example of how ridiculous the idea of multiplicity is.
Row five, cell five: “They say integration doesn’t hurt. Therefore you have no reason not to do it!”
Subtext: * I know some people will wonder about this one. I thought the whole point was that multiplicity isn’t unhealthy? Well, but sometimes people get depressed. Sometimes people have problems, especially people who are being oppressed and ignored. Sometimes people really do have to deal with trauma, and that includes multiples. Often times, there is this idea that as soon as you are experiencing any of these things, it means it’s time to integrate. For people not identified by outsiders as “the host” or “the real person,” this often means that their existence is no longer considered valid, healthy, or worthwhile once they begin to have difficulties of this sort.
