History of Syscourse
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
Syscourse has likely existed for as long as there have been communities of people who experience a system of multiple parts, people, or perspectives inside of them. Many debates in syscourse even predate the creation of the World Wide Web. The most long-standing debate seems to revolve around this question: what constitutes a "true" multiple?
Syscourse has likely existed for as long as there have been communities of people who experience a system of multiple parts, people, or perspectives inside of them. Many debates in syscourse even predate the creation of the World Wide Web. The most long-standing debate seems to revolve around this question: what constitutes a "true" multiple?
This question pervaded even the earliest issues of Many Voices Press, a newsletter for survivors with dissociative multiplicity which ran through 1989 to 2012. In one of the issues in 1989, submitter Rita M. details their concern over society's focus on "true" multiples. "I cringe when I hear people (therapists, clients, or lay-people) use the term 'true' multiple. If it means 'SALS—She Ain't Like Sybil', or 'SALE—She Ain't Like Eve' (to quote the eminent Dr. Kluft,) then one could (and would) quite easily overlook or misdiagnose the majority of MPD patients," Rita expresses in their column. Their article highlights how the idea of "true" multiples has led to the complexities of both dissociative disorders and survivorship being ignored [1].
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The fair majority of online multiplicity spaces existed inside of abuse survivorship spaces. Because of this, many people saw multiplicity as an experience solely caused by childhood abuse. In the late 1990s, multiples who claimed to have no abuse history emerged en masse to challenge this idea.
The emergence of non-abused multiples kickstarted a movement to detach multiplicity from the perceived requirement of abuse and, later on, any kind of trauma, dissociation, or disorder. It was this movement which drove a huge wedge between multiples on the Internet. Tensions blossomed between these two main groups: the empowered multiples and the survivor multiples [2].
The emergence of non-abused multiples kickstarted a movement to detach multiplicity from the perceived requirement of abuse and, later on, any kind of trauma, dissociation, or disorder. It was this movement which drove a huge wedge between multiples on the Internet. Tensions blossomed between these two main groups: the empowered multiples and the survivor multiples [2].
2. Pulled Apart By Labels
Online discourse arose between these two groups. Individuals who identified as naturally-occurring and/or non-disordered multiples were often at odds with individuals who identified as trauma-based multiples and/or having a dissociative disorder (DD) [3][4][5]. The big question within this discourse seemed to be, still, what constitutes a "true" multiple?
Many naturally-occurring multiples proclaimed that multiplicity was not a disorder and could not be caused by abuse or any other trauma, for that matter [2][5]. On the other hand, many trauma-based multiples identified with a DD and insisted that multiplicity could only develop from trauma or even just abuse [2][3][5]. Several multiples on the Internet, such as the people of Idia, documented their concerns with this conflict.
"I see this segregation, this divisions in the multiple community ultimately keeping us apart and discounted in the world," expresses the people of Idia. "Dark, light, survivor empowered and the occasional victim. It's the terms and peoples assumptions about their meaning and desirability that is fracturing the multiple community" [2].
"I think sometimes people go too far," another multiple comments on the strife between naturally-occurring and abused plurals. "We are finding two distinct categories of multiples emerging. The 'natural multiple' who believes they do not exist due to abuse and the 'survivor multiple' who believes that abuse created the multiplicity. I can believe either side but I see people drawing lines and saying 'their' definition is right. This scares me. The multiple community is finally starting to come together and I hate to see it get pulled apart by labels" [5].
3. Shifting Platforms & Languages
Throughout the early 2000s, the online communities for multiples grew within mailing lists, message boards, and collaborative journals such as LiveJournal Community. While they occasionally divulged into syscourse within themselves, these conflicts were often attentively moderated by admin boards. These communities were private enough to minimize scrutiny from those outside of the communities. This would all change in 2007, however, when a popular microblogging platform called Tumblr launched to the Internet.
Multiples flocked to this new platform. One user who joined this move from LiveJournal to Tumblr documented how the differences in these platforms affected the online multiples. Without the same moderation or privacy, they expressed that ". . . those who have migrated from LJ to Tumblr seem woefully unprepared for their beliefs, carefully caressed and nurtured by others of similiar faiths for years, to be scathingly judged" [6].
On Tumblr, multiplicity began to draw much attention to it. Natural and non-disordered multiples in particular garnered a lot of skepticism and harsh criticism. This was especially due to their close connection to the otherkin community, which was also facing harsh scrutiny and harassment [6][7]. It was also not uncommon for multiplicity to be brought up within other majorly debated topics on Tumblr at the time, such as social justice and privilege [8]. Many users would accuse non-disordered multiples of purposefully glorifying, appropriating, or even faking dissociative identity disorder (DID) [9][10: Section II].
Over the years, there would be a shift in language. Multiples often referred to themselves as 'multiple systems', but this would eventually be shortened to just 'systems.' While there were still plenty of users who called themselves multiples or plurals, 'systems' would boom in popularity and swiftly overshadow the other labels.
2012 and onwards, Tumblr saw a sharp increase in both syscourse and new blogs centered around multiplicity, such as A Guide To Multiplicity, Real Multiple Advice, and That Multiple Feel. Many users would later express concerns with the information and advice these blogs gave out, especially when it had to do with DID [11]. It makes sense that, following the emergence of multiplicity blogs, there would also be many blogs created with a focus on discussing the impact of Tumblr's multiplicity community. Some of these blogs, like An Integrated Mind, sought to bring awareness to how natural systems and otherkin were impacting people with DID and offer constructive commentary. Other blogs, like This Is Not Dissociative, were created in an effort to dispel the prominent misinformation about DID on Tumblr.
Just like the years before, systems began to strife over who counted as a real system and who didn't. Unlike before, however, the whole of a social media platform was there to witness it and fan the flames. Unfortunately, systems that either identified as natural or non-disordered, or DID/OSDD systems who fell into associated stereotypes, came to be commonly seen as the 'fake systems' on Tumblr.
There were several blogs, such as Multiple System Failures and Systemhop, that emerged in order to witch- |
hunt and ridicule potential 'fake systems'. While many of these blogs proclaimed to be helping the DID/OSDD community, many DID/OSDD systems were fakeclaimed by them and their like-minded crowds.
Eventually, many plurals without DD were met with frequent accusations that they were even appropriating terms from the DD community such as 'system,' 'multiple,' and 'alters' [12][13]. In response to this syscourse, some users would attempt to create new terms in order to replace the appropriated ones. Among these new terms included a set of labels expressing the origins of the plurality, such as 'traumagenic' (plurality caused by trauma) and 'endogenic' (plurality not caused by trauma). These were introduced by a plural known as Lunastus Collective who would discuss the creation of these terms in an interview many years later [14][15]. These origin-based labels were a huge hit and surged in popularity.
While Lunastus Collective explained that their original intention was for these labels to replace words commonly used by the DD community, most people disregarded this. Many non-disordered plurals argued that they weren't appropriating anything from the DD community and that there was no in harm in calling themselves systems or multiples [16]. Over the following years, a massive amount of natural systems on Tumblr would relabel themselves as endogenic systems. The accusations of appropriation along with other syscourse would only continued to grow, however.
Around 2016, this discourse between systems had become so explosive that it spilled over onto other social media platforms such as Twitter. It became common around this time to describe these debates as "system discourse" or syscourse.
After all of those years, the primary debate had not shifted. People were still wondering: what constitutes a "true" multiple [17][18][19][20]?
Eventually, many plurals without DD were met with frequent accusations that they were even appropriating terms from the DD community such as 'system,' 'multiple,' and 'alters' [12][13]. In response to this syscourse, some users would attempt to create new terms in order to replace the appropriated ones. Among these new terms included a set of labels expressing the origins of the plurality, such as 'traumagenic' (plurality caused by trauma) and 'endogenic' (plurality not caused by trauma). These were introduced by a plural known as Lunastus Collective who would discuss the creation of these terms in an interview many years later [14][15]. These origin-based labels were a huge hit and surged in popularity.
While Lunastus Collective explained that their original intention was for these labels to replace words commonly used by the DD community, most people disregarded this. Many non-disordered plurals argued that they weren't appropriating anything from the DD community and that there was no in harm in calling themselves systems or multiples [16]. Over the following years, a massive amount of natural systems on Tumblr would relabel themselves as endogenic systems. The accusations of appropriation along with other syscourse would only continued to grow, however.
Around 2016, this discourse between systems had become so explosive that it spilled over onto other social media platforms such as Twitter. It became common around this time to describe these debates as "system discourse" or syscourse.
After all of those years, the primary debate had not shifted. People were still wondering: what constitutes a "true" multiple [17][18][19][20]?
4. The Nature of Syscourse
In 2017, a casual survey was conducted to gauge the syscourse-related opinions of Tumblr's system community [21]. Of the 128 systems who responded, 119 identified with either DID or OSDD.
Excluding all self-written answers, about 84% of respondents voted that they did not think plurals without DID/OSDD should be included in DID/OSDD spaces, and about 64% voted that they did not think non-disordered plurals should use the terms systems, alter, and multiplicity. About 58% of respondents had an experience of being harassed, threatened, or otherwise harmed by "a syscourser on the opposing side."
This survey shared a glimpse into the particularly volatile nature of syscourse on Tumblr, rife with verbal abuse, cyber-bullying, and the encouragement of suicide. |
In 2019, the main platform for syscourse shifted over to Twitter following the creation of the Plural Gang community and hashtag. No matter which platform syscourse is held on, however, the atmosphere of harassment and aggression seems to follow along.
5. The "True" Multiple
Over the decades, thousands of syscourses have been hashed out on the Internet, often with no resolution. Due to the prevalence of cyber-bullying, it's not unusual to find people who take up rather extreme stances or those who outright avoid the online community altogether. Barraged by discourse and often abuse, both inside and out, the online community has come to be distrusting for an understandable reason. Syscourse seems to infiltrate every system space, no matter how many "do not interact" banners are strung up or how many disclaimers one has made.
To this day, the primary debate in syscourse has remained unchanged. From even before 1989, the answer has been continuously fought over: what constitutes a "true" multiple?
References
Image Credit
- M., R. (1989, October 1). Recovering. Many Voices Press, p.7
- The People of Idia. (2001, August 30). "Victim, Survivor or Empowered?". Welcome To The Shire. theshire.50megs.com/ VSE.html. Internet Archive. Retrieved 2021/10/30 from web.archive.org/web/20010830151356/http:// www.theshire.50megs.com/VSE.html
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- Lunastus Collective. (2019, March 31). "Origin of Endogenic System and Traumagenic System Terminology. Fantastic guest post by the wonderful Lunastus Collective." Power To The Plurals. powertotheplurals.com/origin-of-endogenic-and-traumagenic-system-terminology-guest-post-by-the-trashcan-collective/
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- when you befriend me you get 9 bonus dlc friends (archive.org)
- Sorry everyone, I'm a weeb again — disordered-disaster: dissociativediary: ... (archive.org)
- A Collection of Curious Things (battalionofone: We won’t deny that there are...) (archive.org)
- Meeresbande, Different ways to think of multiplicity (archive.org)
- Syscourse Survey Results (firedrake)
Image Credit
- Many Voices Press, February 2004
- Freepik
- Vectorjuice / Freepik