I’ve watched the episode ‘Displaced’ from #StarTrek Voyager. In this episode the crew are slowly replaced by aliens and find themselves in a new habitat. Eventually all the crew are put in this new habitat.
This new habitat the crew find themselves in is peaceful, beautiful, has food and Earths cultural database from their ship (so they can read ebooks and stream films like off the internet). The crew aren’t happy and find a way to escape.
This made me think when I was homeless for 4 and half months in a psychiatric hospital. Although I was provided with food and a bed it still felt like oppression. Having to get my phone charged by staff and supervised shaving when it suited them made it challenging.
Although through my phone and tablet I had a netflix subscription at the time to watch Star Trek. Plus my Bible. The use of a kitchen and the ability to eat when I wanted to was not my right. When I was moved to a hotel for 6 weeks I had the freedom but no kitchen or laundry.
Thankfully I now have the freedom of a home. Though sometimes it still feels like a habitat due to stigma and barriers to participate more fully in society. It is a fight to maintain my independence sometimes. Sometimes I just want to be left alone in some false habitat.
This episode is very much about colonialism. I blog further about Medical-Welfare Colonialism here.