It's almost always inappropriate.
Using it cruelly to say something is trivial.
I've seen a few threads where the poster is just whining without a real issue but you have no idea what mental state triggered that post. It could be childish foot stomping, attention seeking or mild self doubt but it could equally be serious mental debilitation.
Using it 'cheer someone up' or as an opening to give advice on something to do.
When I'm depressed, after a few months,I reach a state where literally feel nothing. Your insincere pap might be welcome as it could make me feel something... something between irritated and raging.
Even in the early stages the best you'd get is "I don't feel sad nor is anything grieving me, I'm just incapable of being happy for now."
If their your friend and they are just wallowing in some self pity, not actual depression, then sure it might be okay (sadness and depression are not the same. Sadness still needs to be expressed but you can be cheered up ) but there's probably better ways to express yourself.
Using it tell someone to ignore their 'not real' problems.
Mmm...macho bullshit. It's backwards, sexist crap that leads to all manner of mental problems from severe feelings of inadequacy right through to full on break downs just because they don't want to be seen expressing emotions.
Joking "man up" speeches to coerce someone into a dare.
Nothing to see here; self-deprecating social commentary is all good.
unrelated
The other comments you often see on such threads are often about suicide. just as bad experiences usually don't lead to depression, depression won't usually lead to suicide. It just depends on the person, although oblviously it's the most dangerous symptom.
In my experience suicide seems just pointless and unworthy of thought as anything else.
I suppose if I were religious I might have a positive to see in it, although the padre that visited the priory thought I wouldn't get depressed in the first place if I believed in god.
Gralian said:
I've seen and heard a lot of people say fight for a women's rights and show she's not just a subservient housewife, and yet never once have i heard anyone fight for male rights.
If you don't do MANLY MAN things, you're too soft, too girly and probably gay because you're not enough of a MANLY MAN. How nice.
The fact "be a man" is still such a prevalent phrase in today's society shows gender equality still has a loooong way to go.
Yeah gender equality is my latest bugbear.
I chose, after some work related problems that had both myself and my wife away from our children for almost a year, to leave work and stay at home to look after the family as a whole.
yeah, I cook, clean get the kids ready in a morning and talk to\play with\teach them after school. It's usually pretty fulfilling to be honest.
The amount of times people have said I need to get a job the instant I say what I do is annoying. The same people don't see the hypocrisy of having a housewife when they say it either, worse some of them have been housewives.