Forums » Open clinical » Psychiatry » Was Ed Miliband right to single out Jeremy Clarkson's views about people with mental health problems?
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Was Ed Miliband right to single out Jeremy Clarkson's views about people with mental health problems?
posted at 30/10/2012 12:27 PM GMT
on bmj.com
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Posts: 1491
First: 7/4/2011 Last: 18/6/2013 |
In a speech at the Royal College of Psychiatrists yesterday, Ed Miliband (current leader of the Labour party) said that society's attitude towards people who suffer from mental health problems needs to change. For too long have people with mental illnesses been stigmatised and Miliband chose to single out Jeremy Clarkson (Top Gear presenter) as someone who is perpetuating the culture of discrimination. Miliband made reference to his comments about people who commit suicide as "selfish" as well as Janet Street Porter's comments about depression being a fashionable accessory. In the UK, as in many societies, there have been major advances in issues such as sexism and racism (but still a lot of work to do). Now Miliband has claimed more needs to be done to make people with mental health problems to feel part of society and to stop discrimination. But was Ed Miliband right to single out Clarkson and Janet Street Porter? Clarkson is no fan of Miliband but was it fair? Clarkson is known for his "outrageous" views (which he has for money - please see Stewart Lee's stand up link below) and being intentionally politically incorrect. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0i0RXMvzMs |
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Re: Was Ed Miliband right to single out Jeremy Clarkson's views about people with mental health problems?
posted at 30/10/2012 12:59 PM GMT
on bmj.com
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Posts: 1336
First: 13/4/2010 Last: 16/6/2013 |
The Stewart Lee clip says it all really. The casual racism, sexism, bigotry and homophobia exhibited in programmes like Top Gear is frankly pathetic and shameful - even more so when you think it's done with the collusion of the BBC. Oh no - I forgot - it's just a joke! Aye right |
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Re: Was Ed Miliband right to single out Jeremy Clarkson's views about people with mental health problems?
posted at 30/10/2012 7:22 PM GMT
on bmj.com
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Posts: 1012
First: 15/7/2011 Last: 15/6/2013 |
The infantile antics of Clarkson et al do nothing whatsoever for me. Him and his ilk have nothing intelligent to say and don't hesitate to say it. I have nothing further to add to the discussion. |
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Re: Was Ed Miliband right to single out Jeremy Clarkson's views about people with mental health problems?
posted at 30/10/2012 9:07 PM GMT
on bmj.com
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Posts: 1213
First: 19/4/2010 Last: 14/6/2013 |
I used to watch TG every week. I missed the whole of the last season - just not interested any more. Stewart Lee's monologue on crisps, on the other hand....
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Re: Was Ed Miliband right to single out Jeremy Clarkson's views about people with mental health problems?
posted at 30/10/2012 9:07 PM GMT
on bmj.com
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Posts: 1213
First: 19/4/2010 Last: 14/6/2013 |
I used to watch TG every week. I missed the whole of the last season - just not interested any more. Stewart Lee's monologue on crisps, on the other hand....
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Re: Was Ed Miliband right to single out Jeremy Clarkson's views about people with mental health problems?
posted at 31/10/2012 10:08 AM GMT
on bmj.com
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Posts: 1336
First: 13/4/2010 Last: 16/6/2013 |
Matthew - here's a wee experiment for you to try: Jeremy Clarkson May May Clarkson May Richard Hammond Hammond May Clarkson May Clarkson Hammond Clarkson Hammond Clarkson |
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Re: Was Ed Miliband right to single out Jeremy Clarkson's views about people with mental health problems?
posted at 19/11/2012 12:26 AM GMT
on bmj.com
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Posts: 154
First: 19/1/2012 Last: 18/5/2013 |
Yes...enough said really! Great speech by Ed Milliband though, and fabulous that he came to the College to do it. Unfortunately I wasn't there but the RCPsych president spoke about it in her blog: http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/discoverpsychiatry/thepresidentsblog.aspx I hope he and other MPs in the UK continue to keep parity of esteem between physical and mental health a priority, and that the promises turn into good increases in funding!
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Re: Was Ed Miliband right to single out Jeremy Clarkson's views about people with mental health problems?
posted at 19/11/2012 3:23 AM GMT
on bmj.com
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Posts: 3003
First: 10/3/2009 Last: 17/6/2013 |
One of our past state premiers, The Right Honorable Jeff Kennett developed depression, he fessed up publicly and set up Beyond Blue which is a wonderful organisation with a website. As depression afflicts a large proportion of the population and people get better and lead normal lives such leadership is to be applauded. We no longer bury suicides at crossroads at midnight. We also won in Rugby Union at the weekend. Odysseus. |
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Re: Was Ed Miliband right to single out Jeremy Clarkson's views about people with mental health problems?
posted at 20/11/2012 6:39 AM GMT
on bmj.com
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Posts: 107
First: 13/3/2012 Last: 22/5/2013 |
From the devil's advocate position. Clarkson can be over the top. On several shows he certainly has been. His tirade against car driverson one episode had to be seen to be believed. I had the power though, I just turned it off. However, no one stood up for the car drivers, who of course, could have been young, old, male, female, with or without depression. menstrual cramps, arthritis, diarrhoea and any other condition making them drive the way they were.
Clarkson is controversial. Everybody loves the three men who are prepared to act like idiots to entertain others of equal, lesser or more intelligence who sit and watch them get up to their antics. I must confess there are some episodes that I happily watch over and over as they are so funny. The problem comes when the foci of their jokes and anybody else's if we are widening the net, don't like their comments. God help the comedians if women gang together and get upset at every joke that is made about them. Do we like those jokes? Do we laugh at them? The clever ones of course we do. Do we laugh at the jokes about men and their foibles. Of course we do. Stories rely on these foolish behaviours, advertisements would go broke, movies would never be made. Comedians would never stand on stage, never earn a living. If the politically correct police have their way, no one will be the subject of a joke. And then there will be no jokes, no humour. No laughter, because no one will be game to laugh at anything, just in case someone gets upset. There are so many politically correct rules to follow now, the world is fast coming to a dreary, dreary end with the road to a drear hell paved with eggshells on which we cannot stand otherwise we will break them. If anyone wants to complain, let them complain about.... Funniest Home Movies. Who thinks it's funny to see males having accidents that involve their best bits. The more it hurts, the funnier the audience thinks it is. Personally, I don't think that is funny at all. I turn the show off when that is the focus. And therein lies the problem. No matter what the subject, some one is going to think it's good,funny, acceptable and there are going to be others who think it is bad/unfunny and not acceptable. It is the way of he world. Has been. Is. And will be.... unless the word police get in there and stop everything. Perhaps there needs to be a list of the things we can poke fun at. Heaven only knows, the list is getting shorter and shorter all the time. And just as a matter of interest, some people do wear their depression like the latest fashion, just the same way as some people wave their heart conditions around like a cattle prod, and others wave any condition around to get what they want. I know there will be a hue and cry about that, but we all know that some people need to be sick to get what they want or control others because they haven't developed grown up ways of asking for what they want. And that is just the way the world is. But it doesn't mean that everybody else has to play their game and bow to the "have to keep everyone happy" rule. Fortunately, or unfortunately, it's the clarksons of the world who are the only ones game enough to say it. To call it at least how he sees it. Wish I had his courage some times. |
Forums » Open clinical » Psychiatry » Was Ed Miliband right to single out Jeremy Clarkson's views about people with mental health problems?
