colinmaclec Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 Better ban smurf and dwarf outfits as well then as short people may take offence. The world has gone mad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jac2011 Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 Just spent 4 hours in a CAMHS lecture discussing the daily struggles young people starting life with a mental illness are facing and the stigma that they hold about the illnesses they have and the fear that has been embedded into them from these kind of things. Perhaps the people who think these costumes are ok should go and dress up and have a party around these young children going through some of the most difficult life changes they may ever face just so that you can have your 5 minutes of pleasure of dressing up on Halloween. Yes in the past books and movies have portrayed a very different world, however patients were detained, retrained, removed from society, treated like zoo animals and tortured in the past. That is very much the history of mental health and something that mental health services are deeply ashamed of. It is only by reducing the stigma and learning from the past that we have realised how disrespective the world has become to those facing difficulties. It is now that their is a global fight to reduce the stigma, working with media to promote mental health and to make people realise that at least 1 in 4 of us will face a mental illness in our lifetime. Until people with Schizophrenia, Bi-Polar, Depression etc love to accept who they are and understand that they are normal and society is ready to accept them then we are condemning them to a life sentance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BritChickx Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 i'm not personally offensive but i can see how it would be offensive to others....you can't refer to a costume as a 'mental patient' . Mental illnesses are very sad and serious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caramac Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 I think you missed my sarcasm.. If the countless horror films and books over the past fifty years aren't offensive, I fail to see how a halloween costume is. Clearly, Norman Bates was bi-polar and his human rights not given enough consideration. Fifty years ago we still had people being discriminated against for their race, sex, sexuality, even their marital status. Thankfully most civilised societies find that abhorrent now. Labelling these costumes in this way feeds into the ignorance some parts of society still have regarding mental health problems. It's insulting and offensive to those who live and function every day with a psychiatric diagnosis to portray them as dangerous, axe wielding maniacs. There are evil people out there who commit horrendous crimes who have no psychiatric diagnosis. That's why they go to prison, not a secure hospital. Perhaps the costumes could be renamed 'The Evil B~}#*^< Outfit'? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peach Posted September 28, 2013 Share Posted September 28, 2013 I'm sorry but I said over the past fifty years, not fifty years ago. Should Talking Heads - Psycho Killer be banned? Or Silence of the Lambs? The Halloween films? All are mis-representations of how most people how people suffering from mental illness behave. A bright orange halloween jump suit has nothing to do with kids suffering mental illness - you have to draw an exceptionally long bow to connect the two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BritChickx Posted September 28, 2013 Share Posted September 28, 2013 Think you're missing the point... I disagree because the term 'mental patient' could be anything...not just a psychopath which is what the costumes portray i suppose. And those films are fictional who knows what really is going on in the killers heads? Not every killer has mental problems (though people would like to believe that because it makes them feel better) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peach Posted September 28, 2013 Share Posted September 28, 2013 Think you're missing the point... I disagree because the term 'mental patient' could be anything...not just a psychopath which is what the costumes portray i suppose. And those films are fictional who knows what really is going on in the killers heads? Not every killer has mental problems (though people would like to believe that because it makes them feel better) I wasn't responding to you missy.. :wink: Both jac2011 and caramac said that it was in the past / fifty years ago when the mental ill were potrayed badly in films & books - but thankfully the world has moved on. I was trying to point out that mentally ill 'psycho' killers are very much the stuff of Hollywood and literature today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jac2011 Posted September 28, 2013 Share Posted September 28, 2013 If that was the case Peach why have so many psychiatric patients have been upset by this outfit? It is them that have been portrayed as killers and them that have been really upset by these outfits which is why there has been a massive outcry both by the patients and by the staff who support them. Why do you think Tesco and Asda have been forced to apologise? It is because so many people complained because they have in fact been upset or disappointed by these costumes. Would you rather upset a few thousand psychiatric patients or make a fw people have for 5 minutes of fun on Halloween? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Andy Posted September 28, 2013 Share Posted September 28, 2013 Ridiculous comment, what next.....ban PORN? Are you nuts :shocked: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peach Posted September 28, 2013 Share Posted September 28, 2013 If that was the case Peach why have so many psychiatric patients have been upset by this outfit? It is them that have been portrayed as killers and them that have been really upset by these outfits which is why there has been a massive outcry both by the patients and by the staff who support them. Why do you think Tesco and Asda have been forced to apologise? It is because so many people complained because they have in fact been upset or disappointed by these costumes. Would you rather upset a few thousand psychiatric patients or make a fw people have for 5 minutes of fun on Halloween? But is that what really happened? Psychiatric patients all over the country found themselves browsing the halloween aisles and were offended? Or the media got hold of a story and journalists approached patients with camera crews and asked them what they thought about it? And then went on to ask the politicians for their opinion? Before finally asking the supermarkets to comment... I know which I find more likely - option B - that the gutter press stirred it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulv Posted September 28, 2013 Share Posted September 28, 2013 I'm sorry but I said over the past fifty years, not fifty years ago. Should Talking Heads - Psycho Killer be banned? Or Silence of the Lambs? The Halloween films? All are mis-representations of how most people how people suffering from mental illness behave. A bright orange halloween jump suit has nothing to do with kids suffering mental illness - you have to draw an exceptionally long bow to connect the two. Wrong wrong wrong! Hannibal Lecter was a psychopath - a person who is not able to empathise with other people's feelings/emotions etc. This is not a mental illness, this is a personality disorder that cannot ever be treated, and why people with these diagnoses (along with other infamous real life killers) are detained indefinitely. Sorry to introduce a bit of fact into yet another 'It must be PC gone mad because I want to be able to hold onto my prehistoric prejudices and now I can't even do that' thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulv Posted September 28, 2013 Share Posted September 28, 2013 But is that what really happened? Psychiatric patients all over the country found themselves browsing the halloween aisles and were offended? Or the media got hold of a story and journalists approached patients with camera crews and asked them what they thought about it? And then went on to ask the politicians for their opinion? Before finally asking the supermarkets to comment... I know which I find more likely - option B - that the gutter press stirred it up. Wrong again. This was another social media storm that was spotted and shared with a hashtag on Twitter. Literally hundreds of psychiatric patients then shared pictures of themselves - in psychiatric wards - dressed not in blood spattered clothing but in blouses, tee shirts, vest tops and the like. Typical clothes, typical people. No 'gutter press', no storm in a teacup, just a stigmatised section of society speaking up for themselves with the technology that is now available. Asda quickly changed their listing (within 3 hours) and within 12 hours had donated £25,000 to the mental health charity MIND. Tesco and Amazon were quickly found to be carrying similar products and social media did it's best with them too. I find it very positive that a previously under represented and unheard section of society has also found their voice. More power to them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peach Posted September 28, 2013 Share Posted September 28, 2013 Wrong again. This was another social media storm that was spotted and shared with a hashtag on Twitter. Literally hundreds of psychiatric patients then shared pictures of themselves - in psychiatric wards - dressed not in blood spattered clothing but in blouses, tee shirts, vest tops and the like. Typical clothes, typical people. No 'gutter press', no storm in a teacup, just a stigmatised section of society speaking up for themselves with the technology that is now available. Asda quickly changed their listing (within 3 hours) and within 12 hours had donated £25,000 to the mental health charity MIND. Tesco and Amazon were quickly found to be carrying similar products and social media did it's best with them too. I find it very positive that a previously under represented and unheard section of society has also found their voice. More power to them Good on them - happy to stand corrected, will they also be demanding that Silence of the Lambs (etc, etc, etc) is withdrawn? I won't be happy until Amazon stop selling this drivel: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Takin-Over-The-Asylum-DVD/dp/B00153NOOU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1380364289 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wellers and Whitehead Posted September 28, 2013 Share Posted September 28, 2013 Good on them - happy to stand corrected, will they also be demanding that Silence of the Lambs (etc, etc, etc) is withdrawn? I won't be happy until Amazon stop selling this drivel: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Takin-Over-The-Asylum-DVD/dp/B00153NOOU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1380364289 You have lived in oz too long..very poor understanding and compassion for people with mental health. As somebody currently got mental health problems and with a family who has suffered depression through the centuries, it is offensive as does portray mental health as killers, I'm not a killer or violent but this enforces that attitude. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peach Posted September 28, 2013 Share Posted September 28, 2013 You have lived in oz too long..very poor understanding and compassion for people with mental health. As somebody currently got mental health problems and with a family who has suffered depression through the centuries, it is offensive as does portray mental health as killers, I'm not a killer or violent but this enforces that attitude. I must admit, I really was unaware that it was the patients themselves that got the supermarkets to roll over. So for being personally offended by it, that is an excellent result. I did have incorrect assumptions that the press and PC brigade were leading the charge. I was wrong and I must apologise that my cycnical response overiding my empathetic one. Being a bit of UK news, I should keep my snout out - without researching my facts better (in this case: at all). All that said, I think there have been far worse representations of mental health that have been ignored and that this is a poor example (a piece of supermarket tat) to make a stance on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulv Posted September 28, 2013 Share Posted September 28, 2013 Good on them - happy to stand corrected, will they also be demanding that Silence of the Lambs (etc, etc, etc) is withdrawn? I won't be happy until Amazon stop selling this drivel: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Takin-Over-The-Asylum-DVD/dp/B00153NOOU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1380364289 Try not to be so reactionary. This may be the start of a more enlightened era where generalizations are rightfully challenged and people who are different to you, or I, can be accepted and be heard as equals. It's not asking too much is it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peach Posted September 28, 2013 Share Posted September 28, 2013 Wrong wrong wrong! Hannibal Lecter was a psychopath - a person who is not able to empathise with other people's feelings/emotions etc. No, he was a fictional character that wore an orange jumpsuit in a film - a garment that since has been considered offensive to the mentally ill when on sale in supermarkets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulv Posted September 28, 2013 Share Posted September 28, 2013 No, he was a fictional character that wore an orange jumpsuit in a film - a garment that since has been considered offensive to the mentally ill when on sale in supermarkets. [ATTACH=CONFIG]20995[/ATTACH] NO! The clothing was not questioned. Calling an outfit 'Mental ward psycho killer' or a variation on this was the issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peach Posted September 28, 2013 Share Posted September 28, 2013 NO! The clothing was not questioned. Calling an outfit 'Mental ward psycho killer' or a variation on this was the issue. So Hannibal Lecter wouldn't be considered to have mental problems, or be a pyscho killer, or reside on a secure mental ward? Does your average mental health patient wear an orange jump suit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulv Posted September 28, 2013 Share Posted September 28, 2013 So Hannibal Lecter wouldn't be considered to have mental problems, or be a pyscho killer, or reside on a secure mental ward? Does your average mental health patient wear an orange jump suit? Please see previous answer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jac2011 Posted September 28, 2013 Share Posted September 28, 2013 Throughout the years media and the public (and mental health staff) have vastly treated the mentally ill in the most degrading way, anyone who reads any of the books based around the history of mental health will be shocked at the torture they were put through. The reason as a student mental health nurse I am standing up for the people I treat is because they need to be able to believe themselves that they are just as equal as the rest of the world. The problem is the public opinion of people with mental health problems in particular schizophrenia and personality disorders is appalling and they are dramatically disadvantaged in society, most live in poverty, often homeless and do resort to crime because they do not know how else to survive. My previous placement was working with people with personality disorders in a forensic setting that are trying to reintegrate with society and it is almost impossible. They have turned to crime through lack of education, lack of support and due to them not fitting in with society norms. With support, guidance and belief many of these patients are living well within the community and I saw so many positive stories where they had turned their lives away from crime. Nearly everyone I have spoken to outside my job laughed at the Tesco/Asda costume and wondered why we could no longer have a laugh... It is only when you are able to see from the inside that you realise how much work needs to be done. Seeing Rethink's advertising campaign with service users dressed in normal clothing and seeing how many were strong enough to represent themselves shows how far we have come, however seeing the general public believing that society has taken 'political correctness' too far shows how far we have yet to come. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jac2011 Posted September 28, 2013 Share Posted September 28, 2013 http://www.rethink.org/news-views/2013/09/a-spooky-tale-with-a-happy-ending Says everything that needs to be said on this subject, if you disagree then I am sorry but you are still very small minded. Hopefully in time, you may wake up. I just hope that you or none of your family are unfortunate in the meantime to suffer from a mental illness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunbury61 Posted September 28, 2013 Share Posted September 28, 2013 Would you find a "cancer patient" costume acceptable or funny? How about one for children? Yes or no. iam with you rupert ....WTF has a mental patient costume got to do with halloween ? .....it aint funny either ....what example is that sending to young children ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlight7 Posted September 28, 2013 Share Posted September 28, 2013 Well I'm certainly not a pc type person but I found that costume description really distasteful. Says a lot about the mentality and maturity of those who are marketing it. Yes- it is offensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyHeart Posted September 28, 2013 Share Posted September 28, 2013 I read the thread first..and some of the posts...and assumed I'd agree it was PC nonsense...then I saw the costumes..and the titles..psycho ward...'mental patient' No...It offended me, I dont agree, it's not halloween or traditional horror, bearing in mind halloween is a kids thing really, is it appropriate to have horrific horror film icons as costumes...not to mention the stigmatisation of mental health patients. If I was on a psycho ward or a mental patient, so to speak i would be upset by this...whatever happened to witches and zombies! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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