I wonder if the same 'PC Gone Mad' crowd are the same people who'd tell a depressed mate to 'man up and pull yourself together'.
ASDA dropped a bollock, pure and simple. They and others revel in painting themselves as our community-centric, socially conscious friends. In fact, they're ruthless shills and spivs who couldn't give a fuck who or what they damage in pursuit of our money. Thousands of good people have in recent years worked tirelessly to bring mental health to new light in our society. Many (including myself) do so for free. Others have laid bare their lives and secrets, for nothing but the hope that people might just think differently about their illness. The BBC recently aired a documentary series about kids locked up in a Manchester secure unit. 10% of children in the UK live with a mental health disorder. Many others live with a close relative who does.
Imagine being a recently diagnosed and treated bipolar teen, shopping with your mates in ASDA and seeing that on the shelf. It begs the question 'So that's what society thinks people like me look like? That's what I'm going to turn into?' It's the sheer lack of thought. The sheer absence of consideration. That product will have passed through the hands of ASDA's suppliers, buyers, managers, and merchandisers. None of these people thought 'Hang on, that might be a bit much'. It seems everyone at ASDA just ignored all the prominent campaigns.
The portrayal of mentally ill people in films has always been patchy. The psychotic make great suspenseful characters because they are viewed as unpredictable and behave in extreme ways. A villain's wickedness is mitigated by his condition. Likewise the fool's idiocy, the geriatric's pathos, the hellraiser's recklessness. They are easy characters which write themselves. Should these be banned? Hell no. The suggestion is ridiculous. Should we see more informed, sympathetic and realistic mentally ill characters to counter these? Most definitely. In fact, it's already happening. The films are out there and more are made every year. The success of these films is that they humanise the sick and open debate.
Should Tesco and Amazon have followed ASDA in removing similar products? Who knows. What we do know is why they have. It's because they are cowards who are terrified of strong public opinion hitting their profits.
