“SUICIDE” is not a dirty word!
Jeremy Clarkson, what a guy! How funny he is, don’t you love his sardonic wit, and sarcastic humour? Well apparently a lot of people do and many think it’s fine for him to make comments during an early evening BBC magazine programme, watched by families, on the subject of people who take their own lives in rail suicides.
Indeed when I had the audacity to say “that’s not OK” both on here, my weblog, and on my Facebook I was astounded by the level of support for Clarkson, and how people told me to understand his humour, and that he didn’t mean anything by his remarks, it’s just sunny funny Jeremy.
Considering his comments came in the same week in which we heard of the tragic suicide of a high profile sports personality, the comments were in particularly poor taste. However when you stop to think about how many suicides there are in the UK alone every year, and it’s thousands, it is reasonable to assume that someone watching ‘The One Show’ that evening was themselves affected by the death of a loved one in such tragic circumstances, and that makes me, as a human being, cringe with horror.
My blog received more hits in one day than ever (really), over 2000, and it also received some of the vilest comments I’ve ever had, one of which was to tell me to “Go fucking hang yourself stupid cow.” There were remarks suggesting people with mental illness should be sterilised, locked up and more..
I’ve blogged for a long time now, and I’ve both worked in mental health and have direct experience of a mental illness, an illness which has seen me attempt to take my life on several occasions. The guilt I feel retrospectively for both feeling and attempting suicide is tremendous and doesn’t go away, it’s something I have had to come to terms with.
Suicide is not something to make light of, and it’s most certainly not painless, whether for the person who loses their life or the people they leave behind.
Jeremy Clarkson has enormous influence on young men, the tragic irony? Suicide rates are highest amongst young men.
Yesterday I spotted a comment here which suggested that the BBC should dock’ Clarkson’s salary and donate it to The Samaritans, and I thought what an inspired thought clever comment maker – so…
I’ve made a petition http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/clarksonsuicidecomments/
It was interesting to learn (from Twitter pal) that The Samaritans are already working alongside Network Rail on the very subject of rail suicide:
http://www.samaritans.org/media_centre/special_reports/network_rail_2011_review.aspx
Apparently today in ‘The Sun’ there is another tirade from Clarkson on this subject. If you feel strongly, as I do, that his behaviour is capable of causing ‘hate crime’, then I would hope you feel able to contact the newspaper and say so!
We cannot underestimate the level of stigma against people with mental illness, and the subject of ‘suicide’. It’s not a dirty word! And we will never know how many lives are saved by the people who give their time to Samaritans every day.
If you are upset and affected by Jeremy Clarkson’s comments please talk to someone … maybe The Samaritans!
If you would like to talk to someone on the phone, call:
08457 90 90 90 in the UK and Northern Ireland
1850 60 90 90 in the Republic of Ireland
To write or email: http://www.samaritans.org/talk_to_someone.aspx?gclid=CIqw9tnp5awCFaEntAodp3DGMw
Diagnosis Matters Not!
Thanks for being so frank about what’s happened. What always strikes me when I read stuff like this is how I conform to the old stereotype of people with mental health problems as being dangerous. Most people with mental health problems are far more likely to harm/kill themselves than other people. I am not part of that majority. My condition is basically post-traumatic stress with various complications due to it not being recognised for far too long. I have seen and experienced things that would make a lot of those online abusers literally shit themselves, or kill themselves simply to avoid them. My disability was forced upon me by the actions of others, but I have enormous respect for anyone going through life with any kind of impairment, bar an empathic one. As this persecution has continued, my hatred of bigots and people who believe the crap coming out of the DWP via the press has increased to the point where I really am physically disgusted by them. I wouldn’t want to sully my phlegm by spitting on them. Maybe some of them are basically ok, just misinformed. I don’t care anymore. They’re murderers, and as such fully deserve to die. I typed out how I would make that happen, but deleted it, since nicer people than me may be reading this, and it’s pretty graphic.
I am sorry if this goes against all those anti-stigma campaigns, I really am. But I am violent towards people who display malice and fundamental disrespect for humanity, that’s just the way it is, and I do believe that some things in life really are black and white. I stay indoors mostly, because if anyone says anything like the comments quoted above in my presence, they will be crossing to my side of the disability fence in an instant, provided they’re still alive. I wish I cared more about that in itself, since I have such an active conscience the rest of the time, but in all honesty my one concern is that I don’t want to go to jail. What I would say to these people is to be very careful of thinking that disabled people are an easy punchbag for your own emotional problems, of thinking that they won’t hit back. Maybe 99 out of 100 times they will just take it, but you have absolutely no way of knowing when you’re picking on the hundredth. I’m sure my jail sentence will be a great comfort when you’re six feet under. The alternative is to grow the fuck up and face the fact that your Dad didn’t love you or your Mum beat you or your partner cheated or whatever the hell it is that’s made you so twisted. That’s what the rest of us do.
Signed & posted on Facebook – his views are abominable, and the BBC letting him be abusive is equally so.
If anyone has any evidence of Disability Hate Crime or Incidents of Disability Hatred, then they can contact me via the Disability Hate Crime Network page on FaceBook or email me at adam.lotun@disability-adjustments.co.uk and I will ensure that the information is raised with the relevant people. Anyone who experiences, sees or perceives that there are incidents of disability hate crime or incidents of disability hatred can report this directly to the Police Forces and they will ensure that their Safeguarding Teams are able to investigate the crime/incidence and protect the victims.
I was involved in that thread the other day too and was gobsmacked about some of the trolling. I mean, talk of sterilising those with a mental illness has shades of Nazi Germany and other Social Darwinism.
Good idea for that petition, I signed it and hope others do because people with mental illness need a collective voice to combat the stigma that flows out every day from different parts of the media.
You’re doing such an excellent job Dawn at mobilising and coordinating so much of this online activism and I, for one, really appreciate the job that you do, so thanks.
I found this blog from a post on a friends Facebook page, and I’m disgusted to read the comments made by some of the people on here. The train comment was disgusting, Clarkson is a real dickhead – no doubt about it.
As for someone telling you to go hang yourself, what a hurtful and pathetic thing to say. I haven’t followed you on your blog and don’t know you at all, but would never dream of saying something like that.
And someone saying people with mental illnesses should be sterilised or locked up?! I have two serious mental illnesses, and two sleep disorders, so I guess I fall into this category. I actually feel a little sorry for the comment maker, it sounds like they have little compassion or empathy for others. Let’s hope they never have to suffer mental illness themselves, or watch someone close struggle with it either.
Xxx
Clarkson is a moron. His self publishing gratuitous nonsense just gets worse, & for those people who think ” It’s just a bit of fun, laddish humour, little bit weee little bit waaa” It is infantile, hurtful & inhumane.
I shall never watch this clowns programmes ever again, top gear included ( i hope the other two ‘laddish’ humorous chaps are ashamed of him?
As for the putrid filth that told you to go hang yourself: i do hope his family never have to suffer other evil people saying such things after his family or he ever suffer such tragedies..yes, we are better than you!!
Keep your chin up Dawn, you do a fine job <3
I have to admit I am normally one of the first to jump in a stand up for ‘comedy’ but there is a time and place, private paid for ticket shows that I choose to attend I expect and hope that ‘no subject is taboo’ as once you start excluding topics it is unfair not to exclude others, and eventually there is nothing to make fun about.
That being said a family early evening show is NOT the place for such things and the BBC should have known better (they scripted Clarkson’s comments, so knew what was coming!)
The thing that has annoyed me most about this is how it has taken several days for the comments about suicide to become public knowledge (The BBC have not put this episode on Iplayer with all the other episodes – we have a RIGHT to be able to see it!). It is most sickening that the comments about strikers gained more publicity and complaints than those about suicide.
The strikers have a choice, a job and just want more money,
The victims of suicide don’t have the luxuries of strikers and nor do their families, the train drivers and anyone else affected by the loss, these are people who needed help and as I discuss in my blog post about the lack of crisis care for Mental Health in the UK (http://showard76.wordpress.com/2011/11/28/crisis-care-for-mental-health-does-it-exist/) the HELP was NOT available to them in order to prevent this happening.
People complaining need to get their priorities right – the comments about suicide are more important and more damaging than those about people who were striking!
I’m really sorry you got this kind of reaction, Dawn. Haven’t commented here before but after so many negative ones, I thought it worth leaving one to try to begin to address the balance.
As for the guilt, I hope there’s also pride for having come through such experiences and making such a difference to people with often deadly dangerous illness. You should be proud of yourself.
I must admit I thought people were making a song and dance about nothing but I think the suicide comment was missed because of the strikes. Urge people to sign petition,and consider the effect of this on people like Dawn and families affected, especially after Gary Speed.
Clarkson’s laddish humour is not funny at all when it results in the kind of comments on here. Astounded.