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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To be a quite disgusted by the latest episode of Midwives?

62 replies

EnterWittyNicknameHere · 19/08/2012 21:36

Not because of the vajayjays or anything, but because of the narration, sly camera shots and the constant comparisons between rich and poor.

Basically the episode was based in an area (Wissol? or something like that i think) where there is apparantly an obvious divide in social classes.

On the west side were the fancy mansions and business-people; on the east were the lower class: benefit claimants, single parents, teenage pregnancies basically every sterotypical lower class trait.

The narrator sounded extremelly belittling e.g. when introducing Bruce and his partner (Danielle, i think), he spoke very slowly and in short sentences, as if trying to empthasise each detail. This is their third child. (long pause). They are both unemployed. (long pause). They don't have a working cooker. (Long pause).

And then came all the random camera shots of close-ups of Danielle's unpampered hands (bad nails, cuts etc) which had nothing to do with the narration. Close ups of her bad teeth. Lots of shots of their home. And then it showed Bruce constantly playing rave/dance music.

I just found the episode really horrible and unsettling. There was a constant comparison between the likes of Bruce's family and the 'middle class' on the opposite side of the area. These people had opted for homebirths, hypnobirths, were married, were wealthy, were business folk.

I thought it was all totally stereotypical and generalising. As if to say all people on the East side had social workers, ate bad diets, were on benefits, were teenage mums; all people on the West were wealthy, had great homes, all had jobs, had perfect lives.

Just made me feel a bit shitty tbh. Know idea why though! Maybe because i'm an oversensitive twat?

OP posts:
mummypig189 · 20/08/2012 08:55

They haven't got a cooker but there's always the microwave or chip pan!
Anyone else notice the massive flatscreen.

Then on the other hand there was that woman who had had her 5th? child taken off of her, at least the others were 'looking after' their children

Tbh I wasn't paying much attention to how it was shot/edited I was just amazed some people can live like that, might watch it back now though

GnocchiNineDoors · 20/08/2012 09:08

I dont understand how they could have done this programme without commenting on the social divide. I enjoyed the show and the differences between birthing and parenting styles.

I did think the woman with the Doula may be a MNer.

sashh · 20/08/2012 09:13

cantspel Why no working cooker? Don't we taxpayers sort things like that out for people like this??

It's counted as a luxury, not an essential, so you can get a loan but not a grant. That means if you have already taken out a loan you cannot take another until it is paid off.

pigletmania · 20/08/2012 09:16

Really that couple could not be arsed to either get their oven fixed or get a new or reconditioned one, so that they can cook their children decent hot meals. The programme really brings it home the conditions that some children live Sad

Jjou · 20/08/2012 10:26

Psh, I live on the 'East side' of the Wirral (haven't heard it called that before) and it's fine, completely normal and not as rough as has been made out. There are parts of Birkenhead Park, the North End and Rock Ferry etc that are bad, but the 'stark divide' was a bit overdone: there's a lot of middle ground to be had too. Had both my babies at Arrowe Park and the midwives are amazing, I love them all, so was happy to watch the prog. Was a bit Hmm at some of the narration though Smile

Growlithe · 20/08/2012 10:30

I'm 'East Side' too Jjou. Oohh the deprivation!

Jjou · 20/08/2012 10:36

Isn't just Growlithe ? No cookers for any of us here! Grin
DH and I did laugh at 'East Side' - like the parts of the Wirral are on a par with Chicago's South Side or something Smile

TwelveLeggedWalk · 20/08/2012 10:45

I thought it was interesting. There was a bit of gentle mockery of the posher ladies, agree the Rachel storyline was handled really well (and I was howling at the expression on her face when her baby daughter was handed to her, and she kissed her head, sniff!), but you couldn't really shy away from the contrast at Danielle's house.

The midwife didn't comment on the kid strapped into a buggy with a bottle, she only commented on the cooker issue because of Danielle's iron levels, but of course it's going to affect those kids' nutrition growing up, she only commented on the fact that Danielle needed to rest, not the fact that Bruce couldn't be arsed to do the school run, she was jokey when she was trying to say good bye to Bruce over the noise of that massive TV, and they were all remarkably tolerant about the music playing on the phone during labour, when to be honest I'd have thought they'd say enough's enough. I know MN likes to be nice and non-judgey, but that it would have been pretty hard to make a programme featuring that couple and shy away from it all, and they did show Danielle having an awesome labour.

Birdsgottafly · 20/08/2012 10:56

but of course it's going to affect those kids' nutrition growing up

It is more than nutrition, this is why some children grow up with no idea of how to budget, plan, shop and cook good meals.

These are the families that they cookery lessons in the Children's Centre's are looking to help.

Cookers are classed as essentials, if there are children/pregnant women in the household, but the money is given and it doesn't always get spent on the item needed.

If they become 'known to services' they will get a cooker, but there are other options for the family, as well.

TwelveLeggedWalk · 20/08/2012 11:16

I know Birds, it makes me so sad too. My DH and I are on a decent income yet I think of takeaways as a treat because I know how much more expensive they are than cooking. I suppose with a microwave you can do quite well on jacket potatoes, eggs etc, but it wouldn't be easy.

StateofConfusion · 20/08/2012 11:25

I agree it wasn't dealt with in the best way.

Me and dp nearly lost it laughing at surges, and tbh I was a bit annoyed at the huge waste of NHS resources having two midwives sit in her house ignored or told to go away, whilst her expensive doula sat beside her.

But I have to say Bruce was a total twat! Loud crappy music whilst she was in labour. The huge flat screen tv on full blast at visits.

Dp was adamant they were or used to be on some kind of drugs, and tbh having met some of his old friends, he would know.

If our cooker broke and we were skint, our tv would be sold, gone, its simple, tv NOT necessary, cooker, essential! It is so much cheaper to cook than buy take aways!

Oh and the lady who had her dcs removed, they said it was due to allegations about the father! DUMP HIM! Move, leave, ffs who chooses a man over a child.

hackmum · 20/08/2012 11:44

I haven't seen this programme but it does bother me a bit that what makes for good tv doesn't necessarily reflect reality. TV likes to present extremes - so you have posh, silly middle-class people with their doulas and their surges, and you have feckless poor people without a working oven but a giant tv screen. The people in between, who surely represent the majority of people in this country - that is, those who are working-class/lower-middle-class, but have jobs, work hard, maybe struggle a bit to make ends meet - hardly seem to get represented at all on tv. Not exciting enough, I suppose.

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