to be offended by this tv presenter?

[TwinkleTwinkleNeverwhere]

loose women presenter just described guest as 'a little bit schizophrenic' as he has vastly different personas or facets to his personality. This has really pissed me off as I think it trivialises mental illness and is spreading the wrong information about what illnesses actually are.

This programme was on as waiting for the news...I usually avoid it as think they talk a load of rubbish generally.

AIBU to be pissed off and offended?

It must be bloody exhausting being constantly offended!

YANBU. It makes me so angry. I would never joke or be so flippant about mental health conditions, just as I would never tell a racist joke.
Oh and yes, schizophrenia as a diagnosis is not 'having a split personality'. I have a dear friend who was recently diagnosed as having schizophrenic tendencies (among other things) after years of repeated breakdowns and suicide attempts, and I can assure you it is nothing to joke about.

Sofa I'm not constantly offended. In fact I don't feel offended very often, but I do find this comment offensive.

Ah well, could understand it if it was one if the planks like Colleen Nolan or Sherrie Hewson, but I thought Kaye Adams was meant to be the one with more than a singular brain cell.

Everyone on Loose Women are brainless shits. Why in god's name is anyone watching that drivel?

It's not a matter of being offended. It's a matter of some stupid 'journalist' showing herself up as an ignorant baggage who clearly has no idea what someone who actually has schizophrenia goes through on a daily basis. What she said is utterly disrespectful and wrong on all counts.

What Youthecat said.

But no one else takes a blind bit of notice about what a presenter says on a third rate tv show...apart from those taking offence

Loose women makes me ashamed to be a woman....

Complain - I would if I'd seen it. My dh is a doctor and complains (media/church/anywhere) he sees "schizophrenic" used wrongly, especially to suggest a "split personality", which it really, really doesn't.

Sofa, that is like saying the only people that the Daily Mail affects are the people that read the Daily Mail.

The people that watch and read this kind of crap, and think it is ok are the people walking down the street next to you. we are all part of society.

That's why it isn't enough to say, 'we'll if it offends you don't watch/read'.

Well, it's factually wrong for a start. Schizophrenia has nothing to do with split personality, so I would get most annoyed about the fact that it perpetuates myths about the illness.

Day time tv is mostly rubbish though, so I wouldn't expect anything more.

5Foot5

If we all went by your logic that means I'm not allowed to get upset by gay russians being victimized because I don't know any?

And who gives a crap about endangered animals - no one I know has one as a pet!

And as I only know/am related to/am someone with depression, anxiety, , Dyspraxia, Aspergers, Bi Polar disorder, Cerebral Palsy and Downs Syndrome that means I have to limit my giving a shit to those mental illnesses and disabilities, but can't get upset about people misrepresenting those with Schizophrenia, MND, or Alzheimer's, right?

seems legit.

vestandknickers

To be fair, Spastic was the correct term, I actually have a badge somewhere (found in a job lot) for the Spastics society. Unfortunately it took on negative connotations and they had to change it.

In my eyes it's the same as people calling each other 'gay' as an insult, or saying someone is 'Bi Polar' in a disparaging manner if they've been going through a tough time or acting out of character.

It's this whole vagueness that's the problem. I remember going through LOADS of sex ed, don't bully etc. at school but not once do I remember our lessons being anything about mental illness, sexuality, genetic disorders or disability, and unfortunately parents aren't always in a position to advise.

My Poor Nan thought my aunt had Downs Syndrome because she'd tried to give herself a miscarriage (9th baby, GD was not a nice man etc.)
It wasn't until My Aunt was in her 30's before DN was told it was to do with chromosomes and there was nothing she could have done.

These days however, there is no excuse for the Media to perpetuate the vague bandying about of terms that have real, serious connotations for a lot of people.

falulahthecat I can be upset, angry, feel something "is a bit off" without being "offended".

Maybe this is just my interpretation but I feel I would only be "personally offended" at something if I felt it was directed at me or someone I was close to.

That doesn't mean I would find the language used acceptable or shrug it off as "nothing to do with me". E.g. if I heard someone using a racist term I would be shocked and challenge them on what they had said. But I am not sure I could qualify as being "personally offended" unless it was a racist term directed at my ethnic group.

Your examples regarding gay russions and endangered species are not relevant to the situation and do not follow any kind of logic to what I said at all!!

I hate the way believe people pompously proclaim to be offended about something as though it then gives them some special rights.
Offence is just opinion getting all self-important.

My brother has schizophrenia. Am I allowed to be offended? It is a fucking awful illness that has nothing to do with split personalities. Many people with schizophrenia live with enough stigma without ignorant TV presenters using their diagnosis for entertainment purposes.

I'm not offended by anything much but the way in which Kaye used the word 'schizophrenia' is offensive and wrong and also completely ignorant of any facts.

Why do you presume that I am some sort of 'professionally offended' person, pixie? I'm really not.

You are allowed to have an opinion - yes., but you are unreasonable to think that anybody else should have to bow to it

I don't think anyone should bow to my opinion. I can't see where I've posted that.

I do think that people should use words correctly though. I can't see what is wrong with that.

So on the one hand we have advertisements on TV telling us that we should all be talking to one another about mental illness in order to lessen the stigma that attaches to it, and on the other hand we have ignorant people on crap TV programmes making stupid remarks and perpetuating ignorant myths about mental illness.

Not very helpful imo

So much telly is just a bit thick now I'd be hard pressed to find something that didn't piss me off tbh.

That's why I keep it off mostly :)

I hate the way believe people pompously proclaim to be offended about something as though it then gives them some special rights.
Offence is just opinion getting all self-important.

And I hate the way that bloody Stephen Fry quote has been taken out of context (a debate about blasphemy), and used as a defence against casual racism, homophobia, disablism and comments which could be brushed aside, with a, 'so fucking what, you're offended, this is my opinion, live with it.'

But do you know what it is not about being 'personally offended' it is about comments being hurtful, insulting and ignorant, and contributing to a culture where it is ok to laugh at someone who has a learning disability because they are a 'mong' or make rape jokes or throw in a few ill informed untruths about schizos, or use 'gay' as an insult etc etc.

Oh but god forbid I might be accused of being professionally offended, or politically correct or not having a sense of humour.