Anyone else find this pretty ignorant and offensive

[Herdingcows]

Advert for a local company popped up on my fb, what were they thinking!

I'm not offended by it, because as a PP says I tend not to feel offended at stuff like this. I feel annoyed, or exasperated, or impatient with the perpetrator depending on the scenario.

I agree with everyone who says it trivialises a life-limiting and widely misunderstood condition. I disagree that it's the only MH condition to be so reduced. Last year a FB friend posted one of those "here's a scenario, take the first three friends showing on your chat list to fulfil the roles..." games. Except the premise of this one was you were "locked in the mental ward" and friend A would be licking the windows, friend B would be in a straitjacket etc etc. I posted asking if you substituted the word "cancer" for "mental" and friend A was "losing all their hair from chemo" instead of "licking the windows" would that be equally acceptable and would they still have shared it as a funny game?

Why do so many people consider having to think about the language you use so as not to upset others to be a bad thing? Why is the response to someone saying they find something offensive/upsetting/inappropriate and here's why so often to argue back about why they're wrong, rather than just saying "I'm sorry, I hadn't thought of it like that" and using another word/phrase? It's not as though English doesn't have alternatives, subtleties and nuance. Is it laziness? Is it contrariness? Is it that they genuinely don't care if they come over as insensitive? Is it because they see their right to use X phrase as more important than someone else's right not to be upset, trivialised or reduced to a stereotype?

Offended on behalf of folk with OCD then, OurBlanche?

Oh and I'd admitted to my own OCD diagnosis earlier in the thread.

Page I remember that Facebook thing.
I'm sure many on this thread would say it was only a bit of fun, no big deal, stop being so po.

I have OCD it doesn't bother me.

And I realised I answered someone s question about being professionally unoffended about being professionally offended. Misread, sorry for any confusion.

Having a disorder isn't funny, regardless of what that disorder may be

No, it isn't. But it can be used to great comic effect, very often by people with that disorder, though certainly not limited to them. There is a huge difference between laughing at or making jokes about a disorder, and laughing at people with that disorder.
It can be argued that incorporating such things into comedy normalises and de-others disorders and the people who suffer with them.

How about a travel company that specialises in trips to the Arctic and Antarctic calling itself BiPolar Tours

I actually lol'd a bit at that! It's funny. (I have extensive experience with bi-polar, not sure if that should make me less or more offended, but I'm not
)

Validate your grievance ?

OK! If you say so!

But, given the way your thread has gone, the common issue with the way that OCD has been appropriated by the slightly too tidy, it was a fairly standard query!

I suffer from OCD, and this sort of thing doesn't bother me. What does, though, is people saying they are OCD about something (e.g., assistant tidying shelves in WH Smith the other day), like it's just being a bit picky. OCD is so, so debilitating.

Wise people wouldn't take any notice and get offended over it. I'd rather eat cake than feel miserable👍

Offended on behalf of folk with OCD then, OurBlanche?

Guilty as charged

Equally guilty of not having recognised you as one of the posters who had already declared their guilt

dont see it as either ignorant, offensive or funny - but would not buy from them as not impressed by their cakes.

Doesn't bother me.

OP if you have OCD and you're offended by this then your feelings are of course valid. Will you be complaining to the cake company?

I find it offensive. I have generalised anxiety disorder with some OCD traits. A fucking twee cake has nothing to do with crippling intrusive thoughts. There is nothing funny or cute about it and people who go on about being a bit OCD are usually thick fucks with their heads up their own arses. Offence fully meant.

It seems as though the majority on this thread are trying to minimise and discount my feelings because it's "just a joke"

But it's not a fucking joke is it. It's not even remotely funny. So I'm fucking sorry if I don't find trivialising a mental illness funny.

So OP what are you going to do about it? If you genuinely want to stop this you'll have to approach the company and raise awareness that way. This is fruitless.

It seems as though the majority on this thread are trying to minimise and discount my feelings because it's "just a joke

I think actually the majority are saying that your feelings are valid but they are your own, and don't necessarily translate to others. And also that they don't automatically agree that it IS trivialising mental illness.

People joke about OCD all the time. I know it doesn't make it right for those who truly suffer from it but don't loose sleep over it. I've put up with my fair share of asthma jokes and stereotypes in film and television since nearly dying from it as a child. Just ignore it and move on.

Well I have OCD, albeit mild after lots of work with CBT. It used to be horrific though. This doesn't offend me at all, infact I would agree I have obsessive cake disorder too!

Judy - genuine question - do you not think they're linking OCD to their cake making so people will think their cakes and hygiene practices must be perfect? A bit like someone saying "her bathrooms lovely amd clean but then she is a little bit ocd".
That's how I interpret it and why I think it's bad but am willing to be told I am over thinking.

I think actually the majority are saying that your feelings are valid but they are your own, and don't necessarily translate to others. And also that they don't automatically agree that it IS trivialising mental illness. Yep! That is, as I read it, the general thrust of the repsonses.

But it's not a fucking joke is it. It's not even remotely funny. So I'm fucking sorry if I don't find trivialising a mental illness funny That depth of feeling stems from you, your experiences etc, not some trite crappy advert. That just seems to be the trigger.

I asked another question, way back on page 1, when I acknowledged that your feelings were real, yours and valid. What do you want to happen?

Are you going to contact the company? I am sure many MNers will gladly help you word and email - I certainly would.

Then what?

Knowing full well how this will sound: Have you spoken to your GP, therapist recently? This pretty innocuous advert seems to have caused you more angst than necessary.

Judy - genuine question - do you not think they're linking OCD to their cake making so people will think their cakes and hygiene practices must be perfect? A bit like someone saying "her bathrooms lovely amd clean but then she is a little bit ocd".
That's how I interpret it and why I think it's bad but am willing to be told I am over thinking.

I read it to mean something closer to compulsively eating cake.

Ah ok

stealth I read it to mean the cakes are so good you will want to eat them compulsively. It doesn't offend me, it feels a bit "keep calm" and crap, tbh.