About the use of ‘Psycho’ in the Ava Max song?

[PaddingtonMare]

I’m not sure if I’m being overly sensitive, but I know you’ll let me know!

I just find ‘Sweet but a Psycho’ by Ava Max offensive. over the last few years a lot has been done to reduce the stigmas around mental health and this song seems like a huge backwards step.

So I complained to the BBC about playing it on R1 during the day... here’s my 2nd complaint AIBU?:

I complained about the Ava Max song Sweet but a Psycho. As it is an offensive term relating to mental health or making aspersions about someone’s mental health. The BBCs response was that it was considered a slang term and the person in the video does not have mental health problems. My issue is that by using PSYCHO the song normalises the word. It is a term used in bullying and reinforces stigmas around mental health. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1925070/#!po=0.632911 Here is a study about the use of derogatory words including Psycho. It is useless referring me to a video as the song is played on the radio and therefore provides no context to the range of listeners. The BBCs own editorial guidelines would also seem to show that caution should be made with slang terms www.bbc.co.uk/editorialguidelines/guidance/strong-language/guidance-full I love Olivia Coleman and her Golden Globes speech using the slang term bitches - however, like term Psycho I would be horrified if my child said or sang these words. The difference being that the Olivia Coleman speech is not readily available to my child on the school run.

I’m with you - every time I hear it I get annoyed.

I was hoping your complaint would be regarding the general terrible nature of the song and the fact that she rhymes psycho with psycho.

@foxyscarf I was wondering about a thread on its lack of artistic prowess and Lady Gaga wannabe!

I hate it as well, also because of the harmful idea of women being 'psycho' full stop. It just makes me think of men who tell you that all their exes were 'mental' and it turns out that shock horror, they complained when they went out and got smashed every night or wanted them to spend actual quality time with them.

I hate this too, I have to turn it off she it comes on.

1st complaint is related to the mental health issues you mentioned.

2nd complaint is about putting other woman down. She's a psycho, usually a degroratory term used out another woman down for knowing her own mind.

Thanks all. I am really disappointed that the BBC especially think it’s fine.

holdmydrink I totally agree, I wouldn’t have been suprised if it was insinuated it was her time of the month.

I’ve stopped listening to R1 for the first time in decades.

I get so furious about the casual use of mental health terms as derogatory terms and insults. We no longer consider this acceptable with physical disabilities or learning disabilities, yet it happens with mental health all the time. As someone who has experienced episodes of psychosis I find it bloody upsetting to see terms like this used so casually. The fact that psycho us often used interchangeably in popular media as a shortened form of both psychopathic and psychotic, which are completely different things, just makes it even more upsetting.

I'm another one who thinks it is not acceptable. (I thought it was just me!)

Bumping for the evening crowd

I'm with you. My 8 year old loves when it and when she first heard it she asked me what it meant... I made it clear it was a horrible term and shouldn't be used.

Yeah I mean psycho isn't even a real word. Its short for psychopath right?

Update: I received a reply yesterday - more considered than their initial response.

Essentially, BBC class psych as a mild word. They also said that the majority of listeners weren’t bothered by the song as it had been at number one for five weeks (i’ll Ignore that the charts are not really representive and places can be fraudulently obtained). They said they’d only received a dozen complaints.

So that’s the end of that.

Yanbu.
I won't listen to that song. It's crap anyway.

I feel the same but have to accept that the young ‘uns just love it !

First time I heard it I knew it would be a massive hit

It’s a shit song.

Oh my god I wish I had your problems if that’s what enrages you OP

Given the nature of a psychopath OP ... not really someone I would have much sympathy for 😕 Yabu... and a bit of a sjw getting offended for the sake of offence. How odd.

The song is about how easily women get labelled as a "psycho" by men for just reacting like a normal person. I do understand how it comes across very differently at a quick listen though.

fabaunt I never said it enraged me. Language is an important part of any culture and how we treat each other.

Yeah. I really hate it 'a little bit psycho' I have to turn it off when it's on. I work with children who have mental health issues and just can't stomach this song. I think I will follow your lead and write a complaint OP.

It personally doesn’t bother me things like this (I’m bipolar and call my episodes things like ‘when I went offit that time’ or ‘when I was going batshit’) but I guess I wouldn’t ever say it about some else’s episodes. I wouldn’t be bothered if someone called mine it though, I guess it’s a coping mechanism of mine somewhere under the surface

First time I heard it, I thought, this is going to be a thread on MN.

But I actually agree with what Random said..

I agree with you OP, it makes me uncomfortable too.