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.

Your misunderstanding the whole point of the song. Look up the meaning of the lyrics. I can she why people think the same as you though OP but it's not meant in the way you think.

There was a song last year maybe, you're in love with a psycho by kasabian that came under fire for similar reasons

www.google.com/amp/s/m.huffingtonpost.co.uk/amp/entry/kasabian-music-video-mental-health_uk_58de6a70e4b08194e3b948ff/

I was surprised to hear somethibg similar so soon. Although I think kasabian's video was a big issue.

JESUS CHRIST!!! You are all that is wrong with the world...offended by everything!! Looking for things to be offended by! Get a grip FFS!!!!!

I agree OP, I also find it very offensive. There are lots of derogatory words that used to be commonly used to describe physical disabilities, race, sexuality etc that were once considered acceptable but are not now. It's no different from saying that someone is a little bit spastic and I'm sure no one would think that was OK these days.

When I heard it I thought she was singing "she sleeps with a psycho"
I was like

Even so, shite song.

It's catchy and I have been singing it this weekend it got stuck in my head. I choose not to be offended where no offence is intended.

It always amuses me how enraged and aggressive some people get when someone says they don’t like something or says they care about others. You can almost feel the spittle spraying from their mouths as they rush to log in and rage against ‘PC SJWs’ and ‘snowflakes’.

They are the same ones always screaming ‘freedom of speech’ who don’t realise this freedom also means people are allowed to say something makes them uncomfortable. Apparently to them freedom of speech only extends to being able to offend and punch down. Anything deviating from that needs to silenced.

Maybe they’re a ‘little bit psycho’??

Drogo has it- the song meanings not what you've picked up- long quote from interview with Max...
*""She feels psycho but she's not. It's like she's been gaslighted in this situation."
"I think it's okay to show all of your sides and not get judged. And in a relationship especially. For this instance, it was a girl who was misunderstood, when really she was strong and independent and outspoken."

"She's being called psycho, but she's being herself and she's being vulnerable. The guy's kinda mocking her. she's kinda feeling psycho because of the guy in the relationship. She's not psycho. I'm not at all calling women psycho. Ever since we were little we've been told how to think, how to dress, how to act and I don't think that's okay."*

Bold fail for quote!

I love this song, it's my favourite right now. Your thinking way to much into this.

I really like it (obviously) I think it's a very tongue in cheek and meant to poke fun at the people (usually fuckboys) who say a girl is being 'psycho' when they are standing up for themselves or having a good time.
As someone who suffers from borderline personality disorder I am not offended by it at all lol

I agree OP.

Don't love it but did watch a video on YouTube with the singer, and the point was that women get called psychos by men, and so it was her reclaiming the word psycho - a woman calling herself a psycho before a man can call her it, as an act of reclaiming it

I like it and agree with the above poster about women "reclaiming" the word.
My husband jokes it was written about me as deep down somewhere I've got a very jealous streak but I hardly ever shown it and most people wouldn't know. I joke it's about my 8m old who's amazing and lovely but also has a firery temper

As someone who has had mental health problems and has been described as 'psycho' in past relationships, I actually find this song strangely empowering.

It's a song, nothing more. Listen to you Puddle of mudd psycho,
system of a down psycho
Evanescence Lithium

Are they also offensive?

Oh and Therapy- Knives