To think this is awful -Do you have a resident town loony?

[hf128219]

I think it's dreadful. It's really got my goat.

Agree with that fallen. But it did take me a moment's thought to realise it

Ormrenewed - just because you've found another ignoramous who echoes your views, it doesn't in any way validate your approach or justify your sickening attitude towards people with mental health issues or learning difficulties. I feel sorry for the children of people like you, who will potentially grow up to be the tormentors of vulnerable people, because they think it's appropriate behaviour.

Oh sassy - please read my posts properly as you will see I would never 'torment' anyone.

Sassy - Has Orm said that she thinks her children should torment people with mental health issues? I sure as hell haven't.

I said I would answer questions, if I could. I would never tolerate laughing at someone. My DC have never done so. I suspect children tend to do that if they see others do it, and it isn't something my children see.

I just said that the first time you encounter somebody behaving in an unusual way, then you may well notice it. That is a world away from saying that it is OK to respond in the way you describe. And in fact when someone is familiar you tend not to respond at all. It would be better to do that first off, but I'm not sure that is going to happen.

And by respond I mean notice, rather than hurl abuse. Just in case that wasn't clear.

"I feel sorry for the children of people like you, who will potentially grow up to be the tormentors of vulnerable people, because they think it's appropriate behaviour. "

There are probably many reasons for pitying my DC, but that isn't one of them

Orm, I think you are asking a lot of good questions.

Thanks goblin. I wasn't meaning to offend but clearly I have failed in that in some quarters.

I've been dealing with thew NT world's responses to my son for over a decade, and trying to interpret it for him even longer.
I'd rather have someone ask honest questions and listen to the answers than someone who either didn't care enough to ask or shoved all sn into a box labelled 'Aahh bless' and shelved it.

Are people really so very ignorant that they don't understand mental health problems?

Or do they view it as 'Not my problem'?

Well for a start 'understand mental health' problems' is a tall order. There are so many that are so different. Is there anyone who understands them all in all their manifestations?

An appreciation of them - that is all I expect.

My own was noted when I was growing up for ahem-'resident loonies',or specialsas tehy called them. People would bait them and yell, and there are even dedicated internet sites, or at elast there have ben in the past.

From recollection I can recall:

the man who became mentally ill after watching his DB killed in a car accident

2 with obvious LD

2 with MH issues

A grandmother with alzheimers

I am reliably informed that incest is rife in that town,and I am sure there is a link but OMG its socruelfor adults tolaugh. Youc an't expect kids to behave better than the examples they are set, sowe have to break the cycle.

Ormrenewed are you OPrmirian?

because if you are I can voutch you would never treat anyone like that.

Yes I am peachy.

No I wouldn't. THankyou.

OK, so I have an admission to make. When I read the other thread, I didn't do it thoroughly enough. I've now seen that there are facebook groups and youtube videos linked to on there. Now that is the internet version of pointing and laughing

I thought it was just a case of offensive language in the OP, but it was more than that.

Youtube? WTF?

I think you are being wilfully obtuse. No-one is saying ''ignore it''.
There is a happy medium between point, stare and snigger, and ignore it and pretend it doesn't exist.
If we saw a man in a yellow banana suit on stilts in town, we would look. It is human nature. We might also look at a very attractive person, or someone whose clothes we thought were bizarre to us.
But everytime we hear words like loony, retard, mentalist and don't challenge it, we are perpetuating prejudice. Which goes hand in hand with fear. And if your children hear you using words like that, then that is passed on and people with mental health illnesses remain stigmatised. Whereas a simple explanation is ''if people have a broken leg, you can see that they are poorly. Some people have poorly minds and it makes them behave in ways which we might find strange or unusual. Please don't make fun of people with poorly minds any more than you would not make fun of someone with a broken leg.''

Quite,MR

DS's behave like this sometimes (ASD),and I don'tmind peoplelooking, I look when I se other children doing it- usually to make a pointed smile of acceptance at the Mum, becuase it an be so isolating.

What I hate is peoplepointing,laughing,alling names. That is horrible and very different.

Children asking questions does not upset us, indeed I think good on them, thats what kids should do, I wish ds3 would.

Curiosity and general human intrest- fine; cruelty and teasing not.

I remember teasing peopleas aprt of a crowd when I was little and now I am there (karma?) I can only feel deep pity and empthy for the Mum.

molly - was that aimed at me?

"There is a happy medium between point, stare and snigger, and ignore it and pretend it doesn't exist." If so that is what I have been saying.

no not you specifically Orm, just seemed to the way the tide was turning, with some people justifying their responses on the toher thread with ''what, would you rather we ignored such people''...

sorry, combo of feeling very angry at the other thread and i am dipping on and off MN in midst of chaos, so forgive me if I am getting hold of wrong end of stick.

No problem molly. I was one who said I thought it might be misguided to ignore difference or pretend it didn't exist. But I would never abuse or name-call anyone with MH issues.

I chat to Rudy in Harrogate when I see him. He is a very vulnerable adult and the videos of him on youtube are abuse plain and simple. Ignorant people spread dreadful rumours about him. He is no saint and can be pretty scary but he is a human being and deserves a bit of dignity.

I do think loony is quite a gentle term for mentally ill. I have heard far worse.

Do we really need two threads about this?

Oh, has the other one been pulled?

We need at least 1 thread.