Thorpe Park 'Lunatic Asylum' Halloween Fright Night.

[mignonette]

www.themeparks-uk.com/thorpe-park-guide/events/thorpe-park-fright-nights.html

Take your children to Thorpe Park (or Alton Towers) on the 31st October and enjoy a Halloween event in which you can be chased by 'disturbed and dangerous' patients' around a lunatic asylum.

I'm under no illusions that we live in a country that displays enlightened, tolerant and compassionate attitudes towards those folks with mental health problems. Overt and covert negative messages about mental health surround us.

But there are limits. Please MNers, tell Thorpe Park (and Alton Towers) what you think. Because I do think this is appalling especially when negative stereotyping is deliberately aimed at adolescents.

Doesnt actually say lunatic though dies it? Just "the asylum".

*does

Oh dear. I do actually find that quite offensive. Are we cmmenting on the thread or contacting them ?
I might do both.

It talks about dangerous and disturbed patients though.

'Chaos' 'Dangerous and disturbed patients' 'asylum'....'watch your back', 'roam', 'lurking', 'tormenting'....And it's titled 'Asylum'....

Not sure how much more of a connection you need, 5inthebed .....

Perhaps offensive is a word i would rather avoid. But at the very least i find this bloody rude.

Nope, sorry, still not making the connection with those words to lunatic.

The only thing that could be construed as such would be disturbed.

When I see Asylum I think of the one in Batman (is is Arkam?), not somewhere full of MH patients.

Vile.

The Arkham Asylum is for the criminally insane btw - so full of MH patients!!

Asylum was the term used for psychiatric in patient facilities typically functioning as self contained units with their own crematoriums, gardens and productive vegetable patches, shop and church. They were designed to remove the mentally ill from society and provide them with a segregated, contained and therapeutic society of their own.

Friern Barnet, Saint Audreys and Saint Bernards are all famous examples, Friern is now apartments. Look at the Romanian institutions which are a recent example of a similar model of 'care'.

Check out Victorian history- people used to go on tours around asylums such as 'Bedlam' to see the 'inmates' as you would visit a zoo. There are awful drawings of patients and the people touring the asylum for a cheap thrill. It is hauntingly reminiscent of what these theme parks are trying to do now.

Google these keywords - asylum, bedlam, mad. see what you get.

Asylum was the common generic term for an inpatient facility for the 'insane'

Where else would 'disturbed and some of the most dangerous patients' be 'housed? The term 'patients' says it all. they are not on a gynaecology unit!

Just in case anyone wants to contact Thorpe Park this is the link for their feedback page.

www.thorpepark.com/misc/contact-us.aspx

Umm. Halloween is normally a time when sensitivities rather go out of the window isn't it? There's usually a small sort of furore from the Christian contingent who get upset about devils and witches.

Maybe Thorpe Park don't want to offend the Christians?

I do see what you are saying titty but its still not very nice. I mean would anyone suggest the same idea about say disabled people chasing and trying to scare people because they might look or behave differently ?

Its not nice whereas witchs and so on are obviously not real.

I've complained, thanks for the link.

Twat badgers. Seriously.

This is what I would say -

"Your Halloween 'asylum' attraction is grossly offensive to people with mental health problems, their families and those of us working in mental health.

Just what are you telling adolescents and young adults about mentally ill people with your 'asylum' attraction?

Change the word 'patients' to 'disabled' and you will see just how inappropriate this is. You are potentially in breach of the Disability Discrimination Act because people with mental health problems are classified as disabled should they require benefits and/or assistance to live their lives.

You are using historically outdated and cruel tropes which will heighten the public miss- perception of mental illness and those affected by it.

In Victorian times people used to visit asylums to watch, jeer and enjoy being frightened by the patients. Do you really think it is decent to 're-create' this?

I am reporting you to the relevant authorities for this and it has been highlighted on Mumsnet and on twitter. It is to be hoped that you suffer maximum negative publicity and for those in your team who think 'it's only a bit of fun', then consider the fact that at least 1 in 4 of us will develop a mental health problem. See how considerate your colleagues/future employers will be should you be that 1 in 4"

I'm not offended by it at all.

Witches aren't real ?.?

Ofcourse they arent real !

If you are refering to wicca thats hardly the same as an old hag in a black cape who flies on a broomstick which is what most people think of when they see witches.

I'd have thought if they were going out of their way not to offend Christians they wouldn't be putting on the following "fright night"...

"Se7en - Navigate the 7 deadly sins of Wrath, Sloth, Pride, Lust, Envy, Gluttony and Greed as you take on Se7en You won?t know what?s going on as your senses are attacked from all angles leaving your senses reeling and you desperate to repent."

I sent an email through the contact form and had a call to say they had never had any complaints about the event before (really?!) and that they are using the word asylum in a context that does not refer to mental illness. Hmm.

Saying they've never had complains before is a bit [rollseyes].

This is really horrible. Makes me so angry. Going to message this to the Time To Change campaign.

Harrypie, see Mignonette's post of 20:40 yesterday. Historically, asylums were psychiatric institutions for the insane/lunatics.