ITV Out Do Themselves
Wow. Just...wow.Just when you think ITV could not sink any lower, they come up with Teen Tourette's Camp.
Let's not beat about the bush, this is a programme where we are being invited to laugh at people with a mental illness. Admittedly it is one of the funnier mental illnesses, but it is a disability none the less.
What other hilarious programmes have ITV got planned? It's a Knockout for Spastics? Paranoid Schizophrenic Island (aka Last Man Standing)? I suppose it does give me a new weapon to use when people claim we should commercialise the BBC, as any argument that the British people would be better served by a BBC that has to operate in the prevailing market realities of the 21st century can be countered with the words "Teen Tourette's Camp".
"Aaah, But the BBC would be more efficient if it was in the private..."
"Teen Tourette's Camp"
"Aaah, but if the BBC operated in the free market they would be forced to produce programmes that..."
"Teen Tourette's Camp"
8 Comments:
Personally, I'm looking forward to
http://www.channel4.com/health/microsites/0-9/4health/mind/wwr_ocd.html
The tagline for which should surely be "Big Brother - with mentalists"?
As the mother of an 8 year old boy with Tourette's Syndrome, I find your comments above ill informed and offensive. TS is NOT an mental illness, it is a neurological disorder. Have you thought for one minute what it is like to live with TS? My son also has OCD and Aspergers so I can tell you that life is not always as 'funny' as you may think. Contrary to popular belief, most people with TS don't swear all the time. My son has various motor and vocal tics that affect him severely. Can you imagine sittimng down to read a book or do your homework but you can't because your head won't stop shaking or your hands won't keep still long enough for you to finish a single word? What about having a conversation with a mate? It takes twice as long as you have to scream after every few words.
Do you think he wants to be like this? Of course not but he has no choice.
Imagine someone putting pepper up your nose. You need to sneeze. You feel that tickle building up and you know you have to do it. STOP!! You are not allowed to sneeze. No matter how much the pepper itches and tickles, you CANNOT sneeze. You can hold it in for a bit but eventually your body takes over. You have no control over it any more so you sneeze. That's what it's like having TS.
It makes his life miserable, he tells me frequently that he wishes he was dead. Can you imagine how that feels? Being 8 years old and wanting to kill yourself becasue you have no control over what your body does?
His life isn't all misery. He does all the stuff a 'normal' 8 year old does and has so much personality that he is a star! He is probably a much stronger person than you'll ever be because he has to come up against ill informed bigots almost every day.
I hope you watch this programme and take the time to put yourself in their shoes for a while.
Ope your eyes and open your mind.
I can't believe you typed all that as a result of your lack of familiarity with the concept of irony. Of course I don't actually believe that Tourette's is actually funny, I am astounded that anyone could possibly believe that I do from what I wrote.
And to say that TS is NOT an mental illness, it is a neurological disorder, is just plain wrong. You probably have personally held reasons as to why you don't want it classed as a mental illness (perhaps the word mental is too much of a pejorative for you), and that's fair enough, but Tourettes is a mental illness and a neurological disorder, just like having a heart disease could be classified as a "physical illness" and a "Cardiovascular disease".
One more thing, just to see whether or not I was alone in classing Tourette's as a mental illness, I just did a little Googling. It seems it is officially a mental illness. This article seems to support what I was saying above, but of course does it in a far more erudite manner.
OK, one final thing. fairynormal, if you were offended by my post, then I am sorry. My intention is never to offend, but sometimes I cloak stuff in too much irony and sarcasm that if you didn't know me personally I can see how you might not realise that this post was a rant against the trivialising of a serious illness.
Chris
Thanks for your comments about my comments.
I have read the TSA link you posted but still feel there is a difference between Tourette's and mental illness. This is not because of any problem I have with the term mental ilness, nor because my son suffers from TS. As mentioned previously, he also has very bad Obsessive Compulsive Disorder which IS a mental illness. With the right help he CAN get better from his OCD. The difference with Tourette's is that there is no cure. He's had medication to try and help supress the tics but it has no effect. He has no control over his tics. No kind of therapy can make him stop ticcing. With a mental illness, medication and therapy can help. This is where I see the major difference. I see TS more along the lines of say Parkisons disease. Parkinsons sufferers tremble etc and cannot control the way their body shakes. In the same way, my son cannot control his tics.
Contrary to what you may think, I do undersatnd the concept of irony! However, the way you described TS as "one of the funnier mental illnesses" appalled me. I fail to see anything funny about any mental illness. I don't find that comment ironic, just ignorant.
I think the programme is a good way of showing just what life with TS is like for children. The camp in America gives these kids the chance for them to be themselves without being ridiculed or seen as 'mental'. It alows them a degree of normality.
I do hope you watch the programme and would love to hear your comments about it afterwards.
Thanks
Personally I find your replies to Chris's comments pathetic and now suffice.
Stop complaining about life and God dam (don't complain about blasmaphy, I don't care) get on with it!
It's a mental illness! Did you hear me?! MENTAL ILLNESS!!!!!!
But don't waste my time taking this the wrong way (like you do with everything else) and think about what I've said, "complainer".
My names Bob, I like to kill people.
I also like sharp things.
I suggest you,
run,
from,
Bob.
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