February 12, 2009
At least we can still laugh at the mongs in public
Pick up any right-wing tabloid and you’re likely to come across at least one story lamenting the rise of “Political Correctness Gone Mad.” Sad words are imparted about how one used to be able to call a spade a spade – but, alas, no more!
Readers of such newspapers will no doubt be cheered to hear that whilst it is no longer acceptable to call black people “Gollywogs”, the PC Brigade have left one manifestation of “tradition” and “common sense” unmolested: it’s still ok to laugh at the mentally ill, and nobody bats an eyelid.
Witness the video on this Guardian article.
Ben Child makes the very plausible argument that Phoenix knows exactly what he is doing, and hasn’t lost the plot at all. That, rather, this is an elaborate publicity stunt.
But if it isn’t, Phoenix’s treatment is shocking. If the man isn’t faking it, he’s in the midst of a serious mental breakdown. The reaction? Mockery by his host and unabashed whooping ridicule from the audience.
Not a pretty picture.
I hope Phoenix is faking it. Faking it in order to produce a documentary about the dark-age attitudes modern society still exhibits towards people with mental health problems.
graylad said,
March 1, 2009 at 8:29 pm
Let’s not forget that we can also still laugh at dwarves and the “Chinese” by which I mean yellow slitty eyed commie heathens from the far east.
Star Confirms Nutters Still Fair Game « Bad Conscience said,
June 4, 2009 at 7:03 am
[...] now unacceptable to mock people on grounds of ethnicity or physical disability. But as I’ve commented before, if you’re “mental” then you’re still very much fair game. The false [...]