The Witchfinder examines the use of discriminatory and / or stigmatising language and tropes in online statements by Anita Sarkeesian and by Gawker (for example Sam F Biddle) in light of the well known #TimeToChange campaign against mental health discrimination and stigmatising language. Your Inquisitor continues to call for an advertiser boycott of Gawker.com .
Sam F Biddle makes use of stigmatising mental health tropes, singling out an apparently vulnerable individual. Picture used for the purpose of criticism pursuant to s 30 (1) Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
Your author is a law student with a specialist interest in mental capacity and mental health law, who has represented people in Court pro-bono. As a result of his work your author was asked to give evidence to the House of Lords Committee on the Mental Capacity Act 2005 under his real name, Sam Smith. See pages 1608 – 1614.
The Witchfinder focuses on the remedy of last resort – namely lawsuits. However, much of the work of ending mental health and disability discrimination begins before then – in ending oppressive tropes and language. Time to Change have published a guide to inappropriate and stigmatising media content. Unfortunately, the Witchfinder has found that use of discriminatory terms is far more prevalent in certain parts of the left, notably the self-appointed guardians of ‘social justice’ than it is on the right. This article discusses Sam F Biddle of Gawker and Anita Sarkeesian of Feminist Frequency.
The 2007 academic paper, ‘250 labels used to stigmatise people with mental illness’ was written by academics from the Institute of Psychiatry at King’s College London and Mental Health Charity Rethink. It contains a convenient table of discriminatory words used to oppress disabled people. Of course everyone uses such words and it is simplistic and inappropriate to adopt crass Duke University style speech codes.
However, irresponsible journalism can hurt by stigmatising the mental ill as likely to be violent, when research shows the opposite is true. Alastair Campbell, formerly Press Officer to Tony Blair ,wrote powerfully in the Guardian about the problems caused by ‘psycho patient’ costumes. Famous Footballer Stan Collymore publicly condemned the costumes, warning of suicides –
Stan Collymore bravely speaks out. (c) StanCollymore/Twitter .
These days, most journalists are careful to avoid such images, knowing that their careers may be damaged by using such images and they may cause suicides.
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