Mocking Mental Health Advocacy: Take Action Now!

The pervasiveness of stigma regarding mental health issues is so deep and coursing through the circulation of society that it goes unnoticed, unrecognizable to the vast majority of the world. It is unrecognizable to those who do not suffer, those who do not have family members who are challenged with mental health issues even sometimes unrecognized even by those who do. It sneaks its way around like a serpent and rears it's ugly head even in the most public of places, yet frequently it does not get called out.

This time it did.

Truly, it's hard to miss the gross negligence in this display of negative connotations and misconceptions about those who deal with mental illness. But, for those who are behind it, apparently, they know not what they do.

This describes the scenario for you best, "Waunakee High School's varsity dance team is headed to a state competition today, but advocates for the mentally ill are upset by what got them there — a "we get crazy" routine featuring all 18 dancers bouncing to hip-hop music, their hair wild, heavy black makeup on their snarling faces, and costumes made to resemble straitjackets and restraints with the words "Psych Ward" on them." (Source) To get the visual all you have to do is click on the source linked and you will find one picture of the girls in their garb, dancing to the beat of disgrace. For another picture and better visual, click here.

I'm not sure what's most disturbing, that these girls are portraying and perpetuating a horrible picture of mental illness or that someone masterminded this entire scene without giving it second thought. As evidenced in this quote from an NBC article we can take issue with in a moment:

"Erin Cotter, the team’s head coach, says she is taken aback by how upset people are about the routine. “I don’t understand where they are coming from,” she says. Hip-hop is all about being “bold,” she says. Last year, a competing team dressed in orange jumpsuits pretended they were prisoners, she says. “The whole point is to get people pumped up and energized. Our intent had nothing to do with mental illness. Our total intent was just a hip-hop dance and the songs and the words that were popular. The thought never crossed my mind or the school’s or the parents’ or the kids’ that it was about mental illness.”

People really are ignorant and sometimes so ill-informed that they don't even realize what they are doing, but it still can not be tolerated. Speaking of ignorant... the author of the article sited above closes his piece stating that he feels the dance is "good to go" just as it is. Really? It's okay to show the world that making fun of mental illness is acceptable? It's okay to teach highschool students that inpatient treatment is equated with scary black stained faces, snarling expressions and straightjackets? I'm sure this is really going to help instill the desire in these students to seek help if they are ever faced with a mental health issue.

I am appalled that NBC would allow such a statement. I am completely disgusted and saddened in a way that I can really only express with anger. How is it possible in a day when mental health advocates, consumers and professionals are working diligently to show the world that mental health is part of the human condition, how can it be that a major source of media would condone such behavior? I would like to demand a retraction by NBC. Their "journalist" has undermined the work of hundreds, no thousands, of people who desperately seek help, support, and acceptance for themselves and loved ones, in one single swoop and click of the publish button.

I call on every mental health activist to share their disapproval with NBC/MSNBC for putting their stamp of approval on this, as well as the school that has allowed this to happen. I call on every person who has ever dealt with depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, eating disorders, substance abuse, etc. I call on every person who has had a family member who has dealt with a mental health condition and the shame that comes with it. Please do not let this network get away with this, put a stop to the stigma and help us teach our children and the world that mental health and mental illness is part of the fragility of being human, just as is heart disease, diabetes, epilepsy, and the list goes on. Leave comments on the article here.

Demand retraction, demand apology, demand decency.

Furthermore, read an extremely poignant and heartfelt address to the head coach behind the whole dance team issue here on Our Journey Through Life. Originally, the letter was posted here on The Mindstorm: Raising a Mentally Ill Child by Chrisa Hickey. I am certain you will be touched and feel empowered to carry the message forward.

Let's band together on this one, anyone who has a tie to the mental health community, we can make a difference! Additionally, if you know of better ways to get the attention of the editors for this MSNBC publication, please feel free to let me know in the comments below.

Tags: MSNBC, NBC, call to action, dance team mocks mental illness, depression, illness, mental, mental health, mental health activism, mocking, More…stigma

0 members like this

Comment by ChrisaHickey on February 8, 2011 at 12:57pm: Amy, thank you for posting this. I originally posted this story to my blog on Saturday, Feb 5, and the letter to the coach from Erika, one of my regular blog readers, was posted on Sunday, Feb 6. To date there have been over 500 hits to the letter and over 30 comments to me and Erika - some in support, some not. But the more places we can post this, and the more press we get about it, the better. So thanks!

Comment by Amy K on February 8, 2011 at 1:00pm: Thanks for sharing that info with us Chrisa! This is really an important issue, thank you for being a leader in the movement to reconcile the issue.

Comment by mandy on February 8, 2011 at 3:41pm: Great call to action, Amy! What killed me was that one of the earlier groups dedicated their performance to cancer patients/survivors, bringing the audience to tears. The juxtaposition between that and this group made me speechless. Erika's letter was heartbreaking. It's just not fair.

I see Rick is on Twitter (@rickchand), but I may have an NBC contact for you. I'll see what I can dig up. Go get 'em!

Comment by Amy K on February 8, 2011 at 3:50pm: Thanks Mandy, any contacts you can find would be great!!!! Thanks for your support!

Comment by NAMI Massachusetts on February 8, 2011 at 10:49pm: This is definitely one of the most blatant examples of people just not "getting it" when it comes to mental illness and how the stigma is perpetuated.

It makes me wonder if there is a disconnect in how we are communicating our message; What are we not saying they we assume they understand and they obviously do not? What else should we be doing to educate the public about the challenges faced by people who live with a mental illness and how the stigma perpetuated by a senseless act like this, affects them in their daily life?

Comment by kaagee on February 9, 2011 at 12:18am: Stigma is the calling card of a society which promotes those that lash out due to fear, intolerance or ignorance. It seems akin to the rash of bullying in the schools for whom the tables are now turning. Advocacy is a great weapon against such tyranny...I think the most successful campaign I recall was that of the AIDS coalition...many advances came to pass.

Stigma in many, many areas runs rampant in the US, however, other countries suffer as well. The most vulnerable seem to be targets...it is promulgated by all of us.

I applaud taking a stand, raising awareness and working to eliminate the true ugliness of judgmental attitudes that confront us. With dedicated advocates, little by little, we will get there.

Comment by kaagee on February 9, 2011 at 8:32am: Thinking of the many areas in which we face stigma in society. Overall, it is the mark of ignorance, fear or intolerance which is cast upon those mosty vulnerable, often without a voice.
How courageous to speak out, take a stand and say "STOP."
Through dedicated and organized efforts by advocates like ourselves, it has been shown that the tables can be turned. It requires oranization and a forum like this to heighten awareness and effect change Our strength rests in social capital.g

Comment by Amy K on February 10, 2011 at 11:42am: You can see a new video I have created in an effort to continue spreading the message here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBTsGSuBQuc Please continue sharing the message!

Comment by jwohlenberg on February 10, 2011 at 12:02pm: I honestly don't know which appalls me more - the dance routine or the NBC article. What's the big deal? We've gone too far in being politically correct? How can anyone honestly think that this was appropriate or "good to go"?! It's bad enough that the mentally ill are essentially throwaways in our society, cut out of the budgetary margins and left to sit on the fringes of life, but to mock them? And then to mock the people who stand up for them? We have so much more work to do.

Comment by Amy K on February 10, 2011 at 3:44pm: They are both equally appalling. But, since it seems to me that the school has begun to address the issue, NBC needs to step up and address it, too. This is such a major source of media promoting and condoning stigma, they can do much good by taking a stance and saying "we're sorry, we were wrong!"

Mocking Mental Health Advocacy: Take Action Now!

You need to be a member of WEGO Health to add comments!