sigh

chcr

chcr

Too cute for words
MONTPELIER, Vt. - After weeks of protests, Vermont Teddy Bear Co. has agreed to stop producing and marketing a "Crazy For You" bear that had angered advocates for the mentally ill, four advocacy groups said Thursday.
Click to expand...
In a straight-jacket with commitment papers.

One of them linky thnigies
 
Chic... said linky dead ends into a 'sign up' page for said news service. Can you do a bulk copy/pasty thingy?
 
MONTPELIER, Vt. - To the relief of advocates for the mentally ill, the Vermont Teddy Bear Co. said Thursday that its straitjacketed "Crazy For You" bears are sold out and that it will not make any more.

For weeks, advocates and Republican Gov. James Douglas have criticized the toy as insensitive. The $69.95 bear, marketed as a Valentine's Day gift, came with a straitjacket and commitment papers.

The company said it had decided weeks ago that it would stop manufacturing the bears but would continue selling them through Valentine's Day.

Company spokeswoman Nicole L'Huillier said the bear had sold unusually well, but would not release figures.

Mental health advocates claimed victory.

"We believe the Vermont Teddy Bear Co. has come to understand the harm caused by creating an image that trivialized the pain of people with severe mental illness, and that reinforced public stereotypes regarding appropriate treatment for such individuals," four advocacy groups said in a statement.

Last week, company President and CEO Elisabeth Robert had apologized to anyone offended by the bear but said it would not be taken off the market. "We're not in a position to be told what we can and cannot sell," she said.

On Tuesday, she met with representatives of the Vermont chapter of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill and three other groups.

"We sat around a Vermont kitchen table and talked," Robert said in a statement Thursday. "From the respectful, human discourse I learned a lot about the significance of stigma in the mental health community and the plight of real people who suffer from mental illness."

"Again, we are truly sorry if we hurt anyone with this bear," she said.

The bears were offered on eBay on Thursday for as much as $175.
Click to expand...
thank you bugmenot
 
thanks Les. sorry but I tihnk the saying is a bit cute. I see no harm to anyone except those that are just trying to be PC.
 
unclehobart said:
Chic... said linky dead ends into a 'sign up' page for said news service. Can you do a bulk copy/pasty thingy?
Click to expand...

Sorry, I got buried under a huge steaming pile of computer illiterate morons (well, four actually, but they were dumb enough for twenty) and just now got back to the thread.

Thanks Les.
 
From the perspective of a someone who knows what it is like to suffer from mental illness I think that it is entirely appropriate. Most people are so ignorant to the suffering of others they'd rather not care about having the consience to stand up and act on an issue that. I think more needs to be done within society because of the casual acceptance of such things. There is still a lot of stigma and things out there concerning mental illness that have yet to be acted on.

Kudos.
 
If an individual can't handle a vision as mild as a cute bear in a ridiculous costume, how is she going to handle the real challenges that life inevitably brings forth?

I suspect a mentally ill Iraqi woman would have no problem with this particular Vermont teddy bear as she hasn't the time for trifling, PC issues such as this. :shrug:
 
tank girl said:
From the perspective of a someone who knows what it is like to suffer from mental illness I think that it is entirely appropriate. Most people are so ignorant to the suffering of others they'd rather not care about having the consience to stand up and act on an issue that. I think more needs to be done within society because of the casual acceptance of such things. There is still a lot of stigma and things out there concerning mental illness that have yet to be acted on.

Kudos.
Click to expand...
Tourette's Syndrome DOES count as a mental illness, right? Just wondering. I think that bear is hella-funny.
 
I don't think its wrong to start being critical of socially accepted, discriminatory quips and start being more aware of them and gain a bit of respect for significant groups of the population that is habitually discriminated against in popular culture. (in this case, the amount of people that suffer from mental illness is thought to be around 1 in 5 or even, if my guess is accurate - 1 in 3. In a so-called "democratic" and "civilised", "free" society today we simply can't afford to be that stupid. But we are. I find it a rare, and utterly important step that somebody with enough of a social conscience has realized that the doll is discriminatory to those sufferers of mental illness and made the step to acknowledge that fact.

Its not so much the image of a bear in a costume - and not so much of an individual one to a larger issue that still sees it socially acceptable and okay to trivialise those that pervade the social "norms"...

I agree there is a point where pc can go to far - but I don't think that criticism should be used as an excuse for downright ignorance.

The same thing would apply to a "nigger" doll that was popular back in the days of slavery among the affluent white 'folks...or a "housewife" barbie doll (or barbie doll in genral :rolleyes: )...etc.

Therefore these remarks and things that you find appropriate as "light humour" are only accepted because they have been used so much within popular culture yet only at the "other" (that is being made fun of) expense.

Ink, I don't have Tourettes Syndrome no; I wish I was that fortunate...:shrug:

I can understand from a romantic viewpoint it would seem innocent enough - but the thing is that the fact that it is viewed innocently enough is an example of carelessness towards the fact that it pokes fun at what is a very real stereotype that affects, and has the potential to offend many people. By continuing viewing such a thing as innocent and harmless - all you are doing is reinforcing the already existing social custom of trivialising things, issues and people that you don't really understand in ways that are deemed acceptable because nobody takes a step back to notice the seriousness of the issue that they are actually making fun of.
 
You're completely wrong. Rather than coddle a person through life, shielding her from every little offensive thing that can be thrown her way, we need to embolden her and let her understand that life can be tough. People will say and do atrocious things to one another. It is far better to learn to have a sense of humor about one's shortcomings than to take umbrage every time someone looks at you crosswise. A child brought up in the manner you seem to suggest will never be able to take care of herself in the real world, rather she will look to someone else to protect her from every last slight -- and there will be many, because the world is not a pretty place. Banning everything offensive and painting pretty flowers everywhere will not make it otherwise.
 
abooja said:
You're completely wrong. Rather than coddle a person through life, shielding her from every little offensive thing that can be thrown her way, we need to embolden her and let her understand that life can be tough. People will say and do atrocious things to one another. It is far better to learn to have a sense of humor about one's shortcomings than to take umbrage every time someone looks at you crosswise. A child brought up in the manner you seem to suggest will never be able to take care of herself in the real world, rather she will look to someone else to protect her from every last slight -- and there will be many, because the world is not a pretty place. Banning everything offensive and painting pretty flowers everywhere will not make it otherwise.
Click to expand...

Completely wrong end of the stick, AGAIN abooja. I respext the angle you are coming from but still reinforce the point that it is NOT okay to make fun of others at their expense, especially in a discriminatory fashion.

I'm not talking about ME in particular, abooja I'm talking about people that suffer from a clinically diagnosed MENTAL ILLNESS, and the relations between society at large and those people in general.

I agree with you on one level - but here It is important to ackowledge that am talking about no child, no matter of the world being a nasty place but human rights in general and basic respect for one anothe - this is a matter of "treating another the way you would wish them to treat you" as being affected by a mental illness - and then having to confront social stigma and countless jokes about insanity and "being nuts" etc- as if you were somehow not human - I think it is abonimible in a society that prides itself on fairness and moral values - that so called "normal" people think it is still acceptable to make fun of people simply because they can't help the way they are, just because they haven't been so unfortunate to confront the reality of mental illness either in themselves or in a family member or friend.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top