Daily Mail, You've Done It Again

Oh, for fuck's sake...

So yeah - the Daily Mail have given Janet Street-Porter a platform to spout off her inane opinions on. Daily Mail + JSP = match made in hell. At least, if you ask me.

In case you've not read the article about depression, click here.

Read it? Fucking ludicrous, innit? I can't help but explode. How dare she think she can make such a comment? How dare she?

For one thing, she implies it's only middle-class women who get depression. She's talking out her arse for a start. Last time I checked it was fairly common amongst the working classes too. My mam's friend was diagnosed with depression some years back - one factor of this was her job. She works in an old folks' home and at the time of her diagnosis a number of residents had recently died. When you consider how long some of them had probably been there for, you can imagine she'd probably become quite attached to them. JSP, meanwhile, has never suffered from this. So what right does she have to say anything?

There's this statement, to begin with:

"I find something very repellent about this recent epidemic of middle-class breast-beating. This tidal wave of analysis about why'having it all' isn't what it used to be. [...] Get a grip, girls."

And then this:

"Nowadays women who've never been in a war zone or experienced an act of terrorism are claiming that are suffering from stress when all they do is run a home and get the bus to work."

Well no - it's a known fact that you can never 'have it all'. You can have all the material things in the world you could possibly want and that isn't enough. I should also like to request that JSP try, perhaps, purchasing a copy of the Oxford English Dictionary and look up the meanings of 'stress' and 'depression' - I'd be inclined to say that she's completely mixed them both up. Trying to juggle a job AND run a home is not an easy thing to do - my own mother could vouch for that, as could countless other mothers I know. Then there's the small point of being human. There could, for instance, be other problems in your personal life. It's all in our heads, is it? We all bring it on ourselves? Try telling that to my flatmate whose granny died in February, or my cousin whose baby was stillborn in March. I wouldn't dare say that their feelings over those incidents were in their heads - because they certainly are not. I know other folk who have depression of various sorts for various reasons too. The reasons are not in their heads, because in most cases, people can see them.

Janet Street-Porter is about to singlehandedly undo the work that many have done to reduce the stigma of mental ill health. Many people with depression are afraid to be open about it because they think people will either shut them out, uncertain how to deal with it, or accuse them of attention seeking behaviour. And yes, there are those who use mental ill health as an excuse for their behaviour (*ahem*EMOS*ahem*), but certainly not everyone. Many people who are mentally ill do have a genuine affliction. How dare she say it's been made up when there is OVERWHELMING evidence against her? She sickens me. What a frosty, cold-hearted cow.

It gets worse - try this bit, where she tries to imply men do not get mentally ill:

"At this point, I'm afraid to say, I laugh out loud. The idea of feeling sorry for a bloke with low self-esteem is frankly, risible. Let's just call it karmic revenge for all those years men have been in charge of everything."

Fuck off. I'm sorry, but no. That is the most sexist thing I've read in ages. (See, I'm a feminist, but I'm no man-hater.) Of COURSE men get depression. And I wouldn't be surprised if there's more pressure on them to be a certain way. Men are, even in this day and age, expected to be strong. They're not allowed to cry in public or allow themselves to be henpecked by their wives, girlfriends etc. (The latter of which is fair enough - relationships should be about teamwork, if one person takes control it will fail.) That's not really fair, when you think about it. And 'karmic revenge' - pfft. The men of today should not have to pay for the behaviour of their ancestors, that's a pile of shit for a start. The unfairness of this statement again makes me furiously angry. As indeed does the whole scathing tone. The Daily Mail do fuck all for their own reputation either.

To complain, go to the PCC website. Additionally, the campaign is here. It is being run by my friend Nikky and her friend George.

Again, deeply unimpressed by this behaviour. People like her should not be allowed a public platform.