I guess if is refreshing in that a prominent figure is revealing his mental illness, but come on -- the guy purports to be fighting against mental health stigma and in the same breath calls himself a "fruitcake". Sounds like he should first work on his self-stigma. What a missed opportunity.
I can see your view, yet I saw it as refreshingly light-hearted and a thumb in the eye to the stigma to turn it around that way. There is a long, proud tradition of humor as a tool to defuse slurs this way.
I don't read this as someone cringing and feeling negative about himself. He's owning it without defensiveness or expectation. It's not everyone's cup of tea, of course.
It is a very British sense of humor and a mark of the self-deprecation which makes up the whole British psyche to call oneself a fruitcake. It is a defense mechanism that we seem to share as a nation. If you admit to being stupid as the opening line, it rather takes the fire out of any "heckler" who may disagree with you. It is also a rather affectionate term, rather than an insult - a bit like calling someone a daft moo, rather than a stupid cow.
It was a seminal moment in this country and the speech he gave in a full Parliament was the only one to get full support from ALL parties. This hasn't happened much over the last 350 years.....
Refreshing essay by an MP on revealing one's mental illness:
I guess if is refreshing in that a prominent figure is revealing his mental illness, but come on -- the guy purports to be fighting against mental health stigma and in the same breath calls himself a "fruitcake". Sounds like he should first work on his self-stigma. What a missed opportunity.
ReplyDeleteI can see your view, yet I saw it as refreshingly light-hearted and a thumb in the eye to the stigma to turn it around that way. There is a long, proud tradition of humor as a tool to defuse slurs this way.
ReplyDeleteI don't read this as someone cringing and feeling negative about himself. He's owning it without defensiveness or expectation. It's not everyone's cup of tea, of course.
Ahh, two nations divided by a common language....
ReplyDeleteIt is a very British sense of humor and a mark of the self-deprecation which makes up the whole British psyche to call oneself a fruitcake. It is a defense mechanism that we seem to share as a nation. If you admit to being stupid as the opening line, it rather takes the fire out of any "heckler" who may disagree with you. It is also a rather affectionate term, rather than an insult - a bit like calling someone a daft moo, rather than a stupid cow.
It was a seminal moment in this country and the speech he gave in a full Parliament was the only one to get full support from ALL parties. This hasn't happened much over the last 350 years.....
You may find that this follow up article is more elucidating
ReplyDeletehttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/9349272/MP-Charles-Walker-obsessive-compulsive-disorder-OCD-is-like-a-hundred-little-blackmails-a-day.html
It finishes with this line - so typical of British humor
“Dear Charles, better to be a fruitcake than a boring old sponge.”