Day 223 – The even more sinister side of show business
There is an awful lot of ill-informed debate circulating within the media, upon the walls of social networking sites and around the water cooler about the case of Shirlena Johnson. What makes me frustrated about the situation is the attempt of the team behind The X Factor to assume a paternal role where they tell a grown woman what is in her best interests. They assume this insincere role however after this woman, of who they care so much for, has performed on stage in front of thousands.
As I understand it the process of the auditions is that before the poor souls are given up to be sacrificed on the altar of the ITV ratings, they are vetted to see whether they are good enough for the stage or indeed bad enough to pull in the viewers and guarantee a You Tube sensation. This woman was vetted then before she then appeared in front of judges who appeared to behave as though she was a jester pulled from a hat for their amusement. What makes me a little cynical is that the bosses behind the show only decided what was best for Miss Johnson after pulling her name through the media for all to judge, boosting their ratings and guaranteeing the show was once again the most talked about.
What I find most confusing about the situation is exactly who it is that has deemed Miss Johnson unfit to go through to the next stage. Articles I have read in the red tops cite psychological experts who say they do not believe she is fit to compete. They sully her name and question her ability to be a good mother to her daughter and yet these experts do not deem it necessary to put their name to these opinions or even tell us what it is exactly that they are an expert in.
Just a few weeks ago I was talking to the boy and later some friends about how I felt mental health seemed to be losing its stigma. Perhaps in some parts this may be the case but the treatment of Miss Johnson by the media, the panel and many others show there is still a long way to go.
As I am not an expert in the field I thought I would include an article from a charity who make it their business to be the experts and they are not ashamed to put a name to their opinion and what they write. The below comes from Mind’s website – the same charity to which all money raised from 365 Dresses: The Mind Project will go. If you want to join the discussion on this matter you can either go to their Facebook page or even just add a comment below.
Whatever people’s opinions I feel it is best they are aired rather than hidden away and allowed to exist without questions being asked and information being shared by people with experience of mental health issues, carers, medical professionals and experts who are not afraid to put their name and title where their mouth is.
The news is splashed over the front pages of The Sun, Daily Mirror and the Metro; The X Factor production team have taken the decision that Shirlena cannot continue. After seeking the opinion of health professionals, it was decided that her experiences of mental distress may lead her to struggle with the huge pressures that are placed on contestants in The X Factor, and that this may in turn affect her role as a mother to her young daughter, Mariah.
Regardless of whether X Factor contestant Shirlena Johnson hid her alleged mental health issues, having a history of mental illness does not mean that somebody is incapable of taking part in The X Factor or, more importantly, caring for a child.
One in four of us will have a mental health problem at some point in our lives and last year alone nearly 40 million antidepressant prescriptions were issued in the UK. The vast majority of these people are more than capable of leading normal lives and of being perfectly good, loving parents.
Reality TV shows can make people a household name overnight and programme makers have a duty of care to ensure all contestants are appropriately supported to deal with the glare of the media spotlight. People should not automatically be barred from entering talent competitions because they have experienced a mental health problem.
We don’t know the full facts about Shirlena’s condition, but based on how the media have responded to the news so far, it is no surprise that she decided not to disclose her experiences of mental distress.
- Today’s dress was a bit of a last-minute choice with which no shoes matched and therefore the boots came out again. It is another donation from my Fairy God Mother whose dresses have dominated the week as they are all rather lovely and I couldn’t wait to wear them all. The dog in the pictures is Ruby who is a sweetie and lightened our day today by being extremely cute and very cuddly. The photos were taken by the lovely Linda Bosworth who had to take Ruby home shortly after the pictures as the poor thing was stung by a wasp.
Miss. Smith said,
March 11, 2012 at 12:43 am
I absoluely agree with you, but at the same ime what goes around comes around because the following year the show also lost viewers and ratings/
Miss. Smith said,
March 11, 2012 at 12:45 am
I absolutely agree with you, but at the same time what goes around can come around because the following year the show lost viewers. You wrote a great story and sound like a nice person.