Still Waters No Longer Running, Derp.

Paddy wrote:

Dear John,

This is a tough letter for me to write. Less than 24 hours ago, I had taken to Twitter to launch a truncated, under 140 character tirade against you and your opinions. I hated you. Genuinely. From the moment that I heard your opinions on depression, I felt a terrible resentment grow within me and that quickly escalated into pure hatred. As unsettling as that might be for you to hear, I assure you that it was equally (if not more) terrifying for me.

You see, I don’t offend easy. In fact, I thrive in dark humour and shocking statements that provoke a reaction out of people. The likes of Frankie Boyle and Jimmy Carr make a living from making crude and often tasteless remarks and I applaud them for it. I am of the firm belief that nothing should be taboo and that everyone is entitled to their own opinion on matters without fear of demonisation – within reason.

My problem with you was not the fact that you said ridiculous things – god knows I would not be in any position to slate anyone for saying stupid and mis-timed statements – but my problem goes deeper than that. You see, as unpopular as it is to admit this, I don’t think that everything you say is wrong. In fact, I share some of your beliefs. You just happen to put your points across in such a way that makes it harder for people to respect my views.

As a single father, I vehemently support the campaign to see equal rights afforded to fathers when it comes to their children. I don’t, however, feel the need to oppose the rights for gay men and women to adopt in order to push my personal agenda forward. They are not mutually exclusive options. It’s not as if you need to pick one or the other. And by your attempt to disguise your opposition of gay adoption behind the facade of purely fighting for the rights of the single father, you belittle our plight and end up putting more barriers in the way for people like me. The issue is the welfare of the child, not the sex lives of the parent(s).

Personally, I do not think that it was right that you became somewhat of a scapegoat for that infamous Saturday Night Show incident. I wouldn’t even necessarily call you a homophobe (I also don’t think I will see you wrapped in a rainbow flag at a gay rights parade any time soon but I certainly wouldn’t put you in the same category as the Iona Institute). You have your opinions on homosexuality, either on religious or personal grounds, and you are entitled to hold these views as much as people are entitled to oppose you, but I think mentioning you in the same breath as the Iona Institute was slightly over the top. But as a journalist, you should know that while you need to be true to your beliefs, you are in a privileged position where your opinions will be read by the general public so when you are asked about incendiary topics like gay marriage, you still need to remain respectful. You haven’t been and this is why you were mentioned.

But as much as the above irritated me, your wholly insensitive approach to depression infuriated me. You see, I too am skeptical about how depression is portrayed in the media. It seems to be the illness-de-jour lately and you cannot open a newspaper to see a celebrity or sports personality opening their hearts about their “battle with depression”. Depression has become diluted to such an extent to where it is often confused for just “having a bad day”. You could compare it to people saying that they have a flu when they have a head cold – but that doesn’t mean that influenza doesn’t exist.

Depression is a very real and very serious problem in Ireland and by you having the audacity to say, “I don’t believe in depression. It’s bull****. It’s a cop-out”, you completely piss all over the struggle that countless people encounter on a daily basis. If only one person sees your quote and dismisses depression as a “cop-out” and refuses to seek help, then their blood is on your hands. That might seem like hyperbole but that is, sadly, the reality of the fact. It is perhaps the singlemost irresponsible statement for a man in your position to make. As I have said, everyone is entitled to their opinion but the addendum of “within reason” is extremely important.

You are entitled to your opinion but only when it is based in some sort of fact or even a debatable point. To say that you do not believe in depression is as ridiculous as me saying that I don’t believe in gravity. As someone who has personally suffered from depression and been lucky enough to come out the other end, as someone who has seen family members almost succumb to depression and as someone who has lost people that I held dear to depression, I can safely say that you are wrong and I am not going to sit idly by while you make light of my struggle and the loss of my friends. How very well dare you?

Before Pantigate and before your college interview, I didn’t like you. You came across as smug and full of your own self-importance and your attempts to be controversial and cutting edge were pathetic. Even after the Saturday Night Show controversy, you remained little more than an annoyance. You again, are in the spotlight. Your work here is done. People are talking about you (myself included) and you have managed to squeeze your name into a few more column inches.

I said at the start of this letter that I hated you John. I don’t. Not any more. To hate you would take too much effort on my part and you frankly are not worth it. It would be glib and condescending of me to say I pity you, because I don’t. Pity would infer that I somehow cared about you. But with your statements about depression you have become dangerous and I implore you to please just respectfully fuck off.

Paddy

The Black Oil wrote: »

John should have done Today FM's shave or dye. Shave his head, or dye it rainbow.