CWF wrote: » What qualifies anyone to practise as a Councillor or psychotherapist?? Absolutely nothing, anybody can put a sign up right now, take people in off the street and do psychotherapy with them. Nothing stopping you, legally or otherwise
Saruhashi wrote: » Anybody can but does that mean they should? Does that mean we should listen to them? Why is the approach to mental health issues in Ireland to just throw a celebrity at it? I don't see how he is giving a knowledgeable or fact-based viewpoint on what is a serious issue. What's next a reality TV star as US president ahead of actual experienced and qualified politicians because anybody can run for president?
Patww79 wrote: This post has been deleted.
El_Duderino 09 wrote: » I find this attitude so often when it comes to men's mental health. Most people acknowledge that there are issues with men and mental health such as the rate of men's suicide. They think it's outrageous that so much effort is put into women's health campaigns and 'where's the men's equivalent?'. But the minute a man puts his head above the parapet to offer some help, he becomes a target for all kinds of ridicule by other men. Whether it's Blindboy or Niall Breslin, or whoever else. They're 'just in it for the money/fame'. Why not just take it as doing their bit for men and men's health. If you personally don't care for his message, then that's fine. But don't ridicule the man for doing good.
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wnolan1992 wrote: » Finished reading his book of short stories there the other week. ****ing brilliant IMO. I love that people get so angry because someone dares to wear a plastic bag on his head, as if that invalidates the content of what he says. If you disagree with the content of what he says, fine, make your case, but just saying "Ah, look at the eejit, hiding behind a plastic bag!" is nonsense.
Saruhashi wrote: » It doesn't invalidate what he says, as such, but it lowers the quality of the discourse. It's an unnecessary distraction. What qualifies Blindboy Boatclub to discuss mental health in Ireland? Is he a qualified medical professional? Just a guy with an opinion and a gimmick that puts him in the spotlight? Is it just that he has had mental health problems of his own? So he says "I use CBT techniques to keep anxiety in check" and that's it? Anyone who has ever been to a therapist for help with these issues knows that it's often FAR more complicated than that. If the message is just "if you are struggling then seek professional help" then I wonder to what extent the mask is really needed for that? The truth is that if we bring some stuffy old therapist in a suit out on stage then we might get great advice but most people will tune out because it's not "interesting". So instead we get some guy giving unqualified, shallow, views on mental health but it's worth listening to because he's got a plastic bag on his head and that's just so "refreshing"? So it's all for show? We let the celebrity have the stage over the people who actually know what's going on because that's what gets people's attention? Let's be honest here. The plastic bag is a gimmick used to push his own career. So when someone is looking at doing a TV interview about the state of mental health in Ireland the go to person is that guy with the plastic bag. He's "interesting". Instead of boring old medical professionals with their "experience" and their "facts" and their "useful advice" because who needs any of that stuff, right?
DickSwiveller wrote: » He has absolutely nothing interesting to say. He just spouts the usual bland pc cliches. A while ago, on the late late, he said that depressed young people need feminism. It's very dangerous giving idiots like this a platform to spout there incoherent tripe. It's a measure of how dumbed down public discourse has become that this person is seen as an articulate, intelligent individual. Personally, I blame the education system.
conorhal wrote: Deserved ridicule when you consider that his proposed solution to men's mental health problems and high suicide rate was that 'they needed more feminism'.
conorhal wrote: He may be correct in his highlighting the problem, but his sketchy ideologically based analysis of it suggest motives that are little more virtue signalling BS. People like that have nothing to offer to the problem other then the 'blindingly obvious' observation that they exist.
elefant wrote: » You could have just inserted anything in there in place of 'the education system' for all the relevance it has to the rest of your point. It's not far off sticking #fact at the end of a post. A damning statement on the dumbing down of public discourse indeed.
El_Duderino 09 wrote: » Depends on whether or not you listen to what he men's by that. He goes on to explain that it's often an unrealistic expectation of masculinity that leads to these problems. For example feeling that a man has to be Uber macho or a man has to be the breadwinner in a time when minimum wage makes that virtually impossible. Men who suffer because of those beliefs are in need of a different perspective for sure. Your analysis is limited to the sound bite 'they need more feminism'. So your understanding is sketchy to begin with. There's much more to his message on mental health than that.
DickSwiveller wrote: » Excuse me, it's completely relevant. Our education system is churning out semi-literate conformist idiots
optogirl wrote: » in what way is blindboy semi-literate? Seriously, fair enough if you don't agree with him or enjoy his shtick but just deciding he's thick because you don't get it isn't exactly fair
conorhal wrote: That assumes his analysis is correct, is it the unrealistic expectation of masculinity? That's a sketchy narrative to explain why men feel dislocated and depresssed and is largely the product of ideological feminist theory.
DickSwiveller wrote: There's nothing to get.
El_Duderino 09 wrote: » Yawn. If there was nothing to get, it wouldn't excite so many people by either entertaining, informing, or winding people up.
