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Let's all take Blindboy seriously now...

Sky King

People do know this is a character right? And not an actual person?

Does it strike anyone else as strange that a made-up persona with a fake voice, parody accent and a fking plastic bag on his head is treated like a normal, regular person in debates and current affairs TV shows? And given the same credibility and respect as an actual real person?

Imagine Fr. Dougal Mcguire, Dustin the Turkey and Fortycoats appearing our incisive current affairs shows discussing mental health with Alan Partridge adjudicating.

Or discussing the 8th amendment and feminism with Mrs Brown, The Bottler and Podge and Rodge? It would be treated like a joke (obviously), but when the prank phone call making, glue-huffing, spastic hawk-toting Blindboy talks serious we all suddenly have to sit up take it seriously.

If I was asked to debate on the same show as a parody character I'd be more than a little pissed off.

By all means share your story on mental health or offer an opinion on our education system. But for fk sake would you give us and the other people on the show the respect of doing it yourself, in a real voice? Without a fking bag on your head?

Alternatively if you prefer holding on to the bag, you could try going back to... you know... being funny. And less preachy.

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Dannyriver

jh79 wrote: »

Dannyriver wrote: »

He claims transactional analysis is a possible solution to mental health issues, where is his evidence for that?

When did he claim he was an expert in mental health...evidence

No he didn t he cliamed TA was a way of understanding the self that has been very useful in his own life. There are many possible solutions to mental health issues understanding the self is just one, exercise and getting enough sleep and being careful around alcohol comsumption would be others. Do you need to see eveidence for all these or will you be ok with them being used by me as possible solutions.

Dannyriver

jh79 wrote: »

optogirl wrote: »

4. What can be done about this?
Potential solutions. Make good mental health practice part of your daily life. You are an adult and you have the power to make this choice, even though you are a product of our culture you have the choice to not be defined by it. Read up about the likes of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Transactional analysis, Emotional intelligence. Embrace them and apply them to your life.

https://www.alustforlife.com/soul/10-questions-with/10-questions-with-blindboy-boatclub-from-the-rubberbandits

What poit are you making by quoting that rather sensible suggestion by Blindboy? I don t understand.

optogirl

jh79 wrote: »

optogirl wrote: »

4. What can be done about this?
Potential solutions. Make good mental health practice part of your daily life. You are an adult and you have the power to make this choice, even though you are a product of our culture you have the choice to not be defined by it. Read up about the likes of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Transactional analysis, Emotional intelligence. Embrace them and apply them to your life.

https://www.alustforlife.com/soul/10-questions-with/10-questions-with-blindboy-boatclub-from-the-rubberbandits

He is suggesting several ways of practicing good mental health. He is not claiming to have a cure or indeed that he is right - he has said time & again that the above has helped him and that it's not for everybody. It's no worse than my telling a friend that doing yoga helped with a bad back. I'm not telling them not to go to a doctor, I'm telling them I personally got relief from yoga.

[Deleted User]

optogirl wrote: »

jh79 wrote: »

He is suggesting several ways of practicing good mental health. He is not claiming to have a cure or indeed that he is right - he has said time & again that the above has helped him and that it's not for everybody. It's no worse than my telling a friend that doing yoga helped with a bad back. I'm not telling them not to go to a doctor, I'm telling them I personally got relief from yoga.

He is claiming it is a solution to a collective problem highlighted in point 3 of the article. That is the context of point 4.

"3. The mental health conversation in Ireland has exploded in recent times. Your homeland Limerick, like most cities, has dealt with at times many social issues which have foundations in an inability to deal or talk about emotional and mental health problems. What is your opinion on where we are going as a society when it comes to our collective mental health?"

Cienciano

jh79 wrote: »

Much like Vera Twomey, he is a lay person, his M A is in Social Practice and the Creative Environment, who believes his personal experience of a an illness makes him an expert in that field. Combined with his celebrity status this makes him dangerous.

He promotes psychotherapy and psychology over medication with proven efficacy.

Just going to jump into this shítshow of a thread to say all that is false. In fact, the exact opposite is true. Unless he says otherwise on twitter? I only listen to his podcast, but he definitely doesn't think he's an expert, he doesn't say don't medicate, only last week he says it will work for people. He always makes it perfectly clear that different things work for different people.
For example, he says getting up and going running helped him. He said how people can get couch to 5k apps to help them and explained how they work. But he also said that he knows that's not for everyone and he knows some people will be rolling their eyes at him even suggesting that. But it helped him so it will more than likely help other people.
From this thread you'd swear his podcast was an hour of mental health a week.

[Deleted User]

Any soultions he suggests need to be backed up with evidence as mental health is too serious of an issue to rely on anecdotes.

The_Kew_Tour

He has a bag over his face. That's why he gets what he wants. If we saw his face he be just your normal lad.

He just says what people want hear if honest. But it works so fair play to him but thankfully lot see through him too and know about his background before.

optogirl

jh79 wrote: »

Any soultions he suggests need to be backed up with evidence as mental health is too serious of an issue to rely on anecdotes.

If you knew an alcoholic that said AA helped them would you demand evidence or could you just accept that, having benefited from it themselves, they are suggesting it as an aide and that the only evidence they have is their own experience? I don't see any problem with BB, or anybody else who has mental health issues, suggesting ways of coping with them. He is not dogmatic about it and always prefaces it with a 'it worked for me, it wont for everyone'

DickSwiveller Returns

Here's another example of nutjob liberals in academia, Brian
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09589236.2017.1287064?journalCode=cjgs20

Wibbs

jh79 wrote: »

He promotes psychotherapy and psychology over medication with proven efficacy.

This is what the always reliable Science Based Medicine has to say on these;

"When tested, psychoanalysis was shown to be less effective than placebo. Its theories have been disproven, and no reasonable scientist or practitioner takes it seriously today. "

"Psychotherapy
Psychotherapeutic interventions in general have been remarkably unsuccessful. Only one of the many varieties of psychotherapy is supported by acceptable evidence: cognitive-behavioral therapy. There is no correlation between a therapist’s training or experience and patient outcomes. Amateurs get equal results. The benefits of psychotherapy may be no better than the benefits of talking to a friend; in a sense, psychotherapists are paid to act as friends, which could be considered a sort of prostitution."

https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/psychology-and-psychotherapy-how-much-is-evidence-based/

Not a shock for me TBH JH. I was very interested in psychology as a possible career when I was in school. Interested enough to mark it down as my primary choice on my CAO form. Got it too, but life got in the way, as it sometimes does. But anyway, the more I read on it, while it very much held my interest as an area of pure research, as a therapeutic tool I found it decidedly lacking, with a lot of conflicting theories, dubious research and passing fads on the back of that. For socially/mentally/emotionally isolated folks who feel they have nobody to actually listen or need a neutral party to listen it certainly has merit(if the therapist is a good one. There are an awful lot of quacks, qualified or no) and as noted above CBT does have good results that are repeatable, but otherwise?

And one could argue the proof is in the pudding. For all the talk of more awareness of mental illness required we have never had so much awareness in the public mind, never had so many therapies of all kinds, yet mental illnesses continue an apparently upward trajectory. This doesn't follow the usual pattern of diseases and access to efficacious therapies, whether preventative or curative. If a new Therapy A came out to treat Condition X and after years of use across the population of sufferers the numbers of condition X were going up, one would not unnaturally conclude that Therapy A was ineffective.

Compare that to the new suite of antidepressants that came along in the 80's, specifically the SSRI family of drugs. Yes they have their detractors(and I would personally argue they're overused) and they have their issues, but their introduction did positively change the maps as far as the treatment of a range of mental illnesses. There are a huge number of people around today that wouldn't be, or be in hospitals, or junked up on valium without them.

[Deleted User]

optogirl wrote: »

If you knew an alcoholic that said AA helped them would you demand evidence or could you just accept that, having benefited from it themselves, they are suggesting it as an aide and that the only evidence they have is their own experience? I don't see any problem with BB, or anybody else who has mental health issues, suggesting ways of coping with them. He is not dogmatic about it and always prefaces it with a 'it worked for me, it wont for everyone'

Fair enough if he generally does add the preface but it doesn't come across that way in the Bressie interview.

But that doesn't mean we should ignore his promotion of pseudoscience such as transactional analysis

optogirl

jh79 wrote: »

Fair enough if he generally does add the preface but it doesn't come across that way in the Bressie interview.

But that doesn't mean we should ignore his promotion of pseudoscience such as transactional analysis

Transactional analysis is just a way of understanding your own responses and behaviours - I don't see the danger in it. It's a method of coping no more scientific than taking a few deep breaths to calm down.

optogirl

The_Kew_Tour wrote: »

He has a bag over his face. That's why he gets what he wants.

The_Kew_Tour

optogirl wrote: »

Do you think he get same reaction if he did not have bag? Really?

optogirl

The_Kew_Tour wrote: »

Do you think he get same reaction if he did not have bag? Really?

I don't know what reaction you are referring to

The_Kew_Tour

optogirl wrote: »

I don't know what reaction you are referring to

The fan base especially the ones who preach on his every word

optogirl

The_Kew_Tour wrote: »

The fan base especially the ones who preach on his every word

I still don't know what reaction you mean or how the bag ensures this reaction is attained? What do you mean by

'He has a bag over his face. That's why he gets what he wants.'

The_Kew_Tour

optogirl wrote: »

I still don't know what reaction you mean or how the bag ensures this reaction is attained? What do you mean by

'He has a bag over his face. That's why he gets what he wants.'

Well if he didn't have a bag like I said previously, I think he be just your normal lad. He may still have a fan base but not to same level.

nozzferrahhtoo

The_Kew_Tour wrote: »

Well if he didn't have a bag like I said previously, I think he be just your normal lad. He may still have a fan base but not to same level.

I can see what you are saying but I am really unclear on why you are saying it. It seems you are just stating something entirely obvious but doing so in a way that implies you think you are making a point.

Many artists gain a platform through their art/act, and then use that platform to spread a political message. Musicians do it. Actors do it. Artists do it. Comedians do it.

Is there an issue with that I am not seeing?

The_Kew_Tour

nozzferrahhtoo wrote: »

I can see what you are saying but I am really unclear on why you are saying it. It seems you are just stating something entirely obvious but doing so in a way that implies you think you are making a point.

Many artists gain a platform through their art/act, and then use that platform to spread a political message. Musicians do it. Actors do it. Artists do it. Comedians do it.

Is there an issue with that I am not seeing?

Us Irish love sorting stupid and a bag works well with the trend.

For 3rd time if he did not have a bag I to don't think he get the reaction he does and I'm comparing him to other 'artists', in same field.

But it works so fair play him. Some people think he the Business

[Deleted User]

nozzferrahhtoo wrote: »

Many artists gain a platform through their art/act, and then use that platform to spread a political message. Musicians do it. Actors do it. Artists do it. Comedians do it.

And should they, do you reckon?..
This politicization of art could turn out to be dangerous I reckon..When does it stop being art and become propaganda?..

Although generally at the minute it's just an attempt to remain relevant/in the news..

It does get tiresome though..

nozzferrahhtoo

The_Kew_Tour wrote: »

Us Irish love sorting stupid and a bag works well with the trend.

Yea but "the bag" is just part of his act. So like I said, he is just another artist who is getting a platform through his work..... and then using the platform to deliver a message. Saying he only has a platform due to his bag is like saying Bono only has his platform due to his band.

It is true..... but..... what is your point? I am not questioning WHAT you are saying. I am just struggling to see the relevance of you saying it.

Deleted User wrote: »

And should they, do you reckon?

I do not see why not. Many people when they see a platform.... use it. You and I saw the platform boards.ie and we are using it. Why should we not?

Deleted User wrote: »

It does get tiresome though..

One can only blame oneself for that though. We can select what media we consume. If we consume it, and then moan it is tiresome.... it's really our own fault.

optogirl

The bag has been explained by BB a good few times at this stage - it's anonymity because A) He wants to be able to go about his days without everyone recognising him

He is aware that his area of work is transient and he may need to go back to a day job at some point - not being recognised will make that easier.

The bag means nothing in context of the podcast because we can't see him

PlaneSpeeking

optogirl wrote: »

The bag has been explained by BB a good few times at this stage - it's anonymity because A) He wants to be able to go about his days without everyone recognising him He is aware that his area of work is transient and he may need to go back to a day job at some point - not being recognised will make that easier.

The bag means nothing in context of the podcast because we can't see him

More like he doesn't want former private school classmates and teachers to recognise him and blow the working class Limerick b**locks clean away.

Cienciano

jh79 wrote: »

Any soultions he suggests need to be backed up with evidence as mental health is too serious of an issue to rely on anecdotes.

I don't think it's any secret that exercise helps against depression.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/in-depth/depression-and-exercise/art-20046495
Getting motivated is the thing which he goes into a bit more detail in addressing.

If you don't like the guy, fair enough and I can understand why, I unsubscribed a while back and think he talks ****e on plenty of things and comes across as condescending on others. But comparing his stance on helping people with depression with antivaxxers is not only stupid and disingenuous, but proves you never actually listened to his show and have just made up your mind about him. Again, I'll stand to be corrected if he does this outside his podcast, because apparently the guy is "paraded all over the media". I haven't bought a newspaper in about 15 years, don't listen to the radio and don't watch RTE, so he could be all over those for all I know.

Wanderer78

PlaneSpeeking wrote: »

More like he doesn't want former private school classmates and teachers to recognise him and blow the working class Limerick b**locks clean away.

im sure plenty of people recognise who he is, from his past and present

The_Kew_Tour

If you Google you see his face. Everyone in Limerick knows his real name.

But look fair play to him it works and people buy into it. He is no fool and he got people into his art if it's what ye call it

pumpkin4life

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29136483_10156013812690803_5713293497627245452_n.jpg?_nc_cat=0&oh=7735762fdcdcd620c44170278054bf5d&oe=5C047909

weldoninhio

nozzferrahhtoo wrote: »

Yea but "the bag" is just part of his act. So like I said, he is just another artist who is getting a platform through his work..... and then using the platform to deliver a message. Saying he only has a platform due to his bag is like saying Bono only has his platform due to his band.

But the act is one of an urban Limerick street urchin, heffing bags of glue, doing drugs and fighting. Should we take this seriously as a mental health advocate??

Bono isn't acting like a scobe, then saying, take me seriously on third world debt etc. He doesn't "play a character".

nozzferrahhtoo

weldoninhio wrote: »

But the act is one of an urban Limerick street urchin, heffing bags of glue, doing drugs and fighting. Should we take this seriously as a mental health advocate??

If a person speaks on any given issue I tend to evaluate their suitability based on what they actually say.... not who they are, or are pretending to be, while they say.

weldoninhio wrote: »

He doesn't "play a character".

I would not agree with that at all. It's a completely different character to the one we are talking about here, but it is a character all the same.