Rosie Jones documentary

DayDreamBeliever · July 2023

I think this discussion fits most with this category but if it would be better elsewhere I apologise.

I was wondering what people's thoughts are on the title of the new Rosie Jones documentary coming out on channel 4 later this month?

Id rather not state it here but it can be easily found on Google and includes a slur commonly used against disabled people.

I can see why Rosie has called it that and have read and sympathise with her reasoning but I also fear it will somewhat destigmatise the word and we might see it being used more frequently by people who are not a part of the disabled community. But curious about others' views.

Tibik · July 2023

I get your point. What would happen if a person like Ashley Banjo did a special called Ashley Banjo: Am I a N******? People would lose it. Or if Elton John did a show called Elton John: Am I a F*****? they would become pariahs. Everyone would ask why they commissioned such a thing... heads would roll. But because we are disabled, it's somehow ok. We need to make it not ok.

PS- the words with the ***'s are not standing for anything other than whatever is in your imagination, as I do not subscribe to using such words as these might represent.

OverlyAnxious · July 2023

The whole point of a documentary like this is to raise awareness. That only happens if non-disabled people choose to watch it. People are definitely going to watch it if you give a it a divisive title!

I can totally see why she's called it that. But for me personally, I do think she's pushed it over the line of 'acceptable' for 2023. I suspect it will be renamed by the time it airs.

rustledjimm · July 2023

While I understand the "people will watch if it's got an eye-catching headline!" I think this is a step too far, similar to what OverlyAnxious says. While some communities have made attempts to rehabilitate certain slurs, with controversy, I don't think this is one to be rehabilitated.

I also worry about the destigmatisation. I have seen it with the word "queer" in LGBTQ+ circles. While many are trying to rehabilitate it there are others who are against it. It's increased usage has, in my anecdotal evidence, seen a surge of non-LGBTQ+ people using it and fighting back when someone asks them not to after finding it offensive.

DayDreamBeliever · July 2023

My thoughts on it are similar to the others you've all expressed here.

I agree @rustledjimm that I don't think the r word is one that should be reclaimed as I think it's still used to hurt disabled people.

Personally I use the word queer for myself but understand that some of the older generations of LGBTQIA+ folks still don't like it. I wonder if that will happen with the r slur. A younger generation will reclaim it and it will become a commonplace word whilst anyone in the disability community whose older than them will still be uncomfortable with it and dislike it's usage.

DayDreamBeliever · July 2023

@OverlyAnxious I hope it gets changed but with every thing Rosie Jones and channel 4 have said about the title, I don't think they will back down on this

OverlyAnxious · July 2023

DayDreamBeliever said:

@OverlyAnxious I hope it gets changed but with every thing Rosie Jones and channel 4 have said about the title, I don't think they will back down on this

You were correct. I've just seen it on the TV schedule for Thursday night. Still using the original title with an asterisk in the word.

DayDreamBeliever · July 2023

OverlyAnxious said:

DayDreamBeliever said:

@OverlyAnxious I hope it gets changed but with every thing Rosie Jones and channel 4 have said about the title, I don't think they will back down on this

You were correct. I've just seen it on the TV schedule for Thursday night. Still using the original title with an asterisk in the word.

Sad that they didn't take on board the feedback from the wider disability community

OverlyAnxious · July 2023

Did anyone else watch it? I found it really interesting myself.

I don't think it was 'promoting' that word at all, and can see why they had to use it in the end.

I must admit, I'm not sure it will have done Rosie any favours though, I dread to think about the torrent of abuse she will have received during and after that was aired.

CATP · July 2023

OverlyAnxious said:

Did anyone else watch it? I found it really interesting myself.

I don't think it was 'promoting' that word at all, and can see why they had to use it in the end.

I must admit, I'm not sure it will have done Rosie any favours though, I dread to think about the torrent of abuse she will have received during and after that was aired.

i started watching it and i loved where rosie jones was going with this, she is one of my favurite comedians and actors (she had a very dramatic long term character in casualty where she played an mother of a baby annd the doctor called dylan became an ally and advocate to her because they tried to take the baby off her for having CP).

i have learning disability amongst a lot of other stuff (my writen diagnosis is actualy MR,under tthe old DSM-in the new DSM its known as intelectual disability,which in the UK is called learning disability).

i was very triggered within the first few minutes of rosies programe so i sadly had to turn it over,no fault of rosie or the team who made it,i was glad that non disabled people will have seen what its like,but i bett for most its not stayed with them like it will for people who have had that treatment from lowlifes.

ive also been badly bullied in the comunity and online my whole teen and adult life,to the point i lost my pets and my home and almost my life, i was sectioned into a learning disability hospital and from the constant restraint i suffered there i now have a damaged spine,spinal nerves and severe widespread periphral neuropathy.

ill give you a example of a disabled comedian using the slur in a way that clearly isnt to raise awareness,its making another group of often very vunerable people the butt of her jokes.

Francesca Martinez, she s always tried way to hard to be funny and in her book, 'what the - is normal?' she said its MR people who are the ones voting for UKIP and reading the daily mail-not even the bill hicks of todays comedy; doug stanhope -with the power of comedy- has abused us- in the past he has rather respectfuly discused the diferent treatment learning disabled people get compared to people with severe mental illness (his wife has schizophrenia and he campains for better MH services in the US).

francesca was wrong on so many levels.rosie wasnt i dont think, i wish she ran this country with larry the cat.

DayDreamBeliever · July 2023

I haven't watched it yet. I didnt ever think she was promoting the words use by hoping people would use it more. But I think by calling the show what she did more people will be using the word, whether that's to talk about the show, hashtag comments about it etc. And just that increased use of the word could have the impact that certain people feel more confident using the slur against people.

Rosie Jones documentary

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