Never A Truer Word Spoken...

Speaking at the vigil, one of Harvey's uncles said: 'We're all tarred with the same brush here, especially given what happened on Monday.

'But this is the true Ely. Look how many people have turned out to pay their respects.'

And how do they do that? By blocking the roads and littering the surrounding area:

 Pity the farmers in the surrounding area...

'The only difference between Monday and today is that the police aren't here.'

Don't really blame them, do you? 

'They were just young boys. Everyone rides bikes and scooters around here. Yes, we find them annoying but that's just what they do.

'But as soon as those coppers saw they had no helmets they should've stopped.'

There are no responsible adults in the place who feel it's their job to raise chilren correctly? Then build a wall around the place and leave them to their own devices... 

When Campaigns Are Too Successful...

This year’s big week, run by the Mental Health Foundation, starts on Monday. Its theme is anxiety, a disorder affecting a quarter of adults, according to the foundation – a statistic that sounds unbelievably large until you read its description of the condition, which seems almost broad enough to take in the full sweep of human experience.

“Lots of things can lead to feelings of anxiety, including exam pressures, relationships, starting a new job (or losing one) or other big life events. We can also get anxious when it comes to things to do with money and not being able to meet our basic needs, like heating our home or buying food.”

We used to call this 'life' once, didn't we? And got on with it? In fact, wasn't it once a peculiarly British trait? 

Britain is certainly more aware than it used to be. Diagnoses have broadened – more of us see grief and stress as mental illnesses than we did a decade ago. Therapy-speak infuses the language: triggering, boundaries, projection, self-care – stiff-upper-lipped Brits have expanded their vocabularies.

No more, it would seem... 

The theme of last year’s mental health awareness week was loneliness. Previous years have covered nature and mental health, kindness and body image. These awareness campaigns seem to work by stretching the concept of mental illness into the realm of common experience – linking anxious feelings to anxiety, or relating depression to the stresses of everyday life.

Which isn't good for anyone. Except those peddling snake oil 'cures' and remedies. They must be making out like bandits... 

A Climate Of Fear...

The customer, who asked not to be named, said: "I was recently at Fortes and noticed they have a figurine of a monkey depicted as a human being begging for money. I believe they used it for tips."

So..? 

"Given the heightened issue in the pub in the UK displaying golly dolls, and the fact that these types of caricatures are racist towards black people, I asked to speak to the manager about it but they were not there.

"A member of staff seemed to be indifferent about the figurine saying it was just decor. It is highly offensive."

Why do I get the feeling this customer isn't themselves any kind of minority? Except of the sort that get their kicks from taking offense on behalf of others, and bullying people? 

Of course, sadly, though they are a minority, people are ceding them the power to act out of all proportion with their numbers... 

“I am very glad the owners have since decided to remove the figure. It’s really important that we reflect on how welcoming and inclusive our environments are here in the south west to people of all backgrounds.”

/facepalm 

Claire Heard, who runs the cafe with her husband Andy, said: "We would never endorse the use of any item which may have racist connotations as we take this very seriously. The figure of a monkey business card holder was removed as soon as the gentleman mentioned it may cause offence.

"We invite the gentleman to contact us directly for us to apologise further if he wishes and we thank him for his comments."

This kind of reflexive cringing is bound to encourage every Tom, Dick and Karen to have a go at anything they deem 'offensive', so thanks for that Claire...