Since the start of this pandemic, we have cycled through endless conspiracy theories about why we are in lockdown, why we shouldn't be in lockdown and even whether the virus is anything more than a mild head-cold. One of the most common justifications for covid denial is that 'there is an epidemic of suicide' as a consequence of it. There isn't, but that won't stop people using it as a reason to unleash furious diatribes on that basis. And the real kicker to all of this is that the people who often use it are the sort of Brexit/Tommy Robinson 'libertarians' who really don't give a fig about the deaths of people (I find they are also Grenfell-deniers and racists, too).
Which leads me on to what I have been recently observing on an almost daily basis as a perfect demonstration of the kind of duplicities these people can indulge in; mental health baiting. The exemplar target of this would be Janey Godley, a Scottish comedian who came to my attention primarily when she stood on Trump's golf course with a sign saying 'Trump is a cunt'. So I followed her on Twitter and have enjoyed her voiceovers of Nicola Sturgeon's COVID pressers immensely. Her Glaswegian outlook and language suit my sense of humour and I have always thought there to be a lyricism about that dialect - the voiceovers also include real insight to the issues at stake. Godley has written a book about her life, the abuse she suffered, the deprivation she endured as a child and is very open and candid about her mental health. Like a lot of us, she is a bit broken and will often provide a narrative about feeling awful, 'crying and puking'. Her followers rally round and offer support but quite a few others feel the need to try and prise open the cracks and exploit this. Much of that appears to have a political slant - Godley is a Scot Nat and many of her trolls are Unionists - but the naked attempts to try and destabilise her mentally are really quite eye-watering and merciless.
Now I don't know Godley, we have never met and I know only her online persona (which I find entertaining and human and vulnerable at times) and like many people with a heart and a bit of humanity, one is inclined to want to step in and support someone like that. When I point out the needlessness of a troll's abuse, the reply is often weird equivalence ('well she called Trump a cunt, isn't that abusive?'). Even Scottish politicians indulge in relentless trolling and some of it is really quite nasty.
Some of you may know that I spend many hours a week as a crisis volunteer for a mental health charity. Many of those I speak to are seriously contemplating taking their own lives but if there is a common thread among those I speak with, it is that they have an overwhelming sense of worthlessness, and that feeling often derives from others telling them that they are worthless. It is also a fact that they often hold to the concept that there is a normal or perfect way to be and that they cannot live up to it; past events, particularly abuse, are usually a major factor in this, so the attempts by people to suggest Godley is lying about her past are especially pernicious. What occurs to me about Godley is that she has come to accept that she is the product of her life experiences but has decided to live with them, manage them and sometimes - temporarily - succumb to them. Those who suffer in a similar way no doubt find her Twitter feed helpful. Her online life is a demonstration of this courage (and it does take courage to battle through these thoughts) and her expression as a comedian and actor give her a sense of herself and achievement - it is something she knows herself to be good at. When she is attacked for her mental health - which could either be a suggestion she does not have the past she has described in her book, that she is 'not funny' etc' - it often elicits a fierce response from Godley, and sometimes the 'street' in her comes to the fore. But it is also evident that each attack takes its toll and requires a renewed effort to maintain her balance and contentment. She is still broken and she is still human, despite her preparedness to fight back. Many people can't find that energy to fight back.
As I said, I don't know Godley personally, and this is not intended as anything more than an observation of just how toxic social media has become. Someone may think they are clever and funny when they pitch a spiteful curveball on Twitter, but if you spend any time talking to those battling unhappiness or mental health issues, you know that to try to ease a crowbar into a fragile psyche is about the shittiest thing you can do as a human being, especially if your target has been open about those fragilities. It's an easy target, and it is abuse (and we know of high profile examples of where it leads). If you take pleasure from it, then I think we should all be holding up signs like the one Janey Godley became famous for - except it will have your name on it.
Comments
Post a Comment