The Dark Side of Borderline Personality Disorder

I have a real ambivalence about this kind of story, appearing on the Guardian website today. Whilst I think finding representations of mental health in popular culture can be a useful way of unlocking some of the social stigma around the issues (by demystifying the often over-medicalised terminology with easily recognisable portrayals) I think there’s [...]

Dis/Respectful Laughter

A challenging article today on the use of disability in humour, with some interesting comments beneath it. Humour and society is of course a debate that goes back as far as people have been making jokes – and those who have been the subject or target of comedians have always (I imagine) had something to [...]

Attention Seeking: A 21st Century Pastime

It’s not entirely fair to blame Andy Warhol, but the cultural and social impact of his very generous allocation of 15 minutes of fame per person has contributed majorly to the cult of celebrity which is taking over our lives today. I am also aware that blogging is also a currently popular form of attention [...]