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broadmoor's got talent

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wendilla | 10:46 Sun 06th Jul 2008 | News
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Just been reading in News of the World about this.Well I for one don't want to watch this stupid thing and I am sure the relatives of the victims are outraged that even this could be thought of to go on tv. Whatever are the producers thinking of. I could rant on forever about this. What's your views? Prisoners murders sex offenders. I don't think so. Simon Cowell will do anything to line his own pocket..
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I probably read this wrong. I would not think it would go out on national tv . Just saw red when I read it
most of them should be dangling at the end of a rope never mind ''peforming'' on the tv...............
I've just had the misfortune of reading it online:

http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/0607_broadmoor s_got_talent.shtml

Broadmoor is a high security mental hospital which imprisons the criminally insane - but also homes mentally ill people who have never committed a crime.

In light of this I find the whole tone of the article to be crass and insensitive. So some mentally ill people are having a talent show. So what?
Ethel, thanks for the link, it makes more sense now.

The journalist (sic) has conflated the proposed talent show, with the names of those people who are infamous to imply that the hospital is arranging for the murders to have an unrestrained good time. Instead the hospital are arranging an in house talent show. There is no suggestion that this is a for public viewing or that any outsiders are involved.

What is so wrong with that, are people who are detained in hospital to be deprived of any entertainment and enjoyment? OK some of them have committed terrible crimes but does that mean we shouldn't allow any patient there, any normal human interaction. Would we want to go back to the days of Bedlam where institutional cruelty was the norm
There's no suggestion of this being televised.

The headline reads .........

Broadmoor's Got Talent
Killers and rapists stage spoof TV contest

...... 'spoof' being the operative word.

What's wrong with patients - and they are patients - staging a talent contest within the hospital? Nothing whatsoever as far as I can see. However, there is something wrong with a so-called journalist who can't find anything more important to write about - or to sensationalise - than this - and there's definitely something wrong with an editor who considers such utter tripe newsworthy.

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To Ruby 27 You quote (would we want to go back to the days of Bedlam where institutional cruelty was the norm) I wonder what the relatives of the poor innocent people who were murdered and of those who were raped would reply to that.
Wendila - we don't know who is taking part in this 'show' but many inmates in Broadmoor have committed no crime.

Everyone in Broadmoor is insane, and that is a vaild defence in the criminal courts of the UK.

We have a duty to look after the mentally ill, as well as the physically ill in this country.

We can do that and still empathise with the families of the victims of the criminally insane, It is not an 'either/or' situation.
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Yes Ethel I do agree in parts of what you are saying but it wasn't all the mentally ill that the news of the world was referring to ..I don't believe they were all mentally ill .Never mind it's us again as usual that will have to foot the bill .Bet they have a Disco afterwards.
wendilla

As Ethel puts it so well, abhorring the actions doesn't stop us/society having a duty of humane care.

The paper only refers to those people who have committed terrible crimes. I would imagine that this event has been arranged with the whole hospital population in mind, not just those mentioned.

I don't particularly want those such as Sutcliffe having a 'good' time, but they should they be prevented from joining in any activity that they may enjoy? I can not tell from the report if Sutcliff etc would be.

Anyway if they are, I consider the decision would have been made by those in a much better position than you or I to judge.
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Yes the decision is made by people better than you and I to judge. But I do disagree about taxpayers money helping to pay for there enjoyment.
I can't see how anyone can disagree with people who are interned in Broadmoor and as ethel, naomi etc have so eloquently stated, have probably committed no crime, having some harmless enjoyment.
It's not just your taxes that pay for this, it's mine, and theirs quite possibly before they became ill, their families etc.
We live in a society that has a responsibility to act humanely towards those that are in a less fortunate position to ourselves and that costs money. One step away from saying that you should not spend money on the mentally ill, is to say that they have no value whatsoever in society and should therefore be euthanised. I think Hitler had similar ideas, and we rightly abhor that perspective.
To deny people some simple pleasures to relieve what must be an already miserable existance is the start of a very slippery slope to such an abboration, and thus I find it wholly acceptable that my taxes are used for such things and don't resent it at all.
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I rest my case .Everyone has there own idea's on the subject . I jumped the gun for a start for not reading it properly.
Wendilla, I just thought I'd say that secure hospitals for the seriously mentally ill are the most terrible places. You really can't imagine what they're like unless you've experienced them. Visiting those wards is indescribable. They are the closest thing to hell on earth. Hopelessness, chaos, cunning, and utter madness all around - and I'm not exaggerating. We shouldn't begrudge those poor, sad souls a little enjoyment - but we should count our blessings that we aren't in their situation.

The journalist who wrote this disgusting article, and his editor, should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves.
As if being detained at Her Majesty's Pleasure for having a mental illness wasn't bad enough, we ignorant people really begrudge spending "thousands of pounds of taxpayers' money" on them - especially when you throw in a few (minority) serial killer's names.
We just lap it up, believing everything we read, and really begrudge that the 0.000002p of our taxes that we spend on activities such as these could be better spend texting vote lines at 50p a shot (other networks may vary).
And I thought we lived in a true social society? Where one text-voted tooth and nail to help and support one's fellow man to win the TV prize - that's right , don't waste it on the less unfortunate in our society who can't even sing a song on prime-time television, what use are they - or any of us for that matter - not unless we can be on Britain's Strictly Got the Next Talentless Maria On Ice.

Oh, you so indignant many - your tax-share supporting the Royal family and mentally ill combined is still less than it costs to send your single text to vote in / out / shake-it-all-about your so-called reality TV hero of the moment.

George Orwell was quite wrong - "Big Brother ain't watching you mate , you're f***ing watching him!" (Crass 1980)
Brachiopod, as ever, my f4cking hero. Well said mate:)

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