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Steve Hamerdinger
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ALDMHMR
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-----Original Message-----
From: Jolene James [mailto:jolenej@...]
Sent: Monday, March 15, 2004 3:34 PM
To: NAMIbc@...; jbraxton1@...; namidecatur@...;
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Stan Hollingsworth; Kim Ingram; RUTH KARR; Mindy Kitchen; Gene Lankford;
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Robertson; Vickey Ross; Robert Savage; Cindy Smith; Vickie & Jim Smith;
Sharolyn Thomas; Karon Tubbs; Mary Grace Umlauf
Subject: FW: [statepres]NAMI StigmaBusters Alert - March 2004


Just in case you are not aware of this show and you do not receive
stigma busters from NAMI National. This show airs tonight.

Jolene James
NAMI Alabama
--


------ Forwarded Message
From: "NAMI Stigmabusters" <stigma@...>
Reply-To: stigma@...
Date: Sat, 13 Mar 2004 01:36:24 -0500 (Eastern Standard Time)
To: jolenej@...
Subject: [statepres]NAMI StigmaBusters Alert - March 2004
Resent-From: statepres@...



NAMI STIGMABUSTERS
March 12, 2004
www.nami.org/stigma

=================================================


CRACKING UP: ONE OF THE WORST

On Tuesday, March 9, the FOX TV network premiered a new situation
comedy: "Cracking Up," in which a wealthy dysfunctional family invites a
psychology graduate student to live in their Beverly Hills mansion to
treat their young son as part of his work toward his degree.

What the therapist in training discovers is that the son is fine; it's
the rest of the family that gets to him. The mother has bipolar disorder
exacerbated by alcoholism. The father is a business executive and latent
sociopath. The oldest son exhibits obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Their
Latino maid is an offensively stereotyped immigrant who wants to flee
the "crazy" household, but can't because the family has hidden her
immigration papers. The blonde cheerleader daughter? Well, never mind.
You can imagine.

It's a lot like "The Addams Family" or "The Munsters" from
the 1960s, except that the stereotypes and butts of jokes involve mental
illnesses and substance abuse.

The premiere episode ranks as one of the worst examples of stigma in
television history. The second episode on Wednesday, March 10 was tamer
and less directly offensive. The third episode will air in what will be
the show's regular slot on Monday, March 15 at 8:30 PM EST (Check local
listings).


PLEASE TAKE ACTION AT TWO LEVELS

*Contact FOX-TV and the show (below) by phone or regular
mail to express outrage over the show's premise and stereotypes. They
have ignored the Surgeon General's call on the television industry to
help eliminate stigma as part of national efforts to address a public
health crisis.

*Contact the station managers of your local FOX-TV
affiliate by telephone with the same protest. NAMI state organizations
or affiliates that have "In Our Own Voice: Living With Mental Illness"
programs should formally request an opportunity to make an IOOV
presentation at the station for its employees (news and programming) to
educate them about the real face of mental illness.


KEY MESSAGE POINTS

*The first episode should not be broadcast again or ever syndicated. All
future episodes should be cleaned up or dropped.

*The show represents stigma: stereotypes based on
ignorance, prejudice and discrimination. Use of terms
like "crazies" and "wackos" is offensive and cruel. In the
case of the Latino maid, the character represents a racist, ethnic
stereotype that is equally offensive.

* The show depicts severe, disabling illnesses as jokes.
Would the producers ever do the same for HIV/AIDS, cancer, diabetes or
Parkinson's disease?

*One out of five Americans experience mental illness. FOX
TV and every one of its stations airing the show are
ignoring the call of President Bush, the Surgeon General,
and federal agencies to stop spreading stigma. It's not
just the Super Bowl half time show that has people angry.

*Please show the truth and educate people! Look closely at
the work of the President's New Freedom Commission and the federally
sponsored Center Against Discrimination & Stigma (ADS Center) and NAMI's
Campaign for the Mind of America. The following Web sites are important
references: www.mentalhealthcommission.gov, www.adscenter.org and
www.nami.org/campaign.


CONTACT

Roland McFarland
Vice President for Broadcast Standards
FOX Broadcasting Company
10302 West Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles CA 90035
Phone: (310) 369-3445.

Mike White, Producer/Writer
"Cracking Up"
FOX Broadcasting Company
10302 West Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90035
Phone: (310) 369-1000


Thank you for your help!

You are our eyes and ears! Although NAMI cannot respond individually to
every StigmaBusters complaint received, please know that your voice is
being heard. Together, we are making a difference.

Good wishes,

Stella March
National Coordinator
Smarch@...
www.nami.org/stigma

P.S. If you stand with us in the fight against stigma,
won't you support our ongoing efforts by making a donation
to NAMI? Click below to make your secure online donation:
www.nami.org/template.cfm?section=donate&lstid=109


=================================================

With more than 220,000 members and 1200 state and local affiliates, NAMI
is the nation's largest grassroots organization dedicated to improving
the lives of people with severe mental illnesses.

Funding sources for NAMI programs include hundreds of state
and local governments and foundations; tens of thousands of individual
donors; and a growing number of corporations. NAMI's greatest asset,
however, is its volunteers, who donate an estimated $135 million worth
of their time each year to education, support and advocacy. NAMI does
not endorse any specific medication or treatment.

Please forward this email if you know someone who might
like to be added to our mailing list and join in speaking
out against stigma. New subscribers to NAMI StigmaBusters Alerts may
sign up at www.nami.org/subscribe. NAMI StigmaBuster Alerts are
electronic newsletters provided free of charge as a public service.
Contributions to support our work can be made on-line at
www.nami.org/template.cfm?section=donate&lstid=109
or via regular mail. Please make checks payable to NAMI and send to P.O.
Box 79972, Baltimore, MD 21279-0972, or donate through the Combined
Federal Campaign (CFC #0538).

=================================================


Please do not reply to this email (it will go to an unattended mailbox).
If you have any questions, concerns, or comments, please send an email
to smarch@....



------ End of Forwarded Message