An open letter to John Key
Posted: August 3rd, 2010 | Author: Jackson James Wood | Filed under: Jackson James Wood | Tags: depression, John Key, mental health, mental illness | 4 Comments »Dear John Key,
I take umbrage at your comments about Chris Carter’s mental health as reported by stuff.co.nz today.
Sometimes you can’t tell a person is sick just by looking at them.
So it is unfair of you to say that Mr Carter looks well and that he should have to prove to New Zealand that he is sick.
Chris Cater’s mental state is no one’s business but Chris Carter’s.
If Mr Carter is sick, no doubt he will come out when he feels ready and explain himself. If not, then who cares? It is not your place to judge.
Mr Key, one in five New Zealanders suffers from mental illness.
One in five.
I am one of those people and I am offended that you buy into and propagate the stigma that is attached to mental illness.
People with mental health issues need to be helped, not laughed at.
You, as Prime Minister, should be actively working to erase the stigma attached to suffering from a problem that from the outside is not obvious.
Mr Key, you should be encouraging people to seek help and you should be helping build strong and caring communities which support all New Zealanders.
Regards,
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I disagree. Completely.
As per usual the media has put a slant on it by offering a small snippet of what John Key ACTUALLY said. As evidenced on the link you provided to Stuff, he said that Carter should be made to provide a medical certificate as is standard practice for every OTHER kiwi (you know… us people who DON’T earn $2000 a week from the public coffers?) has to if they have 3 or more days off. I’m pretty sure there’s doctors out there capable of diagnosing mental illness, right?
I think the whole thing is laughable at best, and while I disagree with Carter being off for months on his publicly funded “sick” leave, I agree with his sentiment that Phil Goff won’t lead Labour to a win. If the man focussed more on ACTUAL politics than bagging every decision National made then I (and maybe other NZers) might believe he has any sort of credibility as the opposition leader.
Picked up your rant via Facebook incase you’re wondering!
[...] So here’s Jackson Jame’s Woods Open letter to John Key [...]
I agree with what you said to an extent. However, the PM dealt with the issue in a way that was not statesman-like. The point still stands that no matter how much of a dick Chris Carter is, it’s not really Key’s place to comment. And it’s definitely not his place to comment on the state of his health; just like you wouldn’t want one of your co-workers putting the boot into you if you were sick and off work.