24
Oct
The British National Party – Scarier than Swine Flu
by Carrie
0 Comments | Posted by thatgirl in 21st Century Bellist
For those of you who haven’t noticed, it’s 2009. Many of us consider ourselves to live in societies of relative freedom, tolerance and acceptance — where people of all colors and creeds can live and work side by side in harmony.
On June 8th this year, the far-right political group, the British National Party (BNP) won two seats in the European Parliament. No big whoop, yeah? What are two seats in an organization of that size? When the Party’s immigration policies include offering financial incentives and political pressure to persuade legal immigrants to leave Britain and return to their countries of origin — no matter how long they have been settled in Britain — and their membership excludes people that are not of direct white, British descent, then I think there is some serious cause for concern.
Nick Griffin, the leader of the BNP, is an incredibly outspoken individual with some seriously scary points of view. In a recent television interview about immigration from South Saharan Africa, Griffin said a way of tackling the problem would be to sink the ships bringing the immigrants. Another comment that jumped out was Griffin’s musings about Third World Aid, when he stated he did not believe Britain should be “obliged to subsidise the incompetence and corruption of Third World states by supplying them with financial aid.” This kind of open hatred is seriously troublesome in the early 21st century.
Most controversially, members of the BNP have publicly expressed incredibly controversial views regarding the Holocaust. While most members may not openly engage in Holocaust denial, they have made insane claims regarding the numbers of Jews killed in the atrocities. Griffin has previously made comments such as;
“I am well aware that orthodox opinion is that six million Jews were gassed and cremated or turned into soup and lampshades. I have reached the conclusion that the ‘extermination’ tale is a mixture of Allied wartime propaganda, extremely profitable lie, and latter witch-hysteria.”
“There is no doubt that hundreds, probably thousands of Jews were shot to death in Eastern Europe, because they were rightly or wrongly seen as communists or potential partisan supporters. That was awful. But this nonsense about gas chambers is exposed as a total lie”
However, the population of the UK are not just sitting back and doing nothing to protest against the unacceptable views of this far-right party. The Hope Not Hate campaign, fronted by Nick Lowles is at the forefront of the crusade against the BNP, and social networking sites such as Facebook have provided the campaign with a platform to encourage the public to show their support. The Hope Not Hate group has over 18,500 members, and the 1,000,000 United Against the BNP group has just under 600,000 members on Facebook alone.
Watch the now infamous “sink the ships” interview. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8141069.stm
30
Mar
Understanding Grief and Loss
Emily Roberts, MA, LPC-I
0 Comments | Posted by thatgirl in 21st Century Bellist, Take Care
Brian, a young man I work with, came into our session with the heartbreaking news that his cat of 12 years passed away. He reported that he was sad “but not as much as I should be” and felt guilty for not being more upset. I asked him what he should feel, and he responded with “I don’t know, whatever is normal.”
It is a common misconception that there is a “right way” to respond to grief and loss when it comes into our lives. For example, my uber-sensitive friend (she cries at Hallmark commercials) became emotionally stoic when her ex-boyfriend was killed in a car accident. She shocked her friends and family by planning his memorial service, contacting all their college friends, and making a video memorial. While she barely shed a tear in public, inside she was suffering more than others could see:
“People kept telling me, you’re handling this too well. Why aren’t you sad, what’s wrong with you? And after listening to them I felt awful for not expressing my sadness like everyone expected me to. I felt guilty.”
Psychologists often use the Kubler-Ross Stages of Grief to explain the cycle of emotions people generally experience. Some people may linger in one stage for what feels like an eternity, while others may cycle through them numerous times before they reach acceptance.
1. Denial: “This isn’t happening.”
2. Anger: “This isn’t fair!”
3. Bargaining: “Cure her cancer and I’ll go to church every Sunday.”
4. Depression: “What’s the point of going on without him?”
5. Acceptance: “I accept that I have no control and this loss is forever. I will move forward.”
People grieve many different types of losses. A few examples are:
• Death
• Loss of friendships
• Break-ups
• Moving
• Transitioning to a new school/job
Each individual must find their own coping mechanisms; here are some healthy suggestions to try:
• Take time everyday to grieve. Figure out if you are more comfortable grieving with family and friends, or alone.
• Write a letter. Include all of the things you are too afraid to say out loud.
• Say good-bye. Allow yourself to “let go” of things that remind you of the person or situation.
• Stay away from vices and addictions. Loss often creates a void within us; fill it with something positive.
• Don’t “force” the grief away. You will become a healthier person if you allow yourself to experience the stages of grief
• Help others. Once you have accepted the loss, use your experience to help others cope. This will help you create something good from such a negative experience.
• Know your limits. If you feel as though your grief is unmanageable, seek professional help. This can be in the form of individual therapy, a support group, or church ministries. Don’t be ashamed to ask for help.
photo by renu parkhi