Monday 20 August 2018

My thoughts on "Afflicted"


After seeing all the controversy surrounding the new Netflix original series “Afflicted” I thought it was only right I should watch it for myself before making any sort of comment. After watching it is safe to say, I was disappointed. Netflix, you have let us down!



For those of you that don’t know, “Afflicted” is a small documentary series set in America and is focused around the lives of a number of people with various rare chronic illnesses. Including conditions such as M.E, sensitivity disorders and lupus. All of which are seriously debilitating and painful conditions! The series contained interviews from medical professionals (primarily psychiatrists) and researchers with interviews from the sufferers and their relatives. So you would think it would at least be factually correct? No! The series manages to provided no factual evidence at all and from the start the programme puts doubt in the viewers mind as to whether these PHYSICAL conditions are actually real, or whether they are all in the patients mind.....
What made it even worse was seeing the interviews with the relatives and especially the parents who seemed to focus on their own doubts of their validity of their love ones conditions! Now, clearly this was edited, and I am sure that they spoke greatly about the conditions itself but it seems that it clearly wasn't interesting enough to make the final cut. In order to make the series more interesting and watchable they decided to play a guessing game with the viewer whether the conditions are real or all just in their heads.
Now some of you know, I have depression and I am in no way suggesting that a mental illness is any better or worse than a physical condition. They are both awful to deal with in their own ways. However, I believe that it is totally wrong for physical illnesses to be portrayed as "all in our heads" and that we are "making it up."
It was heart breaking to see the extreme suffering that these people had to go through for them to only be stigmatised and mocked in front of a global audience. I later found out that the participants of this series were initially told that they were would be a part of a “compassionate" documentary of what it is like to live with a chronic illness.
Our illnesses should not be used for your entertainment!
Netflix, you had an amazing opportunity here to spread awareness of a variety of conditions and the lack of resources that are available to treat them, yet you have turned it into a mockery. With such a widespread number of viewers, you have to take responsibility of the programmes you release and the impact that they have on the viewers. As a person with an invisible disability, it was extremely hard to watch. We are already a marginalised community but programmes like this only isolates us further. Shame on you.

Sophie

xx
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