Another view from the bridge

So I'm back to what is turning into quite a long series of views from the Spiky Bridge in Stirling. This is looking in the same general direction as the last one, Friday's view with the sunset, and taken at the same time of night, but it was dark and gloomy, so no pretty sunset. This is taken from the far side, so it's the station entrance on the right here.

Our campaign about the Aardman Animation 'Pirates' film continues. Those of you who follow me on Twitter will probably be a bit fed up with it by now, but it's a great opportunity to raise some awareness about leprosy, and hopefully get the scene edited out of the film. It's been interesting to see the discussions raised, particularly given the coverage that LEPRA have been able to get in the media. What is really scary is the people saying 'it's a comedy, why are you bothered? It's just a joke, have you no sense of humour?'.

As far as I can see, there is not one single other disease or disability about which it would be acceptable to make jokes in a children's film. We're not talking about Frankie Boyle stand up (no matter your opinion on some of the jokes he makes), this is a children's film. What makes it even worse is that this is a film with a worldwide release, and will be seen in countries like India, which, statistically, will have already had over 6000 new leprosy diagnoses in 2012. The Leprosy Mission, other charities, and in some areas the Indian health service run awareness campaigns in schools as so many kids know very little about the disease, what they do know is picked up based on societal fear based on misunderstanding, so scenes like an arm dropping off just underline one of the most common misconceptions. What happens if some of those kids in future are diagnosed with leprosy, what will be the things going through their minds? And I'm not even going to start on Aardman's use of the 'l' word.

Stigma and discrimination are a reality for millions of people affected by leprosy, and while it seems historic here, it certainly isn't in any of the 60 or so countries where leprosy still exists. 700 people are diagnosed every day, and there are more than 3 million people (very possibly a good many more, good estimates are often nearer to 4 million) living with a permanent disability caused by leprosy. I don't get the joke. Sorry if this has become a bit of a rant, but once you know something about this, and have met people who have dealt with these issues, it all becomes very personal and you get pretty angry.

To get a better picture of what a leprosy diagnosis can mean, watch this wee film on YouTube that one of my colleagues put together.