Filed under: Empathy, Empathy and addiction, Empathy and drugs, Empathy and Inclusion, Empathy and language, Empathy and love, Empathy and mental distress, Empathy and stressful environments, Empathy and tolerance, Empathy and violence/crime, Empathy for increased happiness | Tags: blogging, Commons Committee, Commons Committee on drugs, compassion, Criminal justice system, culture, Dads Army, discriminatory attitudes, drug addiction, drug use, drugs policy, Education, emotional challenges, emotional wounds, Empathy, Empathy and addiction, Empathy epidemic, England, environment, government, health, health issues, heroin, heroine, humour, Inclusion, Inspiration, Language, life, love, media, medicine, mental distress, mental health challenges, mental-health, Miscellaneous, MPs, MPs and Commons Committee on drugs, Musings, national news, news, opinion, parliament, People, policy, politics, psychological challenges, Reflections, Roughly, Russell Brand, society, Stigma, Thoughts, Variety Show, vulnerability, vulnerable
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2012/apr/24/russell-brand-drug-addiction-mps
Read this article written 24/4/12 in the Guardian, it’s a hoot!! And note the irony of the sub-heading: “Actor tells MPs committee on drugs….”
The article reports on Russell Brand’s appearance at a Commons Committee, giving his advice on drugs policy. Reading it induced in me a nostalgic yearning to hear his anarchically humorous Radio show he used to host on Radio 2, before the ‘Sachsgate’ scandal put an end to that. His joke about being arrested ‘roughly’ 12 times is hilarious. But he also highlights a serious point: the police might be inclined to view drug use as a criminal offence, but it is much more useful and authentic to conceptualise drug addiction as a habit used to cope with emotional and psychological challenges or a spiritual malady. Therefore, as Russell Brand says, these people need love and compassion, not being treated ‘roughly’. Rough treatment is tantamount to mishandling vulnerable people. So this potentially highlights a shortfall within the police force in terms of education concerning the need for a compassionate approach rather than a judgemental approach in policing people’s use of drugs.
empathicepiphany 