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Keywords: Stigma

  • AUSTRALIA

    If life is not sacred...

    • Andrew Hamilton
    • 06 October 2021
    40 Comments

    Some weeks ago I wrote about the taking of human life and of the loss of its sacred connotations.  I argued that the decisive consideration governing recent legislation in such issues as abortion and assisted dying has been the appeal to individual choice, supported by compassion for people who suffer from their denial. Whether we welcome this trend or regret it, as I do, we all have an interest in asking what effect it will have on society. In this article I would like to explore this question in a way that opens rather than closes conversation.  

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Let them pick fruit

    • Vivienne Cowburn
    • 13 October 2020
    19 Comments

    An idea that’s gaining traction, in a pandemic where international travel has stopped and many Australians are losing their jobs, is this notion that the unemployed (aka: everyone on JobSeeker payments) should go out into the regions and help the farmers pick fruit.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Support after Suicide report: 'Fighting the system as well as the illness'

    • Andrew Hamilton
    • 10 September 2020
    4 Comments

    A recent report from Jesuit Social Services’ Support after Suicide program reflects on the experience of people who have accompanied a friend or family member before, through and after their suicide. At the heart of the report is its insistence on the importance of the human face in health care.

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  • RELIGION

    Mental health as a gift

    • Andrew Hamilton
    • 03 September 2020
    10 Comments

    The Catholic Social Justice Statement embodies this generous vision. Its title emphasises the gift that each human being is, and the blessing that is mental health. Health is not to be taken for granted as an entitlement but accepted and nurtured as a gift.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    An age of communal and civic responsibility?

    • Andrew Hamilton
    • 06 August 2020
    12 Comments

    If they are to enlist the support of their people in acting responsibly in the face of coronavirus, governments must themselves practice responsibility. They must look to the good of the whole community, and especially to disadvantaged people who are at the greatest risk of contracting the coronavirus.

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  • ARTS AND CULTURE

    Reimagining standards of masculinity

    • Dejan Jotanovic
    • 23 June 2020
    21 Comments

    Public mask wearing — including ‘a piece of cloth, a scarf, bandana, t-shirt, or paper towel’ — was hot on the global public health agenda. One major demographic, however, had trouble fashioning this expert advice: men. 

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  • ARTS AND CULTURE

    Managing mental health is an ongoing job

    • Katherine Richardson
    • 09 March 2020
    5 Comments

    I have always been a very black or white person, and it’s taken me a long time to allow myself to see the shades of grey that so often permeate our lives. Thinking of managing my mental health all the time felt like such a foreign concept to me at first.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Choosing to be childless is more than okay

    • Vivienne Cowburn
    • 31 January 2020
    18 Comments

    The modern 'old maid' is no longer confined to the attic. She's in the workforce, the senate, leading in the community. Yet while gender norms are being deconstructed and cultural ideas of femininity are evolving, the idea women exist only to procreate still persists. Women are not only supposed to have children, they're supposed to want to.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Small steps toward better mental health

    • Bree Alexander
    • 23 October 2019
    3 Comments

    There is still a long way to go before Australian society is free of mental health stigmas and adequate services are funded and accessible. This is especially important for Australians who are at the intersections of multiple oppressions. But there has been progress, as a number of recent initiatives illustrate.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Facts belie positive spin on homelessness

    • Eliza Berlage
    • 18 July 2019
    4 Comments

    Housing Minister Luke Howarth came under fire for saying he wanted to put a 'positive spin' on homelessness, but worse than his comments is the misinformation. While his claim that 'half a per cent of the population don't have a permanent roof over their head' is correct, that still means one in 200 Australians is experiencing homelessness.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Fighting back against period stigma

    • Brenna Dempsey
    • 10 March 2019
    7 Comments

    Last week, a man decided to show his expertise on menstruation and educate menstruators on how to cut down on the costs of having a period. He concluded by suggesting we ought to 'cut down on [our] starbucks venti frapps and stop whining'. The scariest thing about this is that this lack of understanding is not uncommon.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Deciding to disclose an invisible disability

    • Fiona Murphy
    • 27 November 2018
    6 Comments

    Most people don't realise that I am deaf unless I tell them. My deafness is invisible. I don't wear hearing aids and my voice (though distinct enough to prompt people to ask 'where are you from?') isn't a typical deaf voice. Every day I make small calculations, assessing every interaction to determine if I need to reveal that I have a disability.

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