Why is Ostracised Relevant Today?

When considering the focus of my film, the current political situation in the UK, with the implications and consequences of the Brexit vote, and the increasingly high profile given to dealing with mental health and removing any unjustified stigma attached to sufferers, were both current issues which attracted my attention. Ostracised addresses the intolerance of society (with Brexit, of EU citizens living and working in the UK; but it could be any prejudice) and dealing with the unseen psychological effects of being a victim of discrimination (perhaps leading to depression or self-harming). I decided to make my fashion film an educational film to highlight both these issues. When researching the subject, I discovered The Sophie Lancaster Foundation, which campaigns to Stamp Out Prejudice, Hatred and Intolerance Everywhere (SOPHIE) and have subsequently been in contact with the founder, Sylvia Lancaster. When discussing the educational aspect of the charity with her, she felt that films were a powerful tool in helping "students to gain a greater understanding of the emotional torment discrimination can have on its victims", which reinforced my idea of creating an avant-garde anti-discrimination film.

As part of the government's efforts to create a tolerant society, people In the UK are protected against discrimination by the Equality Act 2010 (Gov.uk, 2015) and attacks against people for reasons such as their race, religion or sexual orientation are designated hate crimes by the police.  However, since the EU Referendum in June 2017, when the UK voted to leave the EU, there has been a reported increase in hate crime. 

Information released by The Home Office in October 2016 stated:-

'There was an increase in the number of racially or religiously aggravated offences recorded in June 2016, followed by an even sharper increase in July 2016. The number of offences declined in August but remained at a level higher than prior to the referendum. The number of racially or religiously aggravated offences recorded by the police in July 2016 was 41% higher than in July 2015'

(True Vision, 2016).

There has been a similar increase in hate crime across the USA following their presidential election in 2016. Donald Trump became President having embarked on a campaign riddled with prejudice as he denigrated Mexicans, Muslims, women and people with disabilities. (SKYNews, 2016)

Both events appear to have signalled to some sections of society that prejudice is acceptable, highlighting the very real current need for education to reverse the trend of a rise in hate crimes and intolerance. With the increasing use of social media, victims can feel they cannot escape from such attacks, as they can be targeted wherever they are and at any time on their electronic devices through cyberbullying (NSPCC, 2017).

Mental health, and in particular the unjustified stigma attached to sufferers, has also become a prominent current issue. The Heads Together campaign promoted by The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry has received significant publicity for its work with a number of partner charities to encourage people to talk about their mental health and feel comfortable asking for the help they need(Heads Together, 2017).

According to The Anti-Bullying Alliance 'There is a strong link between mental health and bullying. .... young people who have experienced bullying are more likely to experience mental health issues and those who have mental health issues are more likely to be bullied.' (Anti-Bullying Alliance, 2017).

Prejudice and intolerance at their extreme can lead to suicide. According to the Mental Health Foundation, over 90% of suicides and suicide attempts are connected with a psychiatric disorder, particularly depression (Mental Health, 2017). Research by Yale University shows victims of bullying are 2-9 times more likely to contemplate suicide than those who are not bullied and UK research shows that 50% plus of young people who commit suicide are victims of bullying (Bullying Statistics, n.d.).

Ostracised will have a target audience of young people, in education or working, to bring attention to these issues and try to educate against such discriminatory behaviour. 


References:
GOV.UK, 2015. Equality Act 2010: guidance [viewed 17th April 2017]. Available from:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/equality-act-2010-guidance

TRUE VISION, 2017. Welcome to True Vision [viewed 17th April 2017]. Available from: http://www.report-it.org.uk/home

TRUE VISION, 2016. Home Office Release Hate Crime Data for 2015/16 [viewed 17th April 2017]. Available from: http://report-it.org.uk/home_office_release_hate_crime_data_for_201516

SKYNEWS, 2016. Donald Trump's extensive back catalogue of controversial comments [viewed 17th April 2017]. Available from: http://news.sky.com/story/donald-trumps-extensive-back-catalogue-of-outrageous-gaffes-10609317

NSPCC, 2017. Bullying and Cyberbullying at a Glance [viewed 17th April 2017]. Available from:
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/child-abuse-and-neglect/bullying-and-cyberbullying/

HEADS TOGETHER, 2017. About Heads Together [viewed 17th April 2017]. Available from:
https://www.headstogether.org.uk/about-heads-together/

ANTI-BULLYING ALLIANCE, 2017. Mental Health [viewed 17th April 2017]. Available from:
http://www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/tools-information/all-about-bullying/mental-health\

MENTAL HEALTH, 2017. Suicide [viewed 17th April 2017]. Available from:
https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/a-to-z/s/suicide

BULLYINGSTATISTICS, n.d. Bullying and Suicide [viewed 17th April 2017]. Available from:
http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/bullying-and-suicide.html