The chronic illness community has been up in arms over a recent release on Netflix, title Afflicted, and rightly so. As I understand it chronically ill people were scouted out by the film makers for the film, specifically people who have chronic illnesses that aren’t currently well-understood. They were told that the film would portray them “in a compassionate light”. Here’s the thing, they weren’t portrayed that way, at all. (Full disclosure: I won’t be seeing the film. I try very hard to keep my days positive and light, but I just wanted to mention how disappointed I am in a group of film makers who would knowingly mislead seven chronically ill people.) These people were led to believe they would be spreading awareness but instead what happened was they were all portrayed as having psychosomatic illnesses, basically as one article put it on a film review: bonkers. How this isn’t grounds for a legal suit is baffling to me, or maybe it is grounds…. Anyway, one of the bloggers many of us follow in this community was in the film and he shares his experience in the following blog, Netflix and Hill: The Trues Story Behind “Afflicted”.
As I said I won’t be watching the film. But I wanted to do my part in spreading awareness because I can’t sit idly by and watch the illness I’ve been fighting so hard to spread awareness about be attacked by a greedy filmmaker who is in for the shock and awe. In my humble opinion, Netflix and all associated should be ashamed of themselves. Why would anyone, and I mean anyone, knowingly spread untrue and malicious content about chronically ill people? Not much to say today other than that, my health has been yuck. I’ll spare you all the blah, blah, blah, suffice to say I feel crappy, but I know I could feel crappier, so I’m thankful for that.
A few more little paintings as I follow along with World Watercolor Groups daily prompt, although this week I went off prompt a couple times to make cards for some dear friends. Hoping today has been kind to you and thank you for stopping by!
I love the one with the roses and flowers and the heart shaped one. I’ve actually painted a card very similar to the watercolour one in the shape of the flowers. Can you tell me a bit more about this World Watercolor Groups ? Is it only where you live?
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Thank you🌸 World Watercolor Group is on Facebook and Instagram. They also have a website. It’s open to anyone, any skill level, anywhere in the world. He posts the monthly prompts on instagram with directions of how to participate. Join in the fun!! 👩🎨
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I actually did watch the whole series (it is actually more like a tv series than a movie). I didn’t get really up in arms over all of it, but I did feel like they presented a couple of the sufferers in the psychosomatic light. I didn’t feel they presented all of them that way, but maybe I missed something. There were two ladies in particular that I felt they kind of made out to be “crazy” rather than really sick. Although some of those people’s own friends/family said things that made you question the actual severity of their illness, so I don’t know if that is necessarily Netflix’s fault, unless they edited it out of context. I will definitely check out the blog post you linked to though. I wouldn’t want anyone with chronic illness to be portrayed unfairly.
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By the way, I’m not saying the family/friends were right in what they said. We all know how unsupportive people can be sometimes.
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You’ll see in Jamison’s post that they totally edited and spliced audio. So what you saw, may or may not have been things that were actually said by the friends and family.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts! You’re strong for watching it. Knowing that it’s not actual complete audio or footage and knowing they discounted credible sources leaves me just not able to watch what they did. I like to hear all sides and I greatly appreciate you sharing your experience.🌸
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Wow, just read some of the blog posts from the participants. No wonder they are upset.
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Yeah it’d be one thing if this was all Hollywood and they were acting, but this is real life, these people are ill and they were misled.
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I’m glad I came across your post about this. I had no idea there was even a controversy going on about the show. If it was just one person saying they were portrayed wrongly, you might wonder if it was them, but when all of them are saying this, you know Netflix messed up badly.
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How horrible. Netflix also came out with some horrible ADHD docu-reality show that shamed those who took stimulants and gave medically dangerous and erroneous info. Netflix appears to be a menace to the cause of reducing stigma.
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Such a disappointment. With a likely nearly worldwide audience you’d think they’d take an iota if responsibility but it seems greed is alive and well,
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I’ve heard of this and seen comments expressing outrage at the content, but didn’t know much else about it myself. I hadn’t realised, for instance, that actually chronically ill people were cast for the feature. Hopefully such an awful move on their part will give Netflix and the producers something to think about in future when this whole thing falls flat on its face, while raising awareness in general at the reality versus the often incredibly skewed portrayal of illness.
Beautiful flowers, and such a cute Snoopy painting at the top too! 🙂
Caz x
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Thank you for stopping in, Caz. Yes, it’s a big fail on Netflix’s part but they obviously did it knowingly because they haven’t pulled it. Thank you got the compliments, painting really is my happy place these days.😁🌸
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I won’t be watching either, so many people just don’t get it! Your paintings are very pretty!
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Thank you, Diane🌸
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Thank you for the warning, I hadn’t come across it yet but this is very annoying!
We put up with enough cynicism with a lack of understanding & intolerance without it being deliberately manufactured!
Jennifer
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I’ve been sitting on the sidelines not wanting to say anything about something I haven’t watched firsthand and not wanting to watch it for fear of being triggered. I had no idea there were blogs and protests against it from participants. I will check out Jamison’s blog and read what I can and join in. I don’t need to see it, just to believe and support my fellow spoonies and that’s easy. Thanks for putting this out and spreading the word. Netflix and other producers need to understand this shit harms real living people, in the hundreds of thousands. We’re not their entertainment to be twisted into whatever shape is most popular for mass consumption.
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I couldn’t agree more. Jamison’s blog links to several of the other participants experiences as well. I contemplated this post, I’m not confrontational, but my feelings of a great injustice outweighed my desire to stay silent. Mostly because as you say real people have been harmed, already, and there’s a trickle down there that people don’t realize, at least I certainly hope they don’t. Hoping today is kind to you.🌸
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I’m glad you posted this. I have heard of Afflicted, but only that it was a Netflix show about different invisible or poorly understood illnesses. I hadn’t heard anything about how the participants felt about it, nor have I seen the show. I do plan to watch it, but will go read that blog post first.
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Check out his link to the blogs of other participants too. They’re eye-opening.
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