When I heard about the latest Knott’s Scary Farm attraction that not-so-subtly perpetuated the stigma of mental illness, as someone with bipolar disorder, I was understandably offended. The attraction, originally called FearVR: 5150, reportedly makes people feel as though they’ve been strapped into a wheelchair and pushed into a psych unit where, around the bend, a crazed (and also demonic) female patient terrorizes them. Apparently, Knott’s Scary Farm thinks all psych patients are scary…or possessed.
The Prize for Supreme Stupidity Goes To…
Before I could even process my outrage over the slap in the face this is to anyone with a mental illness (and their loved ones), a strong wave of incredulity washed over my mind. I couldn’t believe the execs at Knott’s Berry Farm, or whoever dreamed up and approved the attraction, could be just that stupid and not consider the potential ramifications of poking fun at what is a legal disability.
The story was sent to me by my mother who belongs to NAMI—the National Alliance on Mental Illness. It is the most known and well-respected organization in the US that advocates for the rights, and against the stigmas, of the mentally ill. Mom didn’t become involved in NAMI just because of my own history of bipolar disorder; she started getting involved after my sister was diagnosed with a severe case of schizophrenia exactly 20 years ago.
“More than anything, this is just plain stupid,” I wrote my mom immediately after receiving the email. As a writer, I do try to consider the ramifications of whatever I put out there. This is why I was so surprised that the theme park would do something like this. It only confirmed my growing suspicion that as far as discriminated-against groups are concerned, people feel perfectly okay stereotyping and making all sorts of ignorant comments or assumptions about the mentally ill.
With Me, It’s Personal
I’ve been put in restraints a few times (I’m not talking about the sexy kind). This is because nearly all of my stints in psych units were 5150s—the section of the California Welfare and Institutions Code which authorizes an officer or clinician to involuntarily confine those with a mental disorder that makes them a danger to themselves or others. To me, the mere naming of the ride with the code already seemed totally inappropriate. Since the attraction came out for Halloween as part of Knott’s Scary Farm, the theme park obviously aimed to portray psychiatric patients as scary, which is just beyond ignorant. Thankfully, there are enough advocates for the mentally ill in LA to put pressure on the theme park to change the attraction.
After getting word about it, Orange County NAMI President John Leyerle drafted a complaint and sent it to Knott’s, and they dropped “5150” from the name of the attraction. That didn’t satisfy NAMI or even LA Times columnist Steve Lopez from putting further pressure on them to shut it down. Lopez is the author of the bestselling book The Soloist, which details his relationship with a homeless schizophrenic man in Los Angeles and was adapted into a film starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx. The columnist called the Knott’s PR department begging for answers as to why they thought it was appropriate to keep the ride open.
He called twice and received no responses, until an email hit his inbox saying the park had decided to close the attraction for good. To Lopez’s consternation, the PR department didn’t own any responsibility in the ride being extremely offensive.
“Contrary to some traditional and social media accounts, the attraction’s story and presentation were never intended to portray mental illness,” it said.
Unfortunately, This is No Anomaly
Based on this response, I can only conclude that the Knott’s PR office is run by a pack of idiots. The description of the attraction reads as follows: “Enter the mysterious Meadowbrook Institute and witness the abnormal case of a terrifyingly unusual patient named Katie.” The summary then informs you that you’ll be “strapped to a wheelchair” obviously stereotyping psychiatric hospitals as terrifying places, and in the process perpetuating ignorant and antiquated myths about how mentally ill folks are to be feared.
I’m glad the theme park shut the attraction down, but it doesn’t surprise me that they don’t quite grasp (or care about) the harm they’ve inflicted on persons with mental illness. When McDonald’s has no problem airing commercials making fun of “hearing voices” that tell people to buy their trashy junk food, and when schizophrenics in many shows are portrayed as “nut-jobs” you start expecting this kind of ignorance from the general public. I know I have, but I’m certainly grateful for folks like Lopez and the people of NAMI for fighting back. Hopefully, within a few more years, this kind of ignorance will abate.
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