For the past few years, The Rubberbandits have been among the leading voices surrounding mental health issues in Ireland.
As recently as Friday night, Blindboy Boatclub appeared on The Late Late Show with Ryan Tubridy and spoke openly about his own issues with anxiety and depression.
Unfortunately, and largely due to the work of social media trolls, he received some criticism speaking out along the lines of, as he puts it: “”another person opening up about their mental health, yawn.”
In a message on their Facebook page, the Bandits responded to this kind of abuse by saying:
“To all the “another person opening up about their mental health, yawn” comments I got. Seriously, fuck off. You’re part of the problem.
“When I was going through all that shit, it was terrifying. And hearing another person with a similar experience made me feel normal and ok.
“On the other side of the coin though, I do appreciate that hearing someone talk about mental health, can be a bit of a raw nerve for some people who aren’t ready to speak about or admit that they have issues, and lashing out is their way of coping.”
Well said, as always.
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