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People still talk about the overdose crisis like it's about addiction, @kwardvancouver said: “It’s not. It's about a mass poisoning, goddamn it.”
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about the power we, the media, have in framing the conversation around the overdose crisis...
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Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about the power we, the media, have in framing the conversation around the overdose crisis...
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...Which so far this year has killed at least 1,068 people in BC.
A few weeks ago, I wrote a story about Dr. Gabor Maté’s pleas for people to show more empathy towards folks who use drugs.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/gabor-mate-on-empathy-toward-substance-users-1.5713544
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A few weeks ago, I wrote a story about Dr. Gabor Maté’s pleas for people to show more empathy towards folks who use drugs.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/gabor-mate-on-empathy-toward-substance-users-1.5713544
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As he has for years, Maté emphasized the intense trauma that drives some people to seek relief in illicit substances.
He also used arguably outdated language like ‘addict.’
After it was published, Karen Ward and others criticized us for giving Maté a platform.
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He also used arguably outdated language like ‘addict.’
After it was published, Karen Ward and others criticized us for giving Maté a platform.
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They called him “Dr. Paternalism” and said he was out of touch with the current crisis.
I called Karen Ward to better understand where she was coming from.
She said the “infantilizing” way Maté speaks about people who use drugs makes it seem like they can't speak for...
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I called Karen Ward to better understand where she was coming from.
She said the “infantilizing” way Maté speaks about people who use drugs makes it seem like they can't speak for...
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...themselves, like they have no personal agency.
But what Ward seemed to take most issue with was Maté’s focus on individual addiction years into an overdose crisis caused by a tainted supply of drugs.
“Addiction is an individual issue that you must deal with yourself..."
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But what Ward seemed to take most issue with was Maté’s focus on individual addiction years into an overdose crisis caused by a tainted supply of drugs.
“Addiction is an individual issue that you must deal with yourself..."
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“...A mass poisoning is a collective political issue.”
That’s why the BC government declared the epidemic a public health emergency, she continued.
By focusing on addiction, Maté does people who use drugs a disservice, according to Ward.
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That’s why the BC government declared the epidemic a public health emergency, she continued.
By focusing on addiction, Maté does people who use drugs a disservice, according to Ward.
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He distracts from the systemic reason why more and more people are dying, she reasoned: "We totally lose the point."
Essentially, Ward said Maté acts like nothing has changed.
“It's so frustrating. It's easy to say, 'They need empathy.' No, no, no, no. We need justice.”
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Essentially, Ward said Maté acts like nothing has changed.
“It's so frustrating. It's easy to say, 'They need empathy.' No, no, no, no. We need justice.”
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Personally, I can see the value in reminding folks that people who use drugs are just that: people. But they can speak for themselves.
And maybe Ward's right. Maybe articles like this give the reader a false sense of business as usual?
I hope not. It’s anything but.
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And maybe Ward's right. Maybe articles like this give the reader a false sense of business as usual?
I hope not. It’s anything but.
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