'Crazy' teddy not intentional disrespect

House Editorial

Crazy in love this Valentine’s Day? Some mental illness advocacy groups wish you weren’t.

For $69.95, sweethearts can purchase a stuffed bear confined to a straitjacket from the Vermont Teddy Bear Company. Commitment papers accompany the 15-inch bear and tell of his love-struck symptoms: "Can’t Eat, Can’t Sleep, My Heart’s Racing." The diagnosis? He’s "Crazy for You!"
Offended yet?

We aren’t. But some, like officials at the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, think we should be.
Alliance President Timothy Harlan says the bear makes light of mental illness, making it seem like a violent, unmanageable disease. Some say the bear hinders progress with the mentally ill. One published report quotes a member of a county mental health Board of Trustees.

"A person who thought they were losing their mind would be frightened by seeing the image of straitjackets, and that could prevent them from seeking help," the member said.

Talk about looking for a scapegoat. The assumption that teddy bears are to blame is absurd.

Designers of the bear obviously felt society could appreciate a little creativity come Valentine’s Day.
Mental health advocates are off target if they think taking aim at a teddy bear actually addresses the social currents that have made light-hearted "crazy for you" references commonplace. The company certainly never intended to mock the mentally ill. Rather, they reflect greater effects of pop culture, a society in which the word "crazy" has increasingly evolved as a mainstream term of endearment. The teddy bear industry took note. The worst crime they’ve committed is a harmless play on words.

Mental illness is no doubt a horrible disease. Officials are right to defend patients if and when they are under attack. But they’re not. We’re talking about a teddy bear — a cuddly, fuzzy Valentine’s Day teddy bear.

Too often advocacy groups take aim at every little blip on the radar screen. Advocates expect America to share their sensitivity, but it’s unfair and inaccurate to assume that every person who doesn’t take offense to a teddy bear is insensitive to mental illness. It seems no one has told them, more often than not, their bombardment of politically correct protests comes off as nothing more than unfounded hypersensitivity.

The Vermont Teddy Bear Company hasn’t acted with malice and to denounce a teddy bear for that reason is foolish. Show some love.