BGSU students discussed the horror industry’s use of offensive stereotypes at the annual National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) BGSU chapter Halloween party on Monday, Oct. 31.
The university’s chapter of NAMI executive board members and students gathered on the evening of Halloween to celebrate the holiday and gain insight about how disadvantaged communities are affected by certain Halloween celebrations.
The event included discussion of the harmful depictions of marginalized communities, in both Halloween costumes and pop culture ideas surrounding the holiday.
“Many people view these costumes, depicting people’s identity, as representation of that community,” Quinn Lamp, Vice President of NAMI BGSU, said. “This so-called ‘representation’ only generalizes groups, further reinforcing harmful stereotypes.”
The presentation also critiqued the horror industry for stereotyping people with mental illness as dangerous in movies, shows and video games.
“Personally, I feel that the industry could stray away from depicting mental illness as something inherently scary,” Sara Scarlett, President of NAMI BGSU, said. “Mental illness is not a scary thing and there are much more relevant and scary topics for the horror industry.”
Attendees were greeted by festive tunes and a table of candy to illuminate the Halloween spirit.
Students and board members painted pumpkins together and discussed their thoughts on the presentation. The event organizers wanted everyone to leave with a greater understanding of how mental illness is portrayed during the Halloween season.
NAMI on Campus BGSU is a student-led organization that focuses on promoting and advocating for mental health support and services. The group’s main goal is to educate the campus community and raise awareness of mental illness.
“NAMI creates a safe space for students to break the stigma that surrounds mental health,” current member Sam Herman said. “Even though it is really nice, it can feel daunting to join these discussions, but normalizing mental illness will only have benefits.”
The next scheduled meeting will be on Nov. 14, open to all who are interested. NAMI meets biweekly in room 201 in the Education Building from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
NAMI BGSU is currently in discussion with the BGSU PAWS team, a therapy dog organization on campus, in hopes of hosting an event to spread mental health awareness through therapy animals, according to Scarlett.
