Have you switched off?

[Blithe Spirit]

I’m afraid I have – and properly this time. Like many others here I’ve gone through the same with The Storyline that Shall Not Be Mentioned: anger, boredom, distress, anger… and now back to emotional distress.

The scene with the slap and subsequent emotional abuse have been a bridge too far. I do not consent to be manipulated into witnessing repeatedly traumatic scenes in the name of ‘entertainment’. Apparently last night’s episode was another instance of marital rape. I haven’t heard it, and I’m glad of that. Seriously, does this not make anyone else feel sick?

When you’re watching TV you can disengage; but as Lucy rightly commented last week in the podcast, when you’re listening to something (especially on earphones), you form your own pictures of what’s happening and it can get inside your head. The reaction can be both disturbing and visceral.

I’m continuing to listen to DumTeeDum of course – and continue to support and enjoy the contributions from all the lovely callerinnerers and collective here on the forum – but until this storyline is over, I’m giving The Archers a rest.

[Katherine Jago]

I haven’t switched off, but I have changed how I listen. Not on the way to work, and always in playback mode, so I can wind through.

I don’t want to stop listening for the sake of the other characters (and yes, I know they are not real), but it makes for a distressing 12 minutes if I have to listen to the whole thing.

[Jim O’Hara]

I’ve not switched off because I’m not particularly sensitive and found the story unbelievable and tedious, but still compelling. BUT…the latest rape scene was over the top. I like a good story but I don’t want to hear that.

[KatieKing]

I certainly haven’t switched off! This is a dark, upsetting story-line, of course, but it’s also engrossing and informative and I wouldn’t miss the denouement for the world. I didn’t know much about psychological abuse of this kind before this story-line began, I didn’t recognise Rob as an abuser at first, and my attention has been drawn to the new law on Coercive Control. And tonight’s episode brought real hope and was a role model for real life sufferers who will also have heard the Helpline announced over the past week. £68, 000 raised for Refuge and an increase in calls to Helplines, as reported in several newspapers. They’ve always done this kind of social awareness stuff well on The Archers and it’s been well researched.
(I don’t think, by the way, Jim that we did hear a rape scene; whatever happened after that preliminary part, happened off air.)

[Sarah Passingham]

I’m still listening too, and had a fantastic discussion about Gaslighting with my 24 yr old daughter who happened to be in the kitchen while TA was on this week. She’d never heard of the term and I just felt that my job as a Mum had got that little bit easier having the storyline as an example. So I won’t be switching off, however painful things get.

[KatieKing]

Indeed, Sarahsarie, the SL provoked a good discussion in our house too!

• This reply was modified 8 years, 1 month ago by KatieKing.

[MarshallLaws]

I haven’t switched off…although I listened to the slap/rape episode while on a very turbulent flight. Never has there been so much synergy between my environment and what I was hearing.

I do understand why people turn it off. But I find the storyline so compelling even when it makes me want to shower afterwards that I really can’t stop listening.

[Author]

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