It’s haaaaapennnnig….BUT: who’s paying attention to the thread? Who’s writing or talking about it?
One of my favorite movies of all time is “Major League,” about a downtrodden Cleveland Indians franchise that turns it around w a bunch of misfit players & goes on to the Pennant, despite the owner’s best efforts to sabotage the team.
In it, the sarcastic Bob Uecker is the play-by-play announcer for the Indians, & after an expected awful start to the season, the team starts to go on a little run. Here’s the “but” from that iconic movie that applies here…he delivers what I believe is one of the best lines in the whole flick while broadcasting a game, after an unexpected W:
“In case you haven’t noticed – and judging by the attendance, you haven’t – the Indians have managed to win a few games here and there and are threatening to climb out of the cellar.” 😂
Perfect delivery, if you know Bob Uecker, but it applies here. Look at the next slide➡️ & look at the # of public figures who have prioritized the pause, specifically related to MH, even before this Meadows one: 6!
And this is since only July 18th!! Less than a month, & from all different areas of public life: Jonah Hill from Acting, Shawn Mendes from Music, Thomas Cole & Sam Hartman from College Football, Adrien Broner from pro Boxing, Alexandre Texier from the NHL. Now Meadows from MLB.
It’s happening. Public figures are making it ok to prioritize the pause – to get a re-set & to come back to that arena of life (or some other that they choose), even stronger than before. Not having long term, cumulative effects of stress & trauma.
But do you see the media stringing this all together? Or does the sports media stay in their lane? Hollywood in theirs? Music in theirs? If we don’t have a ton of huge allies in the media who string these narratives together (like an @emilymkaplan or a @darrenrovell who are great in this space) – let’s be each other’s allies & share & spread wide. This stuff saves lives. Can’t imagine something more important, especially in Suicide Prevention Awareness Month.
