"May that ill-gotten doughnut be forever on your head!"

According to this article on The Scavenger, Psycho Donuts, a “mental-illness themed” doughnut shop in California, has upset various mental health activists & professionals with such apparently offensive treats as The Bipolar (topped with half nuts, half coconut shavings) and Massive Head Trauma (red jelly filling oozes from the side). The Scavenger says “The store itself comes with nurses, a padded cell and "group therapy" area.”

I’m not one of those people who are all like “Pshaw, Political Correctness police just want to take the fun out of life.*” In fact I’m more than likely to be offended on behalf of other people.

But I’m with the doughnut shop on this one. Okay, maybe it’s kind of tacky, but c’mon. It’s obviously tongue-in-cheek. I’ve been close to people with mental illnesses. I know it can be devastating and is often misunderstood. These doughnuts still make me laugh. Plus, I think having a sense of humor is a huge coping mechanism, and there are some things in life that you have to laugh at or you’ll never stop crying**.

One of the protesters argues "Imagine a shop that made fun of cancer; it wouldn't be funny."

Well, no, I guess it wouldn’t. But that’s why nobody has tried to start a cancer doughnut shop. People find some things funny and others not so much. There are lines that can be crossed or bent and some that can’t. I think figuring out the difference is all part of being a person and being part of society.

What do you guys think?



*Those people may be the subject of a future post though, because grrr.

**Also, they look delicious (did you see those photos?).