Safety Obsession as a Mental Illness

I never get surprised these days about the obsessions of Safety and of its fundamentalist extremism. The denialism of fallibility, the self-identity AS safety (https://safetyrisk.net/safety-is-not-your-life/) and the salvation theology is mindboggling (https://safetyrisk.net/the-language-of-saving-lives-doesnt-help-safety/).

The idea that safety is about heroics is just one of the obsessions of Safety. Moreso, the promotion of safety as an obsession (https://safetyrisk.net/safety-as-a-mental-health-disorder-obsession/) demonstrates just how mentally ill the industry is. Any obsession is a mental illness (https://safetyrisk.net/how-an-obsession-with-safety-leads-to-mental-illness-tyranny-academy-of-ideas/ ). If you get up in the morning and are preoccupied with safety, then go back to bed.

The latest obsession I have had brought to my attention is this: https://www.thesafetysuperheroacademy.co.uk/

What is worse about this is the blatant attempt at indoctrination of children with the mythology of heroics, the promotion of safety and the idea that learning about safety is some kind of ‘academy’.

The last thing you want in any school is a safety crusader. Just imagine what they tell kids in school!!! No more fun, you might get hurt. No more adventure, you might get hurt. No more discovery, you might not be compliant. Of course, look at the nonsense speak about fun and ‘STEM inspiration’. Yep, you got it folks, more engineering for the little kiddies so that they will be afraid of risk! (https://www.thesafetysuperheroacademy.co.uk/for-schools)

All of this is founded on an ideology of fear and conformance. None of this is about fun. There is no fun in a preoccupation with heroics and safety.

Just have a look at the superhero profile page (https://www.thesafetysuperheroacademy.co.uk/real-safety-superheroes). Doing a job and promoting safety is not heroics. All of this is patronising stuff that infers that people are not safe unless the superhero is around. Just more Hazardman on steroids (https://safetyrisk.net/hazardman-wont-save-you/). Just more promotion of the kind of stuff that alienates people from the fundamentals of tackling risk (https://safetyrisk.net/why-would-you-want-to-be-a-safety-geek-or-hero/).

  • The last message we need promoted to young children is to fear risk.
  • None of this is inspiring.
  • Indoctrinating children with safety-consciousness is anti-learning and anti-educational.
  • No, we don’t want ‘safety champions’ nor promotion of a bias for STEM careers.

The UK already has a huge problem in the fear of risk and risk aversion. Just have a read of Tim Gill’s excellent book: No Fear, Growing Up in a Risk Averse Society  (https://rethinkingchildhood.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/no-fear-19-12-07.pdf).

All of my work with schools has been to help them develop risk areas for adventure. I helped one school that had collected hundreds of pages of risk assessments for playground play and reduced it down to 3 pages.

  • Having worked in Education and schools for many years I can tell you, the last thing schools need is to get obsessed with safety!
  • The last thing 4-10 years olds need is nonsense myths and indoctrination of superheroes anchored to safety.
  • The last thing needed in schools is indoctrination from traditional safety.
  • There is no learning without risk.
  • Children need to accept that risk brings harm.
  • Children need to understand that harm is normal and how to cope with harm.
  • Children need to learn that Risk Makes Sense (https://www.humandymensions.com/product/risk-makes-sense/).
  • Children need to learn that STEM subjects limit learning and critical thinking.
  • Children need to learn that risk is not about STEM.
  • Children need to learn that there is no connection between living life and heroics.

 

 

brhttps://safetyrisk.net/safety-obsession-as-a-mental-illness/
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