Patrick Kennedy says he is “offended” by idea of a Kennedy family curse
In an op-ed, Patrick Kennedy writes that his family isn't "cursed," it's "typical"
Patrick Kennedy has slammed the notion of a 'Kennedy family curse' in the wake of his 22-year-old cousin Saoirse Kennedy Hill's tragic death on August 1.
In an op-ed for USA Today published on August 8, Patrick Kennedy wrote: “It was only an hour or two after her death was announced that I started seeing stories about how this is the 'Kennedy curse.'"
“That offends me, and it would have offended Saoirse.”
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Saoirse Kennedy Hill
Kennedy, the son of the late Senator Ted Kennedy, served as a Congressman for Rhode Island for sixteen years before leaving politics to focus his efforts on mental health awareness and advocacy. In the wake of his cousin's death, Kennedydemanded that mental health be made a priority.
“What she knew, and what she wanted everyone else to know, is that the Kennedy family is, in many ways, painfully typical. We have an unsurprising incidence of mental illness and addiction — our illnesses are no different than anyone else’s and our tragic losses to them have not been so out of the ordinary.”
"We have a big family. A lot of kids had a lot more kids. But mostly we are a more public family than most, under the eye of the media. Consequently, we are less able to hide these struggles than others."
"A good thing"
Kennedy hopes that the publicity of his family's struggles will be used to highlight the importance of mental health awareness.
"Honestly, that’s a good thing," Kennedy wrote. "Hiding these struggles does not work; too many people live in isolated shame and even die, untreated or unsupported in treatment, because of it. Saoirse came to understand that much earlier in life than I did. And since it is her generation that is at the highest risk for these illnesses, and the premature death they can cause, Saoirse was my hero for putting herself and her story out there. And she did it her own way — she called people out."
He concluded his piece by saying: "We can all take a lesson from Saoirse. Feel what she felt. Do whatever you can from your position in life to stop the isolation, the discrimination and the devastating lack of acknowledgment that too often lead to tragedy. Families across the nation are suffering and losing loved ones every day — not just the Kennedys."
THEY NEED TO GO OUT AND GET REAL JOBS AND QUIT SEEKING OUT THE MEDIA.
Mental health advocacy is s real, full time job.
ReplyDeleteThe Kennedy's have-at the very least- offended many people over several decades. They get a taste of karma and are offended by it. TFB.
ReplyDeleteI like the one with the big chompers from Chicago that ran for something. His pictures make. Me laugh because of the way he always shows his big chompers.
ReplyDeleteInbreeding I think is the real problem here.
A lot of us come from large families. Certainly none can be described as perfect. However, the Kennedys with a more than once incidents involving alcohol and substance abuse, sexual assault and harassment are not typical of most families, spotlight on them or not. What really strikes me about this family is the perception of entitlement, arrogance and the non stop tendency advocating policies that affect all of us but none of them. The only thing that really saved this family's long line of misbehavior from being their hallmark is their early deaths from reckless behavior. Sex, drugs, alcohol, spousal abuse, domestic violence.you name it, they've dabbled in it with sometimes fatal consequences. But in-spite of these family "flaws" they hold themselves out as the torch bearers of morality for the rest of us. Excuse us if we take a pass.
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