@ vivalajade
The elephant man's real name was 'Joseph Carey Merrick' John for short, they actually got it right for once.

@ suricat
I for one found the film fascinating, I really dont think viewing figures are at the top of the agenda, but rather the passion of the fim maker to bring these untold stories to us. You cannot comment without having watched the show. I understand why you wouldn't want your grandchildren to see 'horror trailers' but it was hardly texas chainsaw massacre. It was advertising a real life tragedy and surely your grandchildren have learnt an important lesson - that everyone is different and some are more fortunate than others. i dont believe it was of an age sensitive nature, its real life! It didn't show the pig on the trailer!

@ mufcdiver

surely discretion could be used in the placement of your username! It wasn't a Victorian side show unless you watched it with that mind set, i had hoped thinking had changed since then and people would watch this with intrigue and pity for the poor man that has lived with this for 31 years.

There was a warning that there would be scenes of a pig being slaughtered, it happened, it happens everyday, it's what Huang Chuncai saw so why not us? ...and I'm willing to bet you eat bacon!

This was a very moving show and I was particularly moved by the sense of responsibility the brother and sister of Huang felt for him and their family, and how all Huang wanted was to repay them by getting healthy and then help them to look after their parents in old age…

It never ceases to amaze me how we always have to look to the “less fortunate” communities in “antiquated towns” in today’s “civilised” world to see family values and humanity being practiced…

Suricat…if you honestly battle to explain real life to you grandchildren then next weeks show is one you surely cannot afford to miss…”Brittan’s cotton wool kids”…

I also dislike to witness cruelty to animals and the slaughter of the pig was horrific.
I missed the point of the killing however.
Was it to celebrate Huangs homecoming as in Killing the fatted calf? No excuse for showing it I know but that may be the custom there?

Thanks for the link, but it doesn't say what happened to Huang Chuancai. All I can find out is that he had a second operation in January 2008. Does anyone know how he is now?

quote:

Originally posted by C4 Editor:
Hi

just a quick post to let you all know that you can find out more about I Am The Elephant Man: A Bodyshock Special (Channel 4 Monday 7 April 9pm) at:

channel4.com/bodyshock

regards

C4 Science Editor

quote:

Originally posted by madkitten 25:

quote:

Originally posted by mufcdiver:
I totally agree suricat! I shudder to think what someone could get out of watching these Victorian side shows, but surely discretion could be used in the placement of the trailers!!

Its not like the Victorian days they are showing the man being helped .Hope he get more help.

Unless you have watched this programme, the name of it and the trailers may have made it seem like a ~Vic. freak show.
But once you actually watched it, it was no way like that and was a moving, thought provoking documentary. Maybe Channel 4 should have given it a different name. Their marketing is pretty talboid these days!

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Gary James:
Calling the documentary a 'Freak Show' seems to be less than respectful to Huang and the terrible suffering he must have endured practically his whole life, with the poverty and the misery of his struggling and anxious family to cope with as well.


I totally agree to this because that was completely out of order calling Huang a freak. However, that is not the main reason why I am writing in. I along with members of my family was totally outraged at the killing of the pig, which channel 4 showed with not near enough warning, because that was not a normal slaughter. It was totally barbaric and I had two members of my family crying over it. I didn't watch it but could hear it and felt sick at the way the pig was screaming. Channel 4, that was totally unnecessary. Although I don't condone the behaviour of some extreme groups involved with the protection of animals, I hope you do get some interest from them. Thank-you for reading this.

quote:

Originally posted by rambler2003:
I also dislike to witness cruelty to animals and the slaughter of the pig was horrific.
I missed the point of the killing however.
Was it to celebrate Huangs homecoming as in Killing the fatted calf? No excuse for showing it I know but that may be the custom there?

Some one had died .

Thanks I missed that bit

Huangs neighbour

To rambler2003 and madkitten 25
I have to add to your conversation that the slaughter of that pig was completely out of order, don't you agree?

Hey everyone,

Like most people here, I was really moved by the story of Huang. totally agree that we should try and set up some kind of fund to help him fufil his dream of travelling the world. i'm not entirely sure how to do it yet, but have set up a face book group in anticipation

I've also written to the production company who made the film to try and get a contact. Have also tried to look up some Chinese networks who can support us.

I think the way to do it is probably get a charity to be willing to hold a 'just giving' page for us and then try and find a contact to help distribute the money.

If anyone wants to help, I'd appreciate it!

C4 Editor.

I must say that I'm 'warmed' by the responses to this thread and I'm downloading the programme with 4od as I post (though I'll need to pause it 3 times because of 'file size' during peak ISP traffic). However, I question the validity of your thread. Why post a 'human interest' thread in a 'science' forum? Surely there must be a 'more relevant' subject within the C4 Forums 'subjects' list? I'm surprised that the 'moderators' haven't picked up this point because they are sooo 'trigger happy' when it comes to altering our posts here!

I don't know which editor you are, but I respectfully suggest that you have a word with the 'powers that be' about assigning your own, dedicated, forum. I think you have enough responses to facilitate this service within C4 Forums.



suricat.

I completely agree with 'Bluey Is The Best' on the point about the pig. As i stated earlier it seems a shame that we are talking about it just as much as Huang's whole ordeal. But how can you watch such barbaric behavior and say its just part of their culture? In my eyes its almost brought up new aspects on how such treatment can occur to animals.

Believe me, coming from a typical middle class Tory family i'm certainly no animal rights activist! But that shook me up, not mentioning the great 'heads up' from Channel 4, i thought it would just be a humane kill.

To put it into context, my Father used to be a keen fox hunter, and when he saw it even he stuck his fingers in his ears!

quote:

Originally posted by Bluey Is The Best:
To rambler2003 and madkitten 25
I have to add to your conversation that the slaughter of that pig was completely out of order, don't you agree?

We did not need to see it maybe they were just trying to show us how his family lives . It upset me but not as much as some people in here .

quote:

Originally posted by hoangiuk:
Hey everyone,

Like most people here, I was really moved by the story of Huang. totally agree that we should try and set up some kind of fund to help him fufil his dream of travelling the world. i'm not entirely sure how to do it yet, but have set up a face book group in anticipation

I've also written to the production company who made the film to try and get a contact. Have also tried to look up some Chinese networks who can support us.

I think the way to do it is probably get a charity to be willing to hold a 'just giving' page for us and then try and find a contact to help distribute the money.

If anyone wants to help, I'd appreciate it!

Yes I would like to know more the C4 Editor has said he is looking in to some of the questions we have been asking eg How is the poor man now and how we can help him and his family ..The Editor ask for some time to find out .

quote:

hoangiuk
Hey everyone,

Like most people here, I was really moved by the story of Huang. totally agree that we should try and set up some kind of fund to help him fufil his dream of travelling the world. i'm not entirely sure how to do it yet, but have set up a face book group in anticipation

I've also written to the production company who made the film to try and get a contact. Have also tried to look up some Chinese networks who can support us.

I think the way to do it is probably get a charity to be willing to hold a 'just giving' page for us and then try and find a contact to help distribute the money.

If anyone wants to help, I'd appreciate it!

Thanks for this post, hoangiuk. A fund for Huang would be a great outcome. I recall Huang's mother expressing great anxiety about their future financial security. They seemed unbelievably poor. I think that one of the editors posted that they would try to find answers to our questions, so let's see if they can come up with a contact address or an already existing fund. If C4 had their own fundraising arrangements for circumstances like this, that would seem to me to be ideal. Where charitable giving is concerned, confidence is very important, and maybe C4 could even kindly provide some publicity, e.g. a link to a 'giving' page.

I think this discussion is very important, as I suspect even a modest donation could make a big difference to Huang and his family, but am also uneasy that should this discussion thread somehow come to the attention of the family, it might raise false hopes if it doesn't prove possible to set anything up ....

Another thought I have is that the Chinese Embassy might possibly be willing to help with this.

The documentary was facinating, but I feel I need to complain about showing the slaughter of the pig, there was no need to show that, it had nothing to do with the issue of the programme. It was very upsetting to watch and quite frankly if I knew it contained that I wouldn't have watched!!

Dear All, we are sorry to read that you found the inclusion of the slaughter of the pig for the funeral meal inappropriate. We always take care to warn viewers when programmes contain scenes such as these, and on this occasion, we gave a warning before the part of the programme featuring the scene and again via the voice over of the programme itself, describing what the up-coming content would entail. Also, the programme was transmitted after the 9pm watershed, a time when we know that viewers are aware that stronger material may be transmitted.

As an observational documentary about Huang and his family, we felt it important to truthfully chronicle the day to day life in his village, including how death was handled; what rites they observe and how different these ceremonies are in relation to our experiences here in the West. This scene was particularly poignant and relevant given that Huang and his family were at the funeral in the face of his own prospect of death by either his condition or his upcoming operation.

We are sorry for any offence this section of the programme caused but hope that, this scene notwithstanding, you found the programme about Huang’s continual struggle for normalcy in the light of such overwhelming odds, enlightening.

THE TRAILER for I am the Elephant Man

We are also sorry to read that some viewers found some of the images contained within the trailer upsetting and inappropriate for the time of day. Our intent with this trailer, as with all of our programme trailers, was to make viewers aware of the content of this observational documentary which was, in this case, to sensitively chronicle the extremely challenging circumstances under which Huang has to live.

Although we understand that the images of Huang may have made some viewers uncomfortable, both the trailer and the programme simply portrayed a young man conveying his feelings under extreme circumstances with immense dignity and courage. The trail presents Huang as himself in his home. He does not say or do anything offensive or worthy of censorship. Given this, and the fact that the programme itself is entirely about Huang, we could see no reason for placing a restriction on the time it should be broadcast. The only basis for such a decision would have been based solely on the way that he looks - something which is a result of a medical condition entirely outside his control. Such censorship seemed to us to be entirely disproportionate to any possible offence viewers may feel from looking at Huang and at odds with the programme itself.

One of the major themes of the programme was Huang's isolation from society because of the way that he looks. As Huang says himself in one of the trails 'I am a human being; not an animal'."

quote:

Yes I would like to know more the C4 Editor has said he is looking in to some of the questions we have been asking eg How is the poor man now and how we can help him and his family ..The Editor ask for some time to find out .

Sorry i ment the Web Editor

I agree with Apprentice that there seems to be more made of the pig slaughter than Huang's ordeal and the comment I made about it being their culture didn't mean to say I condone it ?
In fact for 2 years I have been planning to go to China to walk the Great wall until I got a glimpse of a video about fur trade.I switched off immediately as that was ten times more horrific.Needless to say my plans have altered.
Anyway this has nothing to do with Huang so I will butt out of this discussion
I will keep looking until news of a fund comes up because like Madkitten I am not well off but rich in comparison to Huang so whatever amout I can spare I will send.

I think Huang's dignity and concern for others showed he has a beautiful sole. what i find frustrating is that the programme succeeded in triggering emotions in viewers half way around the world but falls short of facilitating viewers in helping Huang achieve peace of mind by enabling us to help him provide for his parents and meet the strong cultural expectation that he provide for them. I believe this would help him make something positive out of his situation and feel more empowered. Please provide a way for us to help him!

Whilst I believe this programme fully deserves to be discussed in the C4 forums, I cannot see why it was started in the Science forum.

Perhaps the C4 Science Editor could come back on and explain why they felt this was a science topic?

vix1969 - I strongly agree. This would really be a missed opportunity. What is the point of making and screening such an important documentary if willing viewers are left frustrated, wondering where the mechanism is that might allow them to help? We then get reduced to being mere passive spectators of other people's terrible misery, with the implication that that is all we wish to be. This is very dehumanising, and very unfair to the people who need support. Let's hope that someone at C4 can come up with something. It is a real pity that no fund was in place before the programme, which could have been advertised at the end of the screening.

This was a truly fascinating programme. By no means a freakshow, it was a compelling and moving portrayal of one man's tragic h