Warning: Stephen King might be scary

Picture: http://www.herdaily.com/blogimg/parenting/scared%20child.jpg

The Bay Of Plenty Times (New Zealand) has an article posted with the title, "Horror tales trigger trauma" by Michele McPherson.  This is the top story on The Bay Of Plenty's website -- it must sclae the heights of journalism, right?  Well. . . let's talk.

McPherson opens by announcing, "Books by American novelist Stephen King are leaving some Western Bay children and teenagers traumatised, fearing death and in need of intensive therapy."

Really!  So Stephen King is scary.  That's news worthy.  But says who?  What is his authority on this?  Well, he does have a source.  Try child psychotherapist Augustina Driessen.  She has treated "at least five young people, aged 12 to 18, who had become withdrawn, anxious and fearful they were going to die after reading King's horror stories." 

Symptoms?  Sure there are symptoms.  Driessen cites the following: "It causes a lot of anxiety, fear and traumatises them.  They were absolutely scared that they were going to die now so they needed intensive therapy and their whole mind was just consumed with it."

Wait, the symptoms get more specific: "Some young people became withdrawn, didn't do their homework or were refusing to attend school."  Jeez-a-loo! (as Frank Barone would say)  Where was Stephen King when I was a teen?  Oh yeah -- He was in my school backpack!  I didn't think of using a fear induced state induced by Stephen King to stay home.

How did this intense fear get discovered?  Driessen explains: "When their parents sat them down to discuss what was wrong, their fears emerged.  -- It would come out in a crying session, 'I'm so scared, I'm scared I'm going to die'."

From there the article delves into the true depths of the story -- interviewing librarians and book store keepers about the appropriateness of "children" reading Stephen King. 

Now note:

1. Driessen doesn't say what King books the children were reading.  But I really super duper do appreciate her letting us know that Stephen King is scary.

2. All reported cases were patients of Augustina Driessen.  No other doctor is cited. No other cases are referred to. So kids in New York, California, London aren't freaking out.  Just New Zealand.  Just this town.  Just this doctor.  But the journalist doesn't once say, "Well, how come psychotherapist all over the world aren't reporting the same thing?"  The fact that not a single secondary source (someone with a Dr. before their name) is cited is telling, ain't it?  Now I'm not really saying anything at all about Driessen; she has to address what comes up in counceling.  I am asking why a reporter wouldn't call around and say ask other professionals if they are seeing the same thing. 

3. Did you catch the ages of these "children"?  12-18.  That's junior high and high schoolers!  That's the age I started reading King!  I mean, no kidding, my eight year old doesn't read The Shining.  But I was a young teen when I read The Stand.

4. It's not like Stephen King is the new boy in town.  If King is so dangerous for young people, and especially his older stuff (as one person in the article is cited) -- then shouldn't children have been getting "traumatized" for years?  Shouldn't teenagers have been staying home for years, missing school, ditching.  . . . WAIT A MINUTE!  That's the reason we all missed our senior year of High School!  It was King's fault!  Someone call Farris Beuller quick.  "Mom, I can't go to school today.  I'm scared of Zombies and Vampires.  I think I'll stay home, in my room, where it's nice and dark, and I'm surrounded by these Stephen King books."


Well, with this alarming bit of information (minus a second opinion), McPherson marched right over to King's New Zealand publisher.  The unstated question is: Why isn't the publisher warning people that Stephen King is scary?  Imagine this guys wide eyed stare.  Finally, the publisher responds, "It's really up to the people who control the children.-- While we're certainly responsible for what we put in the market, and we don't knowingly put material into the market that will damage people, we can't be trying to control exactly who gets to it.

The publisher then says that in his thirty years of publishing, he is "not aware of a single writer in a general genre being singled out in such a manner."  And then he says this, "Unless it was for a particular reason, so I'm surprised -- I think it just comes out of nowhere this kind of comment."

See!  It does come out of no where, doesn't it!  Five cases, all in the same country, all to the same psychotherapist.

So, I hope this helps.  There might soon be a world wide panic of "children" (16 year olds) skipping school because of Stephen King.  Oh, and you should get the memo: Stephen King sometimes writes scary stuff. 

http://www.bayofplentytimes.co.nz/local/news/horror-tales-trigger-trauma/3951847/