227:. Jones said the title was her idea, to highlight the unacceptability of the slur, which is regularly shouted at her on the street and used in social media harassment against her. Channel 4 said that the term's use was "carefully considered" by the editorial team. Jones said the title is "not used to shock", but is designed to "take control" of the word. The disability consultant Ally Castle said that "provoking and challenging" were central to Channel 4's aims to "push boundaries and prompt conversation". Castle said it was not
352:, Saskia Baron gave a negative review that said it was "thin and repetitive", lacking exploration of why people are abusive towards the disabled. Baron called it a "wasted opportunity" as there is "a long history of changing the words used to describe intellectually disabled people" that leads to new slurs. Baron found Jones' appearance at Twitter's headquarters to be a "poorly executed stunt".
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s Lucy
Webster praised the "desperately needed" programme as an "effective" introduction to ableism and Jones' "tough decision" to openly show her emotional reaction to receiving abuse. However, Webster thought the documentary suffered from the minimal presence of disabled people other than the host
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It was directed by Tom
Levinge. Jones said the filming made her realise that she used jokes to "break the tension" and avoid serious realities. Levinge told her not to respond with humour when shown the harassing social media messages about her. Jones described the documentary as the most difficult
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Rosie Jones opens by explaining why the documentary title uses "the R-word" and the harm it causes. She wears headphones when out in public to avoid hearing the harassment that is shouted at her. The documentary covers Jones' early television appearances and the abusive social media posts made in
370:, Barbara Charlton-Dailey gave the programme two stars. Charlton-Dailey believed more disabled contributors were needed and criticised Jones' comments that racism or homophobia is treated more seriously than ableism. She said the documentary would not change the minds of people who use the word
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The documentary received widespread criticism for its title, with three disabled contributors withdrawing over it. Reviewers praised the documentary's aim to raise awareness. However, they commented that only one disabled person other than Jones appears and that the scenes involving
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piece of media to make in her career, and said she was in therapy because of the subject matter. It made her confront her anger at experiencing discrimination and facts that she had "perhaps kept in a drawer". Therapy allowed her to say: "sometimes I am a victim".
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despite its rules, even after reporting one message. At
Twitter's headquarters, Jones delivers a cookie with "Am I retarded?" written in icing. The tweet is then deleted. A social media expert tells Jones that the initial response to her report was automated.
270:, commented that Jones had a right to address the topic, as the word has been used against her, but that the arguments it had created within disabled communities were unfortunate. In reaction to criticism that Jones should not use the word
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331:, finding it to succeed in raising awareness of ableist hatred. Singh critiqued that it met "the obstacles that always defeat programmes of this kind": unresponsiveness by the companies and individuals involved in the abuse.
548:"'It's not OK that I get ableism on a daily basis': Comedian Rosie Jones opens up to Rachael Davis about ableist abuse, online trolling, and her new Channel 4 documentary Rosie Jones: Am I A R*tard?".
317:, gives Jones insight into why people write such comments. Jones speaks to a man who was imprisoned for internet harassment about what motivated him and the issues in his personal life at the time.
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disability rights columnist Rachel
Charlton-Dailey believed that the title could lead people "who already use that word so freely" to "see this as a license to use it again". The presenter
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Jones visits the parents of a child born with a rare genetic disorder. They received cruel responses, such as suggestions that they should kill their daughter, when trying to
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Jones has hired a company, Arwen, to filter out abusive messages she receives. She visits the company to see some of the blocked messages. With an employee, she discusses
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and use offensive language. She believed that most people could define other forms of prejudice, such as racism and sexism, but not ableism.
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Barbara Ellen, giving the programme three stars, did not find the review with a former internet troll "particularly revelatory".
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she has received through her television work and public appearances. It was announced in March 2022 alongside a second series of
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said that the controversy will have had the effect desired by
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Three contributors—all disabled models—withdrew consent to be featured after filming when they learned of the title. The
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thought the documentary "will end up being devalued by its title", comparing it to the unintended consequences of
853:"The week in TV: The Bear; The Sixth Commandment; Rosie Jones: Am I a R*tard?; University Challenge – review"
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Jones tries to contact people who have sent her harassing messages to have a discussion. She discusses with
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581:"Rosie Jones: Backlash from my documentary Am I A R*tard? has hit harder coming from disabled people"
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Before the documentary's release, the title was widely discussed due to its use of the ableist slur
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758:"Rosie Jones: Am I a R*tard, Channel 4, review: chasing down trolls too scared to show their faces"
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Castle, Ally (24 July 2023). "The Rosie Jones doc: Why I advised
Channel 4 to go with that title".
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screening took place in June 2023 and the documentary premiered on 20 July.
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and an interview with an internet troll did not have the desired impact.
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money for her medical treatment. Their child died at the age of four.
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but "relevant to the subject, story and objective of the film".
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Anita Singh gave the documentary three out of five stars for
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276:learning disabilities
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315:The Science of Hate
260:The Daily Telegraph
186:online hate speech
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173:Background
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73:Production
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311:Nikki Fox
304:crowdfund
229:clickbait
196:Dine Hard
147:Channel 4
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799:ProQuest
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556:ProQuest
408:17 March
282:Synopsis
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