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A Halifax activist claims that the media treatment of an overlooked winner of Jackpot Chase the Ace nurtures harmful stereotypes at the expense of confronting serious gambling problems.
El Jones, President Mount St. Vincent University Women's Studies Program A recent local television video citing an animated, Barb Reddick, who won Margaree's Chase the Ace event on Monday, but was angry with her. having to share the price of $ 1.2 million with his nephew. His name was also on the ticket.
"The media promotes lotteries as a path to wealth, to pleasure, and Chase the Ace is no different," Jones said. "They're always covered like a show, like," Wow looks at how big the jackpot is this week! "There's never any critical coverage on why some of these people might need to win the lottery.
"Of course, some people may be desperate when they receive this huge amount of money, but we stick a camera to them and we think that it is It's funny when they are fighting over money. "
The story, which has since made headlines, focuses on Reddick's intention to" fight for money. " sue for all jackpot amount . According to Jones, while it's about a ripped family, the media are missing an opportunity to look at some of the well-documented social problems badociated with gambling in this province.
"What's going on between them is not uncommon, it's very common with the winners of the lottery, there's a dispute over the winnings and it gets settled in court and it ruins the families. "But why are the media always focusing on it instead of looking at the bigger, bigger stories, like the lotteries, right? What this woman is going through, what these families have to endure, is a true pain.This is a ripped family.We have no badysis of how often this happens with people who play. "
The former poet laureate of Halifax is also a well-known black activist and she believes that Reddick's race as a black woman is manifest in some cases the heavy public criticism she has faced, especially on social media where her face has appeared on several In an outstanding video, his television report quotes are dubbed into a scene in the comic film The Nutty Professor, starring Eddie Murphy.The character Reddick is supposed to inhabit is portrayed as an elderly black woman and crousti
"There is a tradition of black online reaction of how blacks are perceived as entertainment," said Jones. "It's linked to the minstrel show, to the dehumanization of the black-face tradition.Why are blacks so often seen as shows, whether it's the way we talk or look?"
" For me, it's a very sad story, it's a very tragic story.When can we laugh at the human tragedy?
El Jones. (FILE )
The media promotes lotteries as a path to wealth, to pleasure, and Chase the Ace is no different … There is never any critical coverage on the which is why some of these people may need to win the lottery.
– El Jones
The provincial government did not adequately respond to the 2015 Auditor General's report that there were serious deficiencies in the provincial programs for prevention and treatment of gambling. The 22-page document states: that Nova Scotia generated more than $ 500 million in revenue in 2013-2014 and estimates that 7,000 Nova Scotians are adversely affected by their gambling.
"We found that Nova Scotia's "The Department of Health and Wellness does not monitor the treatment of gambling cases in the health authorities."
The Auditor General's Report contained seven recommendations to strengthen the prevention program and treatment in the province to determine whether prevention and treatment efforts are effectively reducing the number of Nova Scotians who suffer The Auditor General's follow-up report published in April showed that the recommendation was not completed.
"I think it's irresponsible on the part of our government to constantly promote this kind of gambling activities, and then stick to laughing when we see people feeling the pain of their share. Why do people continue to pay for lottery tickets while there is such a chance to win? For me, it's a true story.
The province generated $ 347.9 million in net revenue from gaming activities in the 2016-17 fiscal year. According to Mike Buckley, a Halifax-based registered counseling therapist and problem gambling specialist, the majority of this money came from problem gamblers.
"The premier and the cabinet at the time they introduced Casino Nova Scotia and the VLT devices were fond of saying that if the province discovered that the gambling problem was the main source of revenue, it was Would stop, "Buckley said. "The government knows very well that it benefits the problem gamblers and that it creates significant problems in our society."
According to Buckley, coroners numbers show every year that six to nine suicides in Nova Scotia are related to problem gambling. "But conservative estimates go up to 40 people a year die from gambling," he said. "These figures you never see in the media, but you see stories of jackpots and happy winners."
The Chronicle Herald communicated Friday with Service Nova Scotia, the government agency that regulates gambling In Nova Scotia, in an attempt to find out what the province is doing to respond to the Auditor General's recommendations, the Herald also wanted to know if, given the current controversy, it would consider a cap to limit future Chase the Ace jackpot amounts.
The department did not respond directly to any of the requests.
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