The Sydney Morning Herald

Complaints

I read Antoinette Lattouf's article supposedly humorous article on the next host of Media File, published in the SMH today, where she writes " ..you can't cater to the colostomy-bag crowd forever". This is apparently a reference to older people. She manages to be both ageist and ableist in one go. Many colostomy bag users are young patients with Crohn's Disease and other IBD's who have had to have this surgery to save their lives. They have struggled against stigma, discrimination, pain, humiliation, constant serious illness and massive disruption to their lives and do not deserve to be treated as the butt of Lattouf's wit. I'm so disappointed that the SMH thought this was fit to print. I think Lattouf should learn something about the life-threatening illnesses that leads to people against their will belonging to the "colostomy-wearing crowd" and perhaps learn a little empathy towards her seniors as well. An apology would be a beginning.