Let's start with something that is plaguing many of us - Depression. One of the main reasons why I've been quiet is because I've been dealing with my own personal demons. I suffered a heart attack in June 2018, which to be honest wasn't a surprise after the shite I've had to deal with since 2016. I was working as a freelancer, but the egotistic dickheads out there made it difficult for me to enjoy working in the industry I love. Don't get me wrong, I still work in broadcasting and I have met some fantastic people, who I've had the pleasure of working with more than once. But, they're some who I wouldn't work with again.
When I was growing up, one of the main lessons in life I was taught is 'respect your elders'. A well-known phrase that means nothing these days as social media has brainwashed millennials into believing they're better than everybody else. Respect is non-existent, with bullying, discrimination and victimisation rife. The youth of today has more respect for the brainless vlogger spouting shite than they do to their parents. If a vlogger told a viewer that an anorexic model was the perfect vision of beauty, they would believe it and hey-presto, that person becomes anorexic along with developing other mental issues because some twat has told them they are fat. Others suffer mental health issues, again mainly thanks to social media and the twats who think they know everything.
One of the biggest issues I have is that if you're overweight, over 40 and if you look or talk to someone in the wrong way who is younger than you, you're called a pervert or worse a paedophile. This is something I've had to deal with personally thanks to a paranoid female at Teesside University who suffers from mental issues. It was this incident back in February 2017, when I was halfway through a job placement at the University, that was the start of my own mental health declining.
This female was one of nine people sat in a room of Aurora House located on campus, listening to a conversation between two other male students. There was another female present and the conversation between the two males was about threesomes amongst other banter. As the conversation began to be very sexist, I stepped in and told the males to mind what they were saying, as they was ladies present in the room. The female in question spoke up and said 'I'm not listening anyway, I'm busy working'. The other female jokingly stated, 'I'm no lady'.
Thinking nothing more of that I day, a few weeks passed before I received a phone call from the Head of the Aurora House, who said he had received a complaint about me which he needed to talk to me about and I shouldn't worry about it. Yeah bullshit! It was an official complaint where I was sat in an office with the Head of the Aurora House and HR. The complaint was made by the paranoid female, claiming the sexist conversation that took place in the room of nine, was actually me being inappropriate towards her. No-one else was present, it was just me being a pervert towards her. What the actual fuck!
Well I wasn't taking this shit and clearly stated that the complaint was false and told them the truth, which they seemed to be taken back with as there wasn't a mention of the others being present in the room. I told them that their was an inappropriate conversation that had been taken place, but I tried to put a stop to it. As a result, I was dismissed from the interview and one of the males behind this conversation was summoned to give his statement of events.
What followed after this should have never happened to me or anyone else. The outcome from the complaint was unprofessional and why the hell I didn't take legal action against the university is beyond me, but I guess I was no longer in the mindset to perform such action.
After this incident, the family of the female decided the final outcome of the complaint wasn't good enough and they decided to victimise me and my family. My wife received messages on Facebook from the female's mother. They also made a complaint to the police who did question me and the other male about the incident, but they did state it was bullshit complaint as the evidence I gave was backed up by the other male and I was innocent in any wrong doing.
Was this good enough for her family? No! I was now being victimised by some staff and students at the university. I was being ignored by the Head of Aurora House, who I originally got on with. He now couldn't look me in the eye and avoided conversation. He also stated to another members of staff 'that the problem won't go away until Matt goes away'. Even my manager became hostile towards me at the end of my placement and tried to find more excuses to complaint about me, most probably to remove me from the placement. This was someone I knew for three years and just like that, didn't want to be associated with me. I was treated like shit and all because of a female student with a paranoid mindset who thought a general conversation between others, was directed at her by someone who didn't speak a word to her.
At the end of my placement, I was told by my manager in front of other students that I was no longer welcome back in Aurora House and shouldn't really return to campus. But the victimisation didn't stop there. Today I'm still harassed by this female and her family, where they shout abuse at me in public, in front of my own family. After the stress caused by this victimisation, my mental health declined further, that lead to depression, a heart-attack and being placed on anti-depressants as I was the verge of breakdown. I was unemployed for over a year as I couldn't really face going back to work. I had crawled into my shell and didn't want to leave.
After seeking professional help, my shell began to crack and I found employment again. I also established my own business, both of which are thriving nicely. I was working with people that I could trust again, but my defences are still raised and the nice guy in me is there for those who deserve my respect. I never received an apology from those involved at Teesside University, and to be honest, I've lost all respect for those cowards who couldn't do their job properly and wanted an easy way out of the situation.
I'm in a much better place in a now management position with my full-time job, along with continuing to work in broadcasting on the side. All I can say is that depression is an illness that shouldn't be ignored. There is help out there to help you control it and overcome that dark cloud that hangs over you. Don't hide it - talk! I also know I'm not the only one who has experienced what I have in the workplace. Management like what I had at the University need more training, respect and stop being lazy in their job. Its these elements that can have long-term effects on employees like me.
