Although the Audrey Seiler saga ended months ago, Connie and Fish from Z104 are dredging it up once again as a way of advertising for their show. They have created three billboards depicting themselves in a marshy area with the caption: \This has NOTHING to do with Audrey,"" ""Depressed?"" and ""Boyfriend not noticing you?"" In tahe first billboard the hosts' mouths are duct taped while Fish holds a flashlight, in the second they are tied together with rope and in the last they are peeking out from behind some brush.
Frankly, these billboards are appalling. Last spring, Audrey Seiler, a UW-Madison student, disappeared, and the city of Madison prepared for the worst. After she was found five days later in a marsh near the Alliant Energy Center, she told officials her abductor was armed and in the vicinity, setting off a manhunt that cost the city nearly $100,000. Everyone was supportive of Seiler until the police stated they believed she was never abducted.
This announcement sparked anger within the community. People were no longer rejoicing that she was found alive, but rather felt deceived by Seiler and wanted her to pay. Nobody cared about possible psychiatric causes for Audrey's actions; instead they wanted to focus on jail time and financial restitution. This public pressure led to the filing of criminal charges being filed.
Over the summer, Seiler pled guilty to two misdemeanor counts of restricting or obstructing an officer and was sentenced to three years of probation. In addition she was ordered to perform 250 hours of community service and to pay $250 per month for the next three years in restitution. The amount of restitution will increase to $400 per month if she graduates from college and earns over $20,000 per year.
At her hearing Seiler apologized to the court for her actions and stated that she has been receiving treatment for depression. Her actions were clearly affected by her mental state. She said she made critical errors in judgment and expressed a desire to try to prove to people that she was ""still a girl to be proud of.""
Although the case has been legally resolved, the city of Madison just can't seem to forgive and forget. This story was chronicled at the end of the summer in The Broom Street Theatre's production ""Audrey Seiler, Where Are You?"" which made light of this depressing incident. Perhaps the most vulgar aspect of the play was the Audrey Seiler look-alike contest that was held on opening weekend, in which audience members were invited to dress up like Seiler.
The new billboards have taken these sentiments a step further. By advertising for a radio program in such a despicable manner, we are sending the message that mental illnesses are funny and that people who are afflicted by them deserve to be humiliated by the media.
These advertisements need to be removed. Making fun of someone with a mental disorder in order to advertise a talk show is disgraceful. How can we expect Seiler to move on from this incident and lead a normal life if we continue to publicly humiliate her?
The Connie and Fish show should be forced to apologize to Seiler and her family and admit their error publicly in a courteous fashion. Furthermore, they should be forced to air public service announcements providing information for people who wish to seek mental health treatment.
We need to move on and stop humiliating Seiler. Hopefully, the next time we hear about her it will be because she is recovering and returning to a normal life, and not simply because someone else is berating her.
Micaela Frudden is a sophomore majoring in business.
