Suicide Jokes

If I hear another suicide "joke" I'm going to kill myself.

What can you possibly make of that statement? Is it funny? Nope. Is it a hyperbole? Yes.

I expect this is is also an exaggeration and an incredibly unnecessary one at that. If you're interested in the feminism side of this check out Feminine Fiascos but I am going to touch on how common comments about suicide are.

This particular Facebook post is not the only one. I hear things like this all the time in the halls at school and it never cease to hit me hard. I have been through bouts of suicidal thoughts and even acted on them before. Are you really going to kill yourself if you don't get a 95% on that test? It's entirely possible that the whomever you're saying that to or even near has considered ending their life too...but seriously and for them it wasn't an embellishment. 

Most of the amazing and strong people I know have, at some point, been suicidal. They are courageous, inspirational and fascinating people but still have soft spots. In March a friend of mine killed himself with his father's shotgun. I could handle it before when people would make jokes about suicide and I felt that they were only mocking me; but not when the memory of a friend is being disgraced. 

Everybody has that one thing that gets under their skin and makes them angry. For the author of Feminine Fiascos, it is feminism and its relevance to our society. Speaking out about what bothers you is nothing but admirable. As is being able to accept and apologize for the offence you will inevitably do someone and if you don't understand what it was that particularly bothered them then ask, I'm sure they would be happy to explain; I know I always am.

Suicidal attempts that fail can range form humiliating to revitalizing but either way it's a very deep and intense experience. Suicide successes are tragic. 

Simon should be so lucky as to have a daughter; more so if that girl stands up for something; let alone one that lives on when her peers/friends fall. 

I want to urge those people who have been through times of wanting to end their lives to stand up when someone makes a "joke" or a comment like that. It doesn't have to be rude or confrontational but just make a point. 

"According to the World Health Organization (WHO), someone around the globe commits suicide every 40 seconds. In the year 2000, 815,000 people lost their lives to suicide — more than double the number of people who die as a direct result of armed conflict every year (306,600). For people between the ages of 15 and 44, suicide is the fourth leading cause of death and the sixth leading cause of disability and infirmity worldwide."-CMHA

It could be your mother, uncle, sister, best friend, girlfriend/boyfriend or classmate. Is it still "funny?"