Re: DEAD THREAD 2017: "This guy here is dead!"..."Cross him off, then!"
I've explained my opinion. It's not "low" and taking that attitude towards it is lazy. I could for example, return your cheap shot and say you are being callous towards his kids. But I know you're not -- you are privileging his pain over theirs, just as I am privileging their pain over his.
I can't really explain why I choose the way I do, but I do. It's not a utilitarian calculation of 6 > 1. I would feel the same way about a pair of parents who committed suicide and left 1 child. It does have to do with innocence and responsibility. There is always a degree of responsibility in everyone for their actions; even if the waves of mental illness were roaring in the background this man was not paralyzed -- he led a life, which means he was capable of some degree of reflection and control. That means this was to some degree a conscious, intentional act. And to that degree I blame him for the suffering he has caused.
This is an emotional issue which is why people have responded so emotionally to my opinion, plus as always "I'm obnoxious and disliked did you know that?" But stripping away the snark I stand by the argument as the true real world argument. I am taking everyone's pain into consideration and not living in an ivory tower where only his counts.
I believe the Suicidal Artiste Culture gives these people an image that people -- even they themselves -- fall for. I believe the SAC is a silly 19th century concoction by jaded merchants to sell to bored Victorian housewives, and because melodrama sells so well it also polluted movies and now music culture. To commit suicide, particularly if you're a writer, an artist, or a musician, is the ultimate authenticity. "I told you I was ill."
What I'm saying is f-ck all that. If you have kids and you kill yourself you cease to be pitiable and you become detestable.
Now, as for whether I have "a clue" how hard it can be to deal with mental illness, don't go there, kitten. Don't assume anything about a person like that. There is indeed cluelessness here, and it's your understanding of what another person has experienced.
Originally posted by Jimjamesak
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I can't really explain why I choose the way I do, but I do. It's not a utilitarian calculation of 6 > 1. I would feel the same way about a pair of parents who committed suicide and left 1 child. It does have to do with innocence and responsibility. There is always a degree of responsibility in everyone for their actions; even if the waves of mental illness were roaring in the background this man was not paralyzed -- he led a life, which means he was capable of some degree of reflection and control. That means this was to some degree a conscious, intentional act. And to that degree I blame him for the suffering he has caused.
This is an emotional issue which is why people have responded so emotionally to my opinion, plus as always "I'm obnoxious and disliked did you know that?" But stripping away the snark I stand by the argument as the true real world argument. I am taking everyone's pain into consideration and not living in an ivory tower where only his counts.
I believe the Suicidal Artiste Culture gives these people an image that people -- even they themselves -- fall for. I believe the SAC is a silly 19th century concoction by jaded merchants to sell to bored Victorian housewives, and because melodrama sells so well it also polluted movies and now music culture. To commit suicide, particularly if you're a writer, an artist, or a musician, is the ultimate authenticity. "I told you I was ill."
What I'm saying is f-ck all that. If you have kids and you kill yourself you cease to be pitiable and you become detestable.
Now, as for whether I have "a clue" how hard it can be to deal with mental illness, don't go there, kitten. Don't assume anything about a person like that. There is indeed cluelessness here, and it's your understanding of what another person has experienced.
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