tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post112443726105403320..comments2023-10-22T18:25:39.688+08:00Comments on The View from Taiwan: Dan Bauer, Student Suicide, TaiwanMichael Turtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17974403961870976346noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-1124527511588179142005-08-20T16:45:00.000+08:002005-08-20T16:45:00.000+08:00I remember seeing at the Yizhong Jie nightmarket i...I remember seeing at the Yizhong Jie nightmarket in Taizhong some public service ad exhorting people to Say No to Suicide! as if suicide were as seductive to young people as drugs. Hilarious stuff.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-1124513684943281342005-08-20T12:54:00.000+08:002005-08-20T12:54:00.000+08:00MASH said it best: suicide is painless.there IS a ...MASH said it best: suicide is painless.<BR/><BR/>there IS a reason people commit suicide, and it has to do with wanting to escape from the real and deep and severe pain they feel in this world. for them, suicide is a release, and who can blame someone for wanting release from a pain we normal people cannot even imagine? so in a way, suicide is a good way out for those who choose that path.<BR/><BR/>The sad part is the impact a successful suicide leaves on those who loved that person, from parents, wife husband lover brother sister relatives etc. classmates. But we cannot ask suicide people (SP's) to think about that. they want release from the pain and they want it now. deal with that, Professor Bauer!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-1124512035595119382005-08-20T12:27:00.000+08:002005-08-20T12:27:00.000+08:00I've always thought one way to deal with this prob...I've always thought one way to deal with this problem is to enforce a media blackout on covering specific suicides as in North America. <BR/><BR/>I'm not suggesting the media (or anyone) ignore the problem. But pandering to the suicide's wishes isn't right either.<BR/><BR/>while a blackout certainly does not eliminate the problem, it won't receive the popular attention it does now. <BR/><BR/>Furthermore, for those who are not involved, we are spared the torturous shots of microphones thrust into the faces of the suicide's loved ones. A grotesque practice if there ever was one.<BR/><BR/>RyanRyanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07998996750944114185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-1124461035544802092005-08-19T22:17:00.000+08:002005-08-19T22:17:00.000+08:00I agree. But how often do I disagree with you? Fra...I agree. But how often do I disagree with you? Frankly, anyone who wants my opinion can check with you, and then multiply by two.<BR/><BR/>The interesting part of running down info for this entry was the suicide rate among the elderly. I've heard of several cases, but I hadn't realized it was so bad here.<BR/><BR/>MichaelMichael Turtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17974403961870976346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-1124460825552840122005-08-19T22:13:00.000+08:002005-08-19T22:13:00.000+08:00I think one of the major reasons why so many young...I think one of the major reasons why so many young people in Taiwan attempt suicide is because it is a romanticized way of ending the incredible hardship and pressures that come with growing up there. Romance novels are full of accounts of Lover's Suicides, and the media's coverage of bereft relatives of people who commit suicide send a signal that the choice to end one's life can only improve his or her image in the memories of others. <BR/><BR/>Not to make light of the situation, but many suicide attempts in Taiwan are usually dramatically staged to exact some sort of revenge on another person. I can't tell you how many times I've heard of people (unfortunately, mostly young women) who take a mouthful of pills and immediately call the target of their anger (cheating boyfriends, usually) to tell them "this is it, I'm blaming all of this on you, don't save me". <BR/><BR/>There's also the "ghost" aspect to committing suicide that appeals to people who may feel wronged. Remember when that anchorwoman jumped off a building wearing a red dress (meaning her ghost would be back for vengeance)? The media played up the angle that her ghost was haunting her cad of a boyfriend, and police were put on alert for copycat suicides. <BR/><BR/>Of course, I'm not saying all suicide attempts in Taiwan are just crass attempts at attention, but I am saying that many of them are carried out by people who see it as a cynical way to strike back at others. Popular culture's fascination with suicide will only perpetuate its image as a spiffy way to get attention or revenge.Jasonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09759067282582187193noreply@blogger.com