Comments on: Wrist Cutting

By: RLM

RLM — Fri, 16 May 2008 18:44:32 +0000

Interesting e-article! Same thing with the body modifications among young people to alternate their own bodies for artistic expression.

Robert L. Mason (RLM)

By: Hilary

Hilary — Thu, 15 May 2008 21:50:43 +0000

JT, who says it has to be “corruption?” Thought and language do influence one another. It’s sorta like the whole chicken-and-egg cycle. :)

I think it’s more how we interpret thoughts and behaviours, and whether we have the capacity to recognise what is extreme and what is an appropriate reaction to some issue, problem or crisis.

And, isn’t British spelling fun? ;-)

By: Agreed!

Agreed! — Thu, 15 May 2008 21:45:54 +0000

I’ve reported several before, in fact, one woman (whom I barely knew) IM’d me out of the blue saying that she hates the world and will be planning to end her life soon. She lived in other state, so I called the police and explained the situation, the police got in touch with the local police in her area and sent them the IM messages. Later on, she came back on IM, really pissed off at me for calling the police on her. Bottom line, I’m not staying around to play games and see if it’s a joke or not. Someone tells me they are going to hurt himself/herself, I’m going to call the cops on them, period. Better safe than sorry.

By: Jt

Jt — Thu, 15 May 2008 21:31:27 +0000

Maybe for those who fall far outside the bell curve. John Hinckley, anyone? If thought corrupts language, does language always corrupt thought as well? Say it ain’t so!

By: g l

g l — Thu, 15 May 2008 19:53:25 +0000

Forgive me for straying off-point but there’s an indie flick that centers around suicide… “Wristcutters: A Love Story”

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0477139/

It’s definitely surreal: an afterlife populated exclusively with suicides. One reaction I had was that it takes the edge off the behavior (goes to show that off-Hollywood is still Hollywood-ish).

The First Amendment advocate I am, I’m for artistic expression and all but I wonder if after some people (susceptible youth, really) watch it, they’ll find themselves encouraged to fulfill the adage that life imitates art.

By: Josh Mendelsohn

Josh Mendelsohn — Thu, 15 May 2008 13:50:42 +0000

In turn, good point.

By: Hilary

Hilary — Thu, 15 May 2008 13:49:50 +0000

I’ve reported friends before… and I know others who have also reported friends. I don’t know if I would report a simple acquaintance, because I would be hesitant to “interpret” something the wrong way (or too intensely) and have it cause further problems.

By: Hilary

Hilary — Thu, 15 May 2008 13:48:42 +0000

Good point. :)

By: Josh Mendelsohn

Josh Mendelsohn — Thu, 15 May 2008 13:47:50 +0000

And thank you, Thank You, for sharing this. I wonder about it being easier to report someone you don’t know … I think it’s probably easier to report someone who’s just an acquaintance or classmate than someone who you know too well. And I think many people would just ignore these signs in people they don’t know at all — i.e., those that they pass in the halls or see on the train. Hmmm.

By: Thank you

Thank you — Thu, 15 May 2008 13:43:46 +0000

Josh, thank you for this. I was never a cutter, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t cross my mind. I knew it wasn’t a “way out” of the emotional crises I’ve dealt with over the years.

I’m glad you had the guts to report your classmate. That definitely could not have been easy. I tend to think it’s easier to “report” someone you don’t know than someone you do know.

If anyone out there is a cutter, thinking about it, or knows someone who is… please get help. :)