Youth suicide - the internets are to blame!!

[financeguy]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/mai...VCBQ0IV0?xml=/news/2008/01/26/nsuicide226.xml

The usual depressing authoritarian rush to ban or curtail freedom of expression - if in doubt, blame the internets!

 

[phillyfan26]

I think most people would say the biggest problem with suicide is poor societal recognition of (and response to) depression.

 

[maycocksean]

From the article:

The Ministry of Justice said action will take the form of guidance to websites rather than changes in the law.

"The law is clear on this. Assisting, or attempting to assist suicides is an offence, whether it is carried out on or off-line.

"The Law Commission has recently examined the issue of suicide websites and made some recommendations, which the Government is considering.

"These recommendations represent an updating of, rather than a substantive change to the law.

"The Law Commission was absolutely clear in its conclusion that our existing law is capable of dealing with the problem."


I'm not sure what the problem is here? You're arguing that assisting suicides shouldn't be an offense then?

 

[Kieran McConville]

I'm pretty sure that Financeguy isn't arguing that, and I'm pretty sure you know it.

I am not super worried about the actual ability of governments to do much about the internet (short of a China-style total takeover), but I find the rhetoric unencouraging. The good news is that our 'betters' in government and business don't, I suspect, really understand the internet. You see it in the way they try to scare mums 'n dads with all the porn/terrorist/whatever talk.

Reminds me of our recent Australian example of a mooted 'opt out' (as in you have to ask to not be part of it) internet filtering regime to protect us against kiddie porn.

Predictably the government's line was 'you'd have to be a kiddie fiddler to have a problem with this' (also, coincidentally, the slogan of Australia's new tourist ad campaign). Thankfully the scheme is so impractical that it will likely die a quiet death in review.

 

[maycocksean]

I'm pretty sure that Financeguy isn't arguing that, and I'm pretty sure you know it.

Well I'm glad you're so sure. As for me, I'm not sure what's the cause for alarm here, and thus I'm not sure what Financeguy is arguing.

Perhaps you--or he--can enlighten me?

 

[the iron horse]

It would help if father and mother loved as one and together.

A family helps in life.

 

[BVS]

Or father and father, or mother and mother, or Uncle, or grandparents, or mother, or father, or friends, or whoever...

Love is love, doesn't matter where it comes from.

 

[the iron horse]

To a child


It really helps if there a real father and mother

 

[BVS]

Tell that to many of the millions that didn't have that, but turned out well...

What is this opinion of yours based on?

 

[maycocksean]

It would help if father and mother loved as one and together.

A family helps in life.

Am I missing something here? What does this have to do with the article?

 

[Axver]

To a child


It really helps if there a real father and mother

Shows how much you know. Every case is different. Personally? I was better off after my parents separated. I wouldn't want them back together at all and I never have, not when I was seven and not when I was seventeen.

And I'm with Sean; I don't see what this has to do with the topic.

 

[AnnRKeyintheUSA]

In the 80's they used to blame rock music. Before that it was movies and TV. Before that what was it? Teens have been commiting suicide all through time. Number one reason: love gone wrong. Remember Romeo and Juliet?

I was reading a ghost story about a haunted house from the early 1800's, and it said there was bad energy there because two of the teenaged daughters, and the father, had all committed suicide there at different times. And to think, without TV, rock music or the internet!

 

[Irvine511]

To a child


It really helps if there a real father and mother

it's true.

adopted kids and the children of single parents and the children of gays and lesbians keep offing themselves in huge numbers. it's an epidemic.

if they had *real* parents, this wouldn't happen.

 

[BVS]

Fake parents + internets = death