July 31, 2008

Suicide Vs. Free Speech

The Independent: Ministers Seek Curbs on Internet Suicide Sites for Teenagers

suicide = Very Bad Thing in the eyes of the general population
Everyone knows that.
I know where they're coming from.

But is it really OK to only allow one perspective on the Internet?

And what about this blog, or possibly mine- would they be deemed unsuitable because they're not specifically anti-suicide? I do not see the harm in these types of sites. And yet, something tells me Encyclopedia Dramatica would squirm around it, being a so-called satirical encyclopedia.

I guess what bothers me the most is that the Internet is one of the few places left to talk and write about issues that are normally taboo, and soon it may not be an option.

I also can't see it working reasonably well- they will find a way. Maybe the chat room or forum isn't specifically about suicide. Maybe it'll happen on sites like MySpace or Bebo, on which most of the users mean no harm. Maybe the people will converse through PM's on YouTube. It will happen as long as there's people online.

And my guess as to why some of those people signed into chat rooms? They wanted to ask for help. They wanted to know how to get out of mind-numbing depression. And what was the answer they got? They were told to kill themselves.

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