I recently read something about David Foster Wallace. The article said the author got way more attention after his suicide. Jonathan Franzen the former best friend of Wallace said DFW chose this way (suicide) to get more adulation.
I asked myself if this is true and what this means if this was true. Do some artists care so much about adulation that they commit suicide to get famous? I think it is at least partly true that the reputation of an artist/ writer often increases after he/she has ctb. There is often a lot of attention after a tragic death. For example when they die in young age. Some are in the so-called "club 27".
Though I strongly doubt that getting fame is the main incentive when someone ctb. This is probably a very tiny percentage of people. It is ethically questionable to make those claims. On the other side I never knew DFW personally in contrast to Jonathan Franzen. For me it is hard to judge about it. I had no insights in the private life of DFW. Though Franzen sounded a little bit jealous and resentful towards DFW.
Is it true artists or other people can get easier a cult status due to the fact they have committed suicide? It is kind of weird. Suicide is so stigmatized when average people do it. They get locked up in psych wards. But people like Kurt Cobain get adulation for sentences like "It's better to burn out than to fade away." If you say this in real life to any other person they will call you crazy and question your sanity.
I think many pro-lifers refer to examples like Kurt Cobain when they talk about the heroization of suicide. It is true there is kind of a mystification in cases like him.
Though in my opinion this has nothing to do with for example assisted suicide. Taking a peaceful method (which is the normal standard in assisted suicide) is not really considered as "cool" I suppose. Who seriously thinks getting assisted suicide would be seen as cool or some sort of heroization? This absolutely ridiculous.
I think blowing your head away like Cobain some people consider this as kind of cool (not me!). Though I really doubt many people have the main incentive to become "cool" by committing suicide. It is way too hard to beat the SI if there was just such a minor motive. There is often unbelievable pain and desperation involved when people ctb.
Some say they think old people would feel forced to act "heroic". They would sacrifice themselves in order not be a burden to other people. Also this argument is kind of weird. I doubt old people refer to heroic suicide role models. But stop here. This is too much off-topic.
I asked myself if this is true and what this means if this was true. Do some artists care so much about adulation that they commit suicide to get famous? I think it is at least partly true that the reputation of an artist/ writer often increases after he/she has ctb. There is often a lot of attention after a tragic death. For example when they die in young age. Some are in the so-called "club 27".
Though I strongly doubt that getting fame is the main incentive when someone ctb. This is probably a very tiny percentage of people. It is ethically questionable to make those claims. On the other side I never knew DFW personally in contrast to Jonathan Franzen. For me it is hard to judge about it. I had no insights in the private life of DFW. Though Franzen sounded a little bit jealous and resentful towards DFW.
Is it true artists or other people can get easier a cult status due to the fact they have committed suicide? It is kind of weird. Suicide is so stigmatized when average people do it. They get locked up in psych wards. But people like Kurt Cobain get adulation for sentences like "It's better to burn out than to fade away." If you say this in real life to any other person they will call you crazy and question your sanity.
I think many pro-lifers refer to examples like Kurt Cobain when they talk about the heroization of suicide. It is true there is kind of a mystification in cases like him.
Though in my opinion this has nothing to do with for example assisted suicide. Taking a peaceful method (which is the normal standard in assisted suicide) is not really considered as "cool" I suppose. Who seriously thinks getting assisted suicide would be seen as cool or some sort of heroization? This absolutely ridiculous.
I think blowing your head away like Cobain some people consider this as kind of cool (not me!). Though I really doubt many people have the main incentive to become "cool" by committing suicide. It is way too hard to beat the SI if there was just such a minor motive. There is often unbelievable pain and desperation involved when people ctb.
Some say they think old people would feel forced to act "heroic". They would sacrifice themselves in order not be a burden to other people. Also this argument is kind of weird. I doubt old people refer to heroic suicide role models. But stop here. This is too much off-topic.
Last edited:
