J

Jojogu

Member
Feb 2, 2021
53
1712940714436

Warning: contains upsetting material.

Katherine and Tony Salas had no idea their son, Ben, was leading a double life.

"In one, he was planning his suicide," Tony says.

"And in the other life, he was shopping for engagement rings."

"I wish he would have given us the chance to help him," says Katherine, her voice breaking.

"That was the hardest part - I had no way of talking him through it."

Twenty-one-year-old Ben Salas took his own life last April. He was a promising criminology student at North Carolina State University and an aspiring Olympic athlete. He had many friends, a stable relationship and a loving family.

His death was one of 50,000 suicides registered in the US last year - the largest number ever recorded. In second place: 2022, which saw 49,449 suicides.

Crippled with grief, Tony and Katherine have created a "memory wall" to Ben in their front room. His university diploma, awarded posthumously, hangs at the top.

"He was a good all-round person," Tony says. "There's a huge hole in our souls. A part of us is missing."

But why did Ben kill himself? That's the question the Salas family is struggling to answer.

Ben's parents say their son briefly received treatment for mild depression in 2020, but subsequently reassured them that he had fully recovered.

"There weren't any of the typical indicators that you would expect in a kid that was continuing to struggle mentally. He wasn't withdrawn," says Tony.

Ben was close to his parents, speaking to them often. Tony called his son shortly before he died.

"He said 'I'm okay. I'm good.' And then a couple of hours after that he was gone."

North Carolina State University has recently been sent reeling by a series of suicides. In the previous academic year, seven students, including Ben, took their own lives. So far this academic year, there have been three suicides, including one at the end of January.

The high number of suicides has been very difficult on staff and students alike, says Assistant Vice-Chancellor Justine Hollingshead, who is based at NC State's sprawling campus in the centre of Raleigh, North Carolina. She says suicide is a "national epidemic" in the United States that isn't limited to just college campuses.

"If we knew the reason, we would solve the problem. It's not something that we're trying to avoid or not figure out. But there may be no warning signs: individuals don't tell their family or friends, they don't reach out to resources and they make that decision. And we'll likely never know why."

NC State has increased the number of counsellors and drop-in spaces, and introduced a system called "QPR: Question, Persuade, Refer" so that students can recognise the signs that friends or classmates are struggling and get them help.

Staff are trained to refer students who habitually skip lectures or request extensions to deadlines - in case these, too, are signs that something isn't right.

"I feel like we're doing the very best we can in unimaginable circumstances," Ms Hollingshead says.

"Last year it was a case of get through and survive, provide support and hope that you can save a life."

Raleigh is known as "the City of Oaks" and NC State's red-brick university buildings are nestled among them. The student union, known as Talley, is a multi-storey beehive of cafes, study areas and shops.

"I was in the dorm of the first one that happened." says one student, Lorelai. "I think a lot of kids our age have anxiety about the world. There are constant things that aren't getting better, and life is expensive."

Brody, a computer science student, says he's aware of the help available from emails the university sends out frequently.

"They're putting more of an emphasis on mental health problems," he says.

Other universities, across many different states, are experiencing a similar trend. And suicide is now the second-leading cause of death among Americans under the age of 35, according to the Centers for Disease Control, America's health protection agency.

The Covid pandemic could be a contributing factor, says Dr Christine Crawford, a psychiatrist and associate medical director at the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

"It caused this significant hit on our young people in terms of acquiring the social skills and tools that they need," she says. "They were at home, they were disconnected from their peers and from the elements that are so critical for healthy development in a young person."

Young people who spend a lot of time "wrapped up" in their gadgets are constantly bombarded with images of war and polarising political messages, which can lead to anxiety and depression, according to Dr Crawford.

In December 2021, the US surgeon general issued a rare public health advisory on the rising number of youth attempting suicide, singling out social media and the pandemic, which had "exacerbated the unprecedented stresses young people already faced".

Calls to 988, a national suicide helpline with more than 200 centres across the US, increased by 100,000 per month in the last year alone.

One centre in the state of Maryland is currently expanding its staff from the 150 operators who already work there.

Operator Josue Melendez says many calls come from younger males, starting at age 15 and going up to 35 or 40, and university students.

"The stress of having to pay for [university], the economy as well, all that can be stressful for one person to take in," he says.

Back at the Salas family home, Katherine agrees young people are struggling with financial pressures.

"Every safety net that past generations had has been taken away. I think that a lot of young people feel very insecure about what their future holds for them," she says.

She wears a badge pinned to her top featuring a picture of her son and the words "You Matter".

"I wear it every day, over my heart, because that's where Ben is," she says, fighting back tears.

They want to raise awareness about "something that he didn't have control over - depression".

Mental illness is stigmatised in the US, they both say.

"We need more people to talk about it," says Tony. "If it can happen to us, then it can happen to somebody else."

Katherine agrees: "Don't settle for 'I'm OK.' An 'OK' may be an OK, but a lot of times it's not."

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story you can visit BBC Action Line. Help and support outside the UK can be found at Befrienders Worldwide or you can call the US Suicide and Crisis Lifeline on 988.

BBC News
 
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U

unabletocope

I'd like to shut down
Mar 13, 2024
728
Look around you, the world is in a terrible state. It's not going to get better any time soon, if you have something to live for through it then great but if you don't then why wouldn't you kill yourself? Keeping going because 'it gets better' isn't enough, nothing is getting better
 
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sserafim

sserafim

brighter than the sun, that’s just me
Sep 13, 2023
9,013
That's because people don't want to submit to modern day slavery. In America, after college/university, you basically become a slave to the system for the rest of your life. You're chained to work/your job and trapped in the workforce for 50-60 years. You're forced to do the same thing everyday on repeat, living life as if it were a simulation. You're not even living, just surviving. The only reason why you do any of this is for survival purposes, as adulthood is all about survival. You have to work to survive because everything costs money, nothing is free. The central goal of adulthood is making money in order to support yourself. To accomplish this, you basically become an NPC. Most people do this for their whole lives and don't even know that they're just prisoners in prison. However, people are finally breaking free. It's a prison planet break
 
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ijustwishtodie

ijustwishtodie

death will be my ultimate bliss
Oct 29, 2023
5,175
Look around you, the world is in a terrible state. It's not going to get better any time soon, if you have something to live for through it then great but if you don't then why wouldn't you kill yourself? Keeping going because 'it gets better' isn't enough, nothing is getting better
Exactly. The answers as to why people are killing themselves is as clear as daylight
 
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L

LittleCupcake

Experienced
Mar 14, 2024
205
Maybe its the health care system, or being unemployed and or homeless. Theres always a reason that stares you in the face but no one wants to acknowledge it
 
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pilotviolin

pilotviolin

looking to the horizon
Jan 27, 2024
361
"If we knew the reason, we would solve the problem. It's not something that we're trying to avoid or not figure out. But there may be no warning signs: individuals don't tell their family or friends, they don't reach out to resources and they make that decision. And we'll likely never know why."
but theres many people who clearly state their problems even if anonymous and have tried to reach out in some way. the article is so vague and acts as if suicide is this mysterious magic force rifting through the youth. why are we bombarded with clickbait? why do we still have awful wars? what about social media contributes to suicide? what effects of the pandemic are still in play today? why dont people trust authorities with their deepest pains? besides allowing the Salas family to speak (which i personally won't judge, but i will judge the writer), it feels like this article is the embodiment of a shrug in front of a dumpster fire in the making for decades with many proofs and recounts and stories. while one person may not have given a note or clear answer directed towards friends and family which must be confusing and painful, to call the general rise of suicide something mysterious with "no clear answer" is lazy and disrespectful.
 
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sserafim

sserafim

brighter than the sun, that’s just me
Sep 13, 2023
9,013
Maybe its the health care system, or being unemployed and or homeless. Theres always a reason that stares you in the face but no one wants to acknowledge it
The reason is having to be a slave to the capitalist machine for the rest of your life
 
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FuneralCry

FuneralCry

Just wanting some peace
Sep 24, 2020
38,877
I bet the person who died would have hated to be featured in on that cringe anti-suicide badge, honestly it's so embarrasing. That article is just insulting, sorry but if they have no idea why someone would choose to end their own existence then they clearly lack awareness. The person wrote the article is the one who sounds mentally ill, I literally cannot take things like this seriously, this article has to be a joke right. And suicide hotlines on this site, really? Yeah sorry pro-lifers but some people want to choose when they die, if they are so anti-death why procreate they are literally causing the person to die in the first place.
 
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_Broken_alice

_Broken_alice

She/Her
Nov 19, 2023
226
"If we knew the reason" They just have to open their eyes...

Secondary school is unaffordable for most. And no margin to be able to fail and try again. Loans mean a potential (and likely) lifetime of debt.
Housing is unaffordable for most of millennials and gen x. Rent in this dead town has tripled just in the last 3-4 years.

Healthcare (Physical and Mental) are unaffordable.
Grocery prices have more than tripled just in the last 5-6 years.

There are less jobs than people able to work them with no UBI.
Those that can work, are having to work 2-3 jobs, throwing their entire lives away to make their employer rich.
Nearly every job listed wants years of experience AND college for meaningless jobs that should be entry level. And they still want to pay so little one cannot afford to simply exist working them even if they somehow have no debt. And a lot of those listings aren't even hiring, they are simply there to make it look like they are so the exploited workers don't quit and to feign company growth.
The incomprehensibly wealthy continue to steal from the working and existing classes. All while not paying anything close to their fair share of taxes.
When recessions and depressions happen, hundreds of billions in taxpayer money goes towards companies that then hand it to shareholders instead of that money going toward making sure people have a safe roof over their heads, and food to eat, and other needs.

Social safety nets have been gutted. This includes housing assistance, disability, unemployment, food assistance and more.
Transgender people ARE undergoing systematic genocide and nothing is being done about it.
Other minority groups are still under attack and systematically repressed.

One political party wants to f**k everyone and yet so many people still vote for them.
The other political party either cannot get much done, or doesn't seem to care depending on the issue.

The climate is beyond f**ked and hardly anything is being done to curb emissions from corporations and the top 10% financially, especially the top 1%.

We could go on, but we think our point has been made.
 
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Ash’Girl

Ash’Girl

Girl, Interrupted
Apr 29, 2022
386
They state they have no idea why he took his own life then make the assumption it was because he was battling crippling depression.

Usual non evidence based presumption.
 
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SilentSadness

SilentSadness

The rain pours eternally.
Feb 28, 2023
1,124
"If we knew the reason, we would solve the problem. It's not something that we're trying to avoid or not figure out. But there may be no warning signs: individuals don't tell their family or friends, they don't reach out to resources and they make that decision. And we'll likely never know why."

NC State has increased the number of counsellors and drop-in spaces, and introduced a system called "QPR: Question, Persuade, Refer" so that students can recognise the signs that friends or classmates are struggling and get them help.

Staff are trained to refer students who habitually skip lectures or request extensions to deadlines - in case these, too, are signs that something isn't right.
So to summarise, they don't know why people kill themselves, and want to find out by setting up a system where people get their friends in trouble for having "signs that something isn't right." And how can they say they never reached out, they clearly have no idea about this person.
Ben's parents say their son briefly received treatment for mild depression in 2020, but subsequently reassured them that he had fully recovered.
This is quite concerning, it sounds like the person wasn't able to be truthful with their family. I'm not surprised, if they would make such a humiliating badge from his picture.
It's just delusional that these articles keep repeating that they want to change stigmatised mental health by making sure people get punished for talking about it.
 
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U

UKscotty

Doesn't read PMs
May 20, 2021
2,450
Social media has made a massive difference. People think luxuries are the norm when it's really just a minority.

People try to fit to some perceived life style that doesn't exist. We fall into self and stop thinking of others, this leads to depression.
 
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Timothy7dff

Timothy7dff

Wizard
Apr 10, 2024
661
Economic slavery, abuse, and health problems. It's not rocket science. The deck is stacked against regular people. If things start to go well, the deep state will beat you back down.

People say things like "work hard"; but really you're just empowering the system if you do that. If you don't do as society tells you, you end up on a forum like this.
 
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F

Forveleth

I knew I forgot to do something when I was 15...
Mar 26, 2024
804
Article: "If we knew the reason, we would solve the problem. It's not something that we're trying to avoid or not figure out..."

Also article: "I think a lot of kids our age have anxiety about the world. There are constant things that aren't getting better, and life is expensive... Every safety net that past generations had has been taken away. I think that a lot of young people feel very insecure about what their future holds for them"

🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔
 
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willitpass

willitpass

Don’t try to offer me help, I’ve tried everything
Mar 10, 2020
2,941
-Social media has given people continuous access to more than we could ever know how to handle.
-We are in an economic crisis once again with inflation at an all time high.
-Loneliness is at an all time high per many studies.
-The pandemic rocked everyone's world in ways that haven't stopped even as covid rates has started to settle.
-Despite societal changes, mental health is still pretty stigmatised, especially in males.
-Looking at the news is just one big doom scroll.
-People are becoming meaner and more self centered by the day.
-Who knows what someone is going through behind closed doors or within their own mind.
 
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EvisceratedJester

EvisceratedJester

|| What Else Could I Be But a Jester ||
Oct 21, 2023
3,638
Yeah, why would young people want to commit suicide? Sure, they now have to deal with things like not being able to buy a house, increased living expenses, jobs that don't pay enough, climate change, increased political corruption, and worry about the possibility of wwIII potentially happening, but I mean young people should be happy about living in this late-capitalist hell scape, not anxious about the future....
 
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A

Argo

Specialist
May 19, 2018
360
Twenty-one-year-old Ben Salas took his own life last April. He was a promising criminology student

Criminology. That'll get you.

"Written laws are like spiders' webs; they will catch, it is true, the weak and poor, but would be torn in pieces by the rich and powerful." - Anacharsis

Probably saw just how dark things actually get in a way that broke the facade of the world many need to function in it. Saw how everything is exploitative and evil and couldn't live honestly knowing that the world is a predatory hell. You're either a psychopath/narcissist/egomaniac, or have some sort of saintly resilience, or you cannot function, or some combination. There are not that many viable modes in this world. A severe enough deficiency in the the survival strategies means you just don't survive.
 
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S

Scythe

Lost in a delusion
Sep 5, 2022
545
Society is shit, we have to work until we die, jobs don't cover living costs. This is in the US so gun violence and poverty. The environment is going to shit, life necessities have costed more and more since covid. Who knows? It's not like there's an entire massive forum with the answers.
At this point I think they know, they just don't want to say it for whatever reason.
 
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divinemistress36

divinemistress36

Illuminated
Jan 1, 2024
3,268
Social media has made a massive difference. People think luxuries are the norm when it's really just a minority.

People try to fit to some perceived life style that doesn't exist. We fall into self and stop thinking of others, this leads to depression.
I agree if Instagram would have been around when I was a teen and young adult it would have made me more suicidal since I was depressed and gullible
 
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restless.dreams

restless.dreams

Experienced
Feb 7, 2024
230
Rest in peace Ben. So many young people today have no hope for their futures, it's truly heartbreaking.
His death was one of 50,000 suicides registered in the US last year - the largest number ever recorded.
The greatest nation on earth, everyone! /s
 
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Throwawayacc3

Throwawayacc3

Freedom
Mar 4, 2024
1,387
Social media has made a massive difference. People think luxuries are the norm when it's really just a minority.

People try to fit to some perceived life style that doesn't exist. We fall into self and stop thinking of others, this leads to depression.
Luxury is a perceptive thing. To me luxury is having a 2 bed flat in Spain (1 room to sleep and the other room for adopted bird) and having no issues with mortgage (paid off). Luxury to most normies means : 6/7 bedroom mansion, sports cars, yachts, private jets, holidays all the time (I really don't understand the need for constant holidays - even when I young I could only take Italy with family for about 5 days max).
But yeah it's plastered everywhere. The thing that's more annoying is this - this cretin who is low IQ, an imbecile, loud, obnoxious, being an online prostitute now has the resources to do what I said I would do (ok they can't afford yatches and stuff) but it's insane that's the way the economy works.
Criminology. That'll get you.

"Written laws are like spiders' webs; they will catch, it is true, the weak and poor, but would be torn in pieces by the rich and powerful." - Anacharsis

Probably saw just how dark things actually get in a way that broke the facade of the world many need to function in it. Saw how everything is exploitative and evil and couldn't live honestly knowing that the world is a predatory hell. You're either a psychopath/narcissist/egomaniac, or have some sort of saintly resilience, or you cannot function, or some combination. There are not that many viable modes in this world. A severe enough deficiency in the the survival strategies means you just don't survive.
Pretty much what I said in my reply above - the dark triad traits.
View attachment 135178

Warning: contains upsetting material.

Katherine and Tony Salas had no idea their son, Ben, was leading a double life.

"In one, he was planning his suicide," Tony says.

"And in the other life, he was shopping for engagement rings."

"I wish he would have given us the chance to help him," says Katherine, her voice breaking.

"That was the hardest part - I had no way of talking him through it."

Twenty-one-year-old Ben Salas took his own life last April. He was a promising criminology student at North Carolina State University and an aspiring Olympic athlete. He had many friends, a stable relationship and a loving family.

His death was one of 50,000 suicides registered in the US last year - the largest number ever recorded. In second place: 2022, which saw 49,449 suicides.

Crippled with grief, Tony and Katherine have created a "memory wall" to Ben in their front room. His university diploma, awarded posthumously, hangs at the top.

"He was a good all-round person," Tony says. "There's a huge hole in our souls. A part of us is missing."

But why did Ben kill himself? That's the question the Salas family is struggling to answer.

Ben's parents say their son briefly received treatment for mild depression in 2020, but subsequently reassured them that he had fully recovered.

"There weren't any of the typical indicators that you would expect in a kid that was continuing to struggle mentally. He wasn't withdrawn," says Tony.

Ben was close to his parents, speaking to them often. Tony called his son shortly before he died.

"He said 'I'm okay. I'm good.' And then a couple of hours after that he was gone."

North Carolina State University has recently been sent reeling by a series of suicides. In the previous academic year, seven students, including Ben, took their own lives. So far this academic year, there have been three suicides, including one at the end of January.

The high number of suicides has been very difficult on staff and students alike, says Assistant Vice-Chancellor Justine Hollingshead, who is based at NC State's sprawling campus in the centre of Raleigh, North Carolina. She says suicide is a "national epidemic" in the United States that isn't limited to just college campuses.

"If we knew the reason, we would solve the problem. It's not something that we're trying to avoid or not figure out. But there may be no warning signs: individuals don't tell their family or friends, they don't reach out to resources and they make that decision. And we'll likely never know why."

NC State has increased the number of counsellors and drop-in spaces, and introduced a system called "QPR: Question, Persuade, Refer" so that students can recognise the signs that friends or classmates are struggling and get them help.

Staff are trained to refer students who habitually skip lectures or request extensions to deadlines - in case these, too, are signs that something isn't right.

"I feel like we're doing the very best we can in unimaginable circumstances," Ms Hollingshead says.

"Last year it was a case of get through and survive, provide support and hope that you can save a life."

Raleigh is known as "the City of Oaks" and NC State's red-brick university buildings are nestled among them. The student union, known as Talley, is a multi-storey beehive of cafes, study areas and shops.

"I was in the dorm of the first one that happened." says one student, Lorelai. "I think a lot of kids our age have anxiety about the world. There are constant things that aren't getting better, and life is expensive."

Brody, a computer science student, says he's aware of the help available from emails the university sends out frequently.

"They're putting more of an emphasis on mental health problems," he says.

Other universities, across many different states, are experiencing a similar trend. And suicide is now the second-leading cause of death among Americans under the age of 35, according to the Centers for Disease Control, America's health protection agency.

The Covid pandemic could be a contributing factor, says Dr Christine Crawford, a psychiatrist and associate medical director at the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

"It caused this significant hit on our young people in terms of acquiring the social skills and tools that they need," she says. "They were at home, they were disconnected from their peers and from the elements that are so critical for healthy development in a young person."

Young people who spend a lot of time "wrapped up" in their gadgets are constantly bombarded with images of war and polarising political messages, which can lead to anxiety and depression, according to Dr Crawford.

In December 2021, the US surgeon general issued a rare public health advisory on the rising number of youth attempting suicide, singling out social media and the pandemic, which had "exacerbated the unprecedented stresses young people already faced".

Calls to 988, a national suicide helpline with more than 200 centres across the US, increased by 100,000 per month in the last year alone.

One centre in the state of Maryland is currently expanding its staff from the 150 operators who already work there.

Operator Josue Melendez says many calls come from younger males, starting at age 15 and going up to 35 or 40, and university students.

"The stress of having to pay for [university], the economy as well, all that can be stressful for one person to take in," he says.

Back at the Salas family home, Katherine agrees young people are struggling with financial pressures.

"Every safety net that past generations had has been taken away. I think that a lot of young people feel very insecure about what their future holds for them," she says.

She wears a badge pinned to her top featuring a picture of her son and the words "You Matter".

"I wear it every day, over my heart, because that's where Ben is," she says, fighting back tears.

They want to raise awareness about "something that he didn't have control over - depression".

Mental illness is stigmatised in the US, they both say.

"We need more people to talk about it," says Tony. "If it can happen to us, then it can happen to somebody else."

Katherine agrees: "Don't settle for 'I'm OK.' An 'OK' may be an OK, but a lot of times it's not."

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story you can visit BBC Action Line. Help and support outside the UK can be found at Befrienders Worldwide or you can call the US Suicide and Crisis Lifeline on 988.

BBC News
Oh and the absolute irony of this…. BBC. Our UK propaganda machine. Their way of curing would be out a straight jacket on him and lock him in a room to do not anything forever.

Fuck media, fuck government, fuck all these people.
 
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Tesha

Tesha

Life too shall pass
May 31, 2020
911
Sleep well Ben.

If only they had a community of people they could ask about suicidal ideation and what drives it…. On wait…
 
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K

Kalista

Failed hard to pull the trigger - Now using SN
Feb 5, 2023
379
Even with all the assumptions and speculations the author and the family have given, we will never know what truly went on in his head -- on why he left that kind of life. This family will be in denial about any real possibility about his situation. No one in this forum will ever know the truth either. What I believe matters is he had a reason enough to leave and he took it. He's gone and he will never have to deal with any bullshit life will throw at him anymore. So good for him and may he rest well.
 
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sserafim

sserafim

brighter than the sun, that’s just me
Sep 13, 2023
9,013
It's sad but it is what it is and not too surprising. Lots of ppl get absorbed in entertainment and other crap because the frustrating reality is always there.
Is it as bad as our mind makes it out to be sometimes? A lot of times no but it's still very frustrating; everything.

For this guy I don't fully get it, if he really did have a loving family, friends, good looks, was successful at school and if he was studying something he enjoyed and had a potentially promissing future, I don't get it.
But many don't have that, and so for some it's even "realitvely" worse than that.

Of course, suffering is always suffering and he was suffering, regardless.

And then of course, money is the only thing that matters in this world without it you can't do much, and it's not like you can come with it by yourelf, someone always has to give it to you, you can't go into nature and find it... And people prioritize money above other people, which is just so soulless, no wonder some just want to gtfo out of this place...

And some people just want to have enough so they don't worry about it for the rest of their lives but some have accumulated so much they can help the world and they don't.

We shouldn't have something called poverty or homelssness, it's a disgrace. It's even more of a disgrace how we just became robots, brainwashed and some even go as far to say "it's your fault you're homeless" or some bullshit like that.

People are quick to cast judgement, it's almost difficult to get a job these days, and going to college is a luxury that not many are able to. Making good friends is not easy, why do we even have prisons in the first place? The community is fragmented as everyone is worried about their own little things or their own artifically created problems because of "scarcity"...

You're "lucky" if you're white, because blacks have it worse. Addiction is rampant and sometimes is not even realized, it's not just smoking or doing cocaine or heroine, but sugar is also an addiction, look how many fat people there are. Medicine can be prohibitely expensive. Porn is seen as "normal", as everyone does it. Sex is, but not porn. We say we love animals but then we eat them, imagine living a life of a chicken or a pig for 10-20 years, always stuck in the same place full of urine and feces and among other horrors (just watch the docs, I don't have to say much) and then being executed. It's kinda sad, no?

Many live in concrete jungles which are highly uninspiring, there's hardly a balance in quality of life, as many people have to work more than actually "live", all for a few peanuts at the end of the month, which if they have to pay for rent, it's even worse. If they are lucky they have decent bosses who aren't too demanding, but usually not, as they cause a lot of pressure for more profit, profit, profit.

And it's easy to become like this, a product of society's ills and if you live like this you're basically asleep. Like in the Matrix. If you realize the full extent of the problem, who wants to continue? Although we can always try to do our part, good luck changing anything any time soon.

Why all these wars even? And we allow corruption to continue in government, it's so awful. People who should be there to serve their country, are only there to serve themselves (and a few close buddies). As Krishnamurti said: Krishnamurti Quotes. It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society..

And then there's the question of death, which puts everything in perspective. If we were constantly aware of death, that one day we will die, we would realize that we live completely pointless lives, working most of our lives away, mostly just to continue surviving as not many people get that "far", and even if you do have a job you love, you always have to deal with corporate BS (like in the case of passionate game developers who are basically working for peanuts as well at Blizzard; artists, etc...).

So it's better to be ignorant, not think too much. But all of us spend 80% of our lives just working with hardly any personal progress and it's hard to see.

And then there's the question of climate change. We ignore because who care what happens in the other side of the world, if someone is suffering from thirst or their crops are getting fucked, until it affects us. But the thing is, it already does, as the heat waves in summer are really unpleasant to go through. And the powerful assholes continue to do this, obsessed by their greed, we're watching our own donwfall as if it was a soap opera.

Dunno if it's good to be aware of these things and more. It's better to eat and drink and be merry, I suppose.
Entertainment is a form of distraction to keep the masses as mindless, braindead sheeple NPCs. It's a distraction from the real problems and issues. It keeps the masses asleep, well-fed and happy. Entertainment is the bread and circuses in this shit-show called life. The normies are prisoners who don't even know that they're in prison, and they happily and merrily go on with their lives without a care in the world. They've been brainwashed to the max. Normies are slaves to the system. They're slaves to work and capitalism, and will slave away for 50-60 years just to survive. They'll literally work their lives away. They're just cogs in the capitalist wheel. They're going through life asleep instead of awake, yet they don't even want to wake up. This astounds me
 
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Davey36000

Davey36000

I'm not the dog in the picture
Jun 12, 2023
311
Entertainment is a form of distraction to keep the masses as mindless, braindead sheeple NPCs. It's a distraction from the real problems and issues. It keeps the masses asleep, well-fed and happy. Entertainment is the bread and circuses in this shit-show called life. The normies are prisoners who don't even know that they're in prison, and they happily and merrily go on with their lives without a care in the world. They've been brainwashed to the max
I don't say I disagree, but can we say that this is always 100% the case?

If I'm reading a book, or playing a videogame and I enjoy it, if it's fun for me, is there anything wrong with that? Is entertainment our escape or a bonus to our lives? Can it be a bonus and not an escape?
 
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sserafim

sserafim

brighter than the sun, that’s just me
Sep 13, 2023
9,013
I don't say I disagree, but can we say that this is always 100% the case?

If I'm reading a book, or playing a videogame and I enjoy it, if it's fun for me, is there anything wrong with that? Is entertainment our escape or a bonus to our lives? Can it be a bonus and not an escape?
I mean entertainment as in sports and media, celebrities, gossip, showbiz and that kind of shit. People literally have parasocial relationships with sports teams and spend their entire lives as fans of them. They invest so much energy into people who don't even know them. Books let you actually learn and gain knowledge and video games are fun. Books are a bonus to your life but keeping up with the Kardashians is a detriment to it
 
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divinemistress36

divinemistress36

Illuminated
Jan 1, 2024
3,268
I mean entertainment as in sports and media, celebrities, gossip, showbiz and that kind of shit. People literally have parasocial relationships with sports teams and spend their entire lives as fans of them. They invest so much energy into people who don't even know them. Books let you actually learn and gain knowledge and video games are fun. Books are a bonus to your life but keeping up with the Kardashians is a detriment to it
It's so weird
 
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Throwawayacc3

Throwawayacc3

Freedom
Mar 4, 2024
1,387
I mean entertainment as in sports and media, celebrities, gossip, showbiz and that kind of shit. People literally have parasocial relationships with sports teams and spend their entire lives as fans of them. They invest so much energy into people who don't even know them. Books let you actually learn and gain knowledge and video games are fun. Books are a bonus to your life but keeping up with the Kardashians is a detriment to it
This. You can tell if it's an issue if government or regulatory bodies want to ban a form of media. A big example was Manhunt on PS2. They said the game would cause children to become psychopathic killers. It didn't…. But everything did lol. Not having escapism is a goal for government- people get crazy, go out and do acts and then the government starts restricting freedoms. It's always from a control standpoint.
It's so weird
It's very much calculated and planned.
I don't say I disagree, but can we say that this is always 100% the case?

If I'm reading a book, or playing a videogame and I enjoy it, if it's fun for me, is there anything wrong with that? Is entertainment our escape or a bonus to our lives? Can it be a bonus and not an escape?
As sserafim explained. Football, love island, coronation street = good propaganda. Manhunt = bad, ban it.

Even after 9/11 a lot of rock, metal and rap songs were BANNED from being played on the radio. It's so ridiculous but the motives are truly evil.
 
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T

TiredOfAllThis

Arcanist
Feb 5, 2024
453
"No clear answer" - the answer is absolutely clear: life is a trap with no real exit.
Essentially, 99.999% people are born into serfdom.
 
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D

damyon

Specialist
Mar 6, 2024
344
I am getting mixed feelings from the article...
(Some might consider the text below offensive or caustic...)

~~~
From the article:
If we knew the reason, we would solve the problem. It's not something that we're trying to avoid or not figure out. But there may be no warning signs: individuals don't tell their family or friends, they don't reach out to resources and they make that decision. And we'll likely never know why.
No wonder... The topic is considered taboo by the majority of people. And if you actually tell someone, there is a chance you will be put in a psych ward and silenced (instead of listened to and acknowledged).
We need more people to talk about it," says Tony. "If it can happen to us, then it can happen to somebody else.
Why talk about it instead of identifying and solving the problem(s)? Right... no one cares until it is not a problem for them.

~~~
I bet the person who died would have hated to be featured in on that cringe anti-suicide badge, honestly it's so embarrasing.
Is it actually him? Then I agree. I find it difficult to understand why most people would not find that bizarre...
If they truly cared about the person and the suicide was not impulsive, they could spot that something was off (in my opinion).
I do not want to make any false assumptions... The badge looks like virtue signaling to me—the way to avoid "the god's wrath" for making mistakes. That is, a coping mechanism, not a solution.

~~~
Also
Suicide is on the rise for young Americans
Proceed to give absolute numbers instead of proportions...


I don't know why anyone would read that article. It is clear that they created it to drive the engagement up... Maybe even sprinkled it with some ChatGPT generated text, who knows...
 
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