Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2018/01/23/dead-my-dove.html
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South Korea, gripped by suicide epidemic, criminalizes suicide-pacts
The punishment should be Death, Win Win situation.
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Enforcement could be a problem, if the pact is successful…
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Oh, yeah, out law it. That will fix it! Sure! Why didn’t anyone think of this sooner!
Though seriously, what is going on in SK that is driving this?
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Additionally, the government has criminalized planning suicide pacts.
Because clearly repercussions is something suicidal people are concerned about.
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The problem is bad enough it has its own extensive entry in Teh Wiki:
tl;dr; a poorly funded social safety net combined with the decline of filial piety values leaves a lot of elderly people living below the poverty line and feeling like they’re a useless burden. So one factor is a lot more old people killing themselves than in other countries.
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Kim’s nuke policy isn’t to attack America, it’s to force America into negotiating face for South Koreans. MAD doesn’t include the US, and any American response puts them at risk. As pawns, the Souths choice is live w/ stress or capitulate to the North via Stockhom syndrome.
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Will the R.I.P.D. be in charge of enforcement?
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If they want to decrease the suicide rate, they should begin by adopting modern psychiatric medicine. Many of the drugs prescribed in the US, which are of great help to people with mental illnesses, are illegal in Korea, Japan, and other countries.
Recently KPop star Jonghyun committed suicide. His suicide note was released, and you can see how his doctors were of no help whatsoever. If he had been a star in the US getting proper medical attention, he would likely be alive today.
https://www.reddit.com/r/kpop/comments/7kp15s/jonghyuns_final_note_has_been_released/
When the doctor blamed my personality with a quiet voice, I thought it was so easy to be a doctor.
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George Spiggott: "You realize that suicide’s a criminal offence. In less enlightened times they’d have hung you for it. " - Bedazzled (1967)
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A leading cause of suicide is BB’s arbitrary, ungrammatical use of hyphens (“suicide-pacts”) and its absolute insistence on never trying to do better.
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SK should chill out, maaaaaan.
I always assumed the purpose of criminalizing suicide was to send a strong signal of public societal disapproval, on the assumption that shame, or worries about what the survivors will think of you, will make a difference? I’m still not convinced it’s a good idea, but it really isn’t about personal repercussions.
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I have the sneaking suspicion that a “suicide is a shameful thing for weak, terrible, people and makes you a painful burden that nobody wants to deal with” message will not backfire at all.
On the plus side, enough social disapproval might induce doctors/coroners/etc. who are sympathetic to the family to take a…slightly optimistic…view of just how accidental a case was, which will improve your numbers.
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Won’t some-body think of the grammer nazi’s!
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- There is a large genetic component to suicide impulses and rates.
- South Koreans share almost identical genes with their North Korean brethren.
- North Korea has nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them.
Oy.
The mantra of the authoritarian: Outlaw the inevitable consequences; ignore the root causes. Punish the victims instead of treating the disease.
Because governing well is hard work, but fining and throwing people in prison is opiate to the restless mob.
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That’s “grammar nazis”.
Two strikes in one sentence, Citizen. Please proceed directly to the nearest available Termination Booth. Have a nice day!
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While certainly alarming, this is not a solely-SK problem.
There are states in America with suicide rates near this (Montana at 24 and Alaska at 23.1). As a country, suicide rates climbed from 12.0 per 100,000 in 2012 to 13.7 in 2017. (ref)
This appears to be a problem of our modern age.
Of course though it seems that in Japan and South Korea seeking help for mental health problems is either discouraged or there’s some stigma attached to it. Obviously the US isn’t the best at addressing mental health it does seem like there’s an open discussion and wish to make it easier for people with issues to seek help. I’ve never been to any Asian countries so i don’t want to assume anything based on stereotypes so i’ll just say that i hope that the perception of seeking help for depression, anxiety, etc becomes less of a big deal everywhere.
