Don't write about suicide in Australia

[Xoc]

[abc.net.au ]

The Federal Government will create new offences for those who use the Internet to incite or promote suicide.

The Justice Minister, Chris Ellison, says recent studies have shown information about suicide on the web may encourage suicidal responses.

[SinclairUser]

I wonder if people are really influenced by what they read on the internet?

Who cares, I've lost the will to live.... ;-(

[bcolflesh]

This, and other recent displays of political stupidity, make me want to end it all soon!

Regards,
Brent

[Marketing Guy]

>I wonder if people are really influenced by what they read on the internet?

Count all the update threads! ;)

Scott

[martinibuster]

This could spell disaster for Australian goth web sites.

But kidding aside, this does seem like an instance of overeaching meddling (albeit with good intentions).

[tedster]

The biggest SNAFUs I've ever known have come from someone thinking it's possible to eliminate the "bad" and leave only "good".

That's just not the way that this place is wired!

[SinclairUser]

No matter how hard I try to put the conspiracy theory out of my mind it appears that governments all over the world want to implement small restrictions on the internet. Then the sum of all these restrictions will mean that we are all gagged from saying or doing anything.

Have a nice day - Mel Gibson.

[mgream]

I'm going to make myself unpopular and say good work in trying to regulate some of this content. People don't always have the right frame of mind or understanding to make the right sorts of judgements, so there's a good justification for administering some form of regulation, which is why we don't let any old crackpot offer medical advice.

The fact that a website may promote suicide in a context where it is not the right way to deal with a situation (e.g. the high rate of suicide amongst younger people where the suicide results from issues of peer pressure and so on --- distinctly different from the issues of terminating ones life when in a situation where life quality has been severely diminished such as with a terminable illness) is a good thing in my mind. The issue is not so much a matter of black and white with regard to regulate or not - but it is an issue about whether the regulation is sensible or it is oppressive and how it works - then we start to question whether the regulation is in the interests of society as a whole, or exists to suppress legitimate debate or uphold a regime of some sorts.

Consider someone who is an severe state of depression and goes to search through the net on the topic of suicide to find sites that suggest 'yeah, you gotta do it' and so as a result takes their life. I'm happy for some regulation that will prevent this type of thing from occurring. I'm aware of a number of suicide cases involving teenagers that were a direct result of peer pressure type issues - such people seemed just not to be cognizant of a broader picture of life, and took their lives in a very short sighted way. The last thing people in this situation need is content on the web that only further convinces them or helps them do this sort of thing. On the other hand, I'm quite in favour of situations where terminally ill people in pain and suffering see that taking their life is the best outcome for themselves and all others concerned.

It's not always about "governments" v "us", but it's sometimes about "us" v "civil society". The last thing the internet needs are cowboys saying that 'everything should be entirely free and unfettered' - anarchy just doesn't make for a good society. Most of the population - including most of us here - want to live in a fairly stable, enjoyable and safe world. Some of us seem to realise that achieving that goal requires a degree of regulation to keep everything 'in line', but at the same time, also requires constant questioning and debate to make sure that things are indeed 'in line', and the avoidance of irrational stands that don't contribute to the debate.

[SinclairUser]

I guess free speech should be kept for the sensible ones who know what the "Civil thing" to do is.

Everyone else - dont post stuff on your websites that might invove others taking responsibility for their actions!

[mgream]

That's not what I meant, nor what I would advocate.

[ryan_p]

Does reading about suicide on the web really encourage suicidal behavior or are people who are already suicidal more likely to visit those sites?

[EliteWeb]

Suicide within a suicidal community doesnt do that well really (atleast i think) since many people committing suicide or talking about it on the INTERNET just want the attention. :/

[lukasz]

It is a serius problem and Australian government went in right direction.
I believe that they are learning on others mistakes. In Japan there is a growing problem of on-line suicide pacts. Strengers meet in chatrooms and decide to commit suicide together. This year 9 people commited suicide this way.
So internet can encourage suicide, and that why suicide should not be promoted on the net.

[aus_dave]

lukasz, are you serious?

Suicide pacts online with strangers - that's just plain weird :).

[digitalghost]

Ahh yes, and they should ban the song Gloomy Sunday from the airwaves as well, many people that have committed suicide have been associated with it.

Then governments should make sure that dark poetry is banned. No sense letting people read the dark stuff. Oh yeah, ban those novels too. While they're at it, they can ban the Count of Monte Cristo, Mein Kampf and half the philosophers. No sense letting those subversive ideas see the light of day...

[martinibuster]

In Japan there is a growing problem of on-line suicide pacts.

As far as I know, suicide pacts in Japan are not a growing problem, they're a cultural tradition. Facilitating it online is just a newer way of doing what they have been doing for many centuries.

One of my favorite authors, Dazai Osamu, did it but he unfortunately survived- his partner perished. He didn't succeed until his third try.

They say that Yukio Mishima's suicide was a suicide pact as well, a secret one with one of his lovers.

Do a search [news.google.com] in Google News for Suicide Pact [news.google.com] and you'll see that three of the ten results are from Japan.

<edit>Clarification of meaning</edit>

[edited by: martinibuster at 3:19 am (utc) on June 6, 2003]

[lukasz]

This may help
[smh.com.au ]

[Visit Thailand]

I think regulation over such sites is a good thing. I know a couple of people who at college tried but failed mainly as was mentioned before they were looking for attention perhaps but also because they tried a stupid way of doing it then only resulted in stomach pumps etc.

With so much info available about what deadly concoctions to mix to make it quick and efficient i feel it should be regulated.