Slashdot Mirror
Internet Suicide Pacts Surge in Japan
darkmonkeh writes "The number of Japanese who killed themselves in online suicide pacts rose sharply last year, according to the BBC. Japan has one of the highest suicide rates in the world, and the pacts may appeal to those scared to die alone. These Japanese internet 'suicide clubs' accounted for at least 26 deaths in the last 2 months."
What affect will this have on the American economy? I mean, the Japanese are killing themselves, does this mean lower competition for jobs here?
Do they have a monthly fee? I bet these guys force you to buy a year-long membership at least. Typical New Year's Resolution scam >:(
What is music when you despise all sound?
You heard me.
Damn it's too bad we can't convince some of the slashdot crowd to follow suit! :-P
True, but is it a trend on the rise? If so, maybe they can nip it in the bud.
Hate to have to inject the voice of reason into this, but...
Why?
These people kill themselves for a reason.
They live in a place where they have no value as an individual, where society expects them to work themselves literally to death, and "urban sprawl" has gone the way of wall-to-wall carpeting.
I'd probaby want to escape that, too!
It really disturbs me that, at the same time our population keeps rising on an exponential curve, we still cling to archaic notions of the "sacredness" of every life.
Sacred? No. Worthless. Japanese society has just caught on to that idea realtively earlier than the rest of us. Perhaps it has something to do with their stereotypical obsession with honor and accepting suicide as an honorable way out of any problem, but they have the right idea. How do you deal with overpopulation? Encourage death.
The japanese are extremely competitive, and socially constrained, to the point that individuality is savagely repressed.
Recent events of railroad employees been humiliated when they run their trains late have resulted in horrific rail crashes thanks to a train engineer running late trying desperately to make up lost time.
And with the japanese economy on life-support to prop-up corrupted banks, it's no wonder that kids do not see any future and want to end it all.
The japanese culture does not value original thought, to the point that it can be argued that they are almost incapable of it. The only thing they can do is imitate, and this is what the japanese have been doing since Admiral Perry visited Japan more than 120 years ago.
Japan has been monkeying the United States and the West, by engaging in war with Russia in 1911, and then with the US in 1941. After nearly escaping anhihilation, under american rule, Japan has been transformed in a huge factory turning out zillions of trinkets, to the point of wasting whole industrial sectors abroad, all the while providing an antfarm existence to it's population.
Clearly such an environment is wholly unforgiving of non-comformity. But for the japanese to do otherwise would mean a major cultural upheaval. So, in the end, it's really up to them.
The woman sitting at the desk next to mine just read your post, screamed and jumped out the window. So I guess the answer is "yes, they would still kill themselves."
Run and catch, run and catch, the lamb is caught in the blackberry patch.
In the words of Malcom Reynolds, "Everybody dies alone"
I wonder if they knew a nice, charming, good looking, rich guy like me
ESR?
Psssh, don't let facts get in the way of a good Liberal rant. How will we dictate how people act without fake statistics? I'm telling Michael Moore.
I've had enough abrasive sigs. Kittens are cute and fuzzy.
"Not a problem. The trend will die out."
Why is that modded "Insightful" ?!? It's a joke. If it were meant to be insightful, he would have given a reason. There's no reason to believe this trend will go away, considering that the penetration of the internet into Japanese society could grow greater, leading to more lonely people finding each other online.
(My opinion on this info, btw: As other people have pointed out, at least this is healthier than channeling their loneliness into killing sprees, etc.)
Although the moon is smaller than the earth, it is farther away.
Now do Harpo!
LOLZ
My Father was the most psycho craziest man I ever new, being an MS Psyc Parole Officer Ex Military Ex Cop. I disowned him and didn't hear from him til he died 7 years later by a violent car chase (Which made me very happy), and pistle wipped her, and shot her several times as she ran away right in front of a church and splattered his own brain on the pavement. The bitch definitely deserved it, it fits the end to the long story, and its a way to go!
Japanese people have good taste? I take it the crappy j-pop, tentacle rape hentai, and feces-based porn flicks haven't crossed your radar yet.
Hmm. They've crossed my radar, and I've pretty much passed on them.
I pass on the crappy J-Pop, like I pass on Britney Spears.
I pass on the tentacle rape hentai, like I pass on anything produced in the "Porn Capital of the World".
I pass on the faeces-based porn, like I pass on anything said or done by George W. Bush.
There, I think that sort of puts things into perspective.
Seriously... what does America have to feel superior about?
- Peter Ravn Rasmussen
ha ha.
go to hell you mother fucking emo bitch. go suck a dick and then kill yourself like all the other emo assholes, maybe you can do someting good for the world that way.
Perfect example of a self-controlling population model. I think Indians and Chinese should adopt it as well. In any case, these people (who enter suicide pacts) are definitely not in a stable state of mind and this is the best thing to do rather than endangering other vulnerable (aka crazy) people in society.
Good job!
Encouraging someone to commit suicide is equivalent to killing him.
/. so far this year. You should be really proud of yourself.
Congratulations. That is the absolute stupidest and least correct statement I've read on
These posts express my own personal views, not those of my employer
Oh boohoo, maybe you shouldn't have tried to kill yourself then.
I'm sorry you failed.