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So, I come in from work and what's on the TV is the local news, and they're showing an interview with a woman who blames the Internet for her daughter committing suicide. Excuse me? Yes, that's right. She blames the 'net for her daughter killing herself because she visited suicide forums before she hung herself. I'm sorry, but no. The Internet did not make this girl do anything. Did the Internet drag her into a forest, throw a rope around her neck and force her to hang herself? No, it didn't.
Yes, there are sites online which detail the easiest ways in which to kill yourself. However, reading these sites does not make you instantly go and commit suicide. There are also sites on how to build nuclear weapons and self-castration. It doesn't mean there are six million eunuchs with atomic bombs strapped to their chests running around out there. Say it with me, boys and girls: *Reading about something does not make you do it.* There has to be something there first.
So, anyway, this mother wants tighter controls on the Internet. (And, yeah, good luck with that one, I don't think.) Er, no. The Internet is a wondrous place, full of fun and facts and interesting tidbits. It's also the home of tubgirl and zombie goat bukkake. There are corners of it that are dark, nasty and downright disturbing. And that's just the My Little Pony sites.
If someone wants to kill themselves (and I'm talking seriously wants to kill themselves as opposed to the emo "I'll dress in black and write bad poetry because omg life is soooooooo bad" crowd) then they will find a way. Taking away the handy-dandy help page from them doesn't stop the innate knowledge that sticking a knife in your wrist and slicing upwards is not a thing which is conducive to keeping the blood inside of you.
Censorship on the 'net won't stop people from killing themselves. How do I know that? Because suicide has been around a hell of a lot longer than the 'net has.
There are always going to be places online which people believe shouldn't be there. For some people, that's going to be the 'How to kill yourself in three easy steps' pages. For others, it'll be the porn. For me, it's the Mulder/Krycek MPreg Domestic Discipline sites. *shudders*
Is it a tragedy that a 17 year old girl felt that there was something so wrong with her life that she believed the only way to make it better was to kill herself? Yes. But to blame the Internet for that is like blaming the rose bush in your garden for your house burning down. Just because it's there, doesn't mean it made it happen.
Yes, there are sites online which detail the easiest ways in which to kill yourself. However, reading these sites does not make you instantly go and commit suicide. There are also sites on how to build nuclear weapons and self-castration. It doesn't mean there are six million eunuchs with atomic bombs strapped to their chests running around out there. Say it with me, boys and girls: *Reading about something does not make you do it.* There has to be something there first.
So, anyway, this mother wants tighter controls on the Internet. (And, yeah, good luck with that one, I don't think.) Er, no. The Internet is a wondrous place, full of fun and facts and interesting tidbits. It's also the home of tubgirl and zombie goat bukkake. There are corners of it that are dark, nasty and downright disturbing. And that's just the My Little Pony sites.
If someone wants to kill themselves (and I'm talking seriously wants to kill themselves as opposed to the emo "I'll dress in black and write bad poetry because omg life is soooooooo bad" crowd) then they will find a way. Taking away the handy-dandy help page from them doesn't stop the innate knowledge that sticking a knife in your wrist and slicing upwards is not a thing which is conducive to keeping the blood inside of you.
Censorship on the 'net won't stop people from killing themselves. How do I know that? Because suicide has been around a hell of a lot longer than the 'net has.
There are always going to be places online which people believe shouldn't be there. For some people, that's going to be the 'How to kill yourself in three easy steps' pages. For others, it'll be the porn. For me, it's the Mulder/Krycek MPreg Domestic Discipline sites. *shudders*
Is it a tragedy that a 17 year old girl felt that there was something so wrong with her life that she believed the only way to make it better was to kill herself? Yes. But to blame the Internet for that is like blaming the rose bush in your garden for your house burning down. Just because it's there, doesn't mean it made it happen.
