Lots of people have been talking about "well, no matter how bad it is, you don't kill yourself if there isn't an underlying problem, and you can't blame cruelty for that."
Yeah, I've been seeing that, too. I have to wonder if people who make that argument have never had anything seriously traumatic or upsetting happen to them, or just can't empathize with how others might react to something like that. I've had people whom I see as being very stable, who have never been diagnosed with depression or another mental illness, tell me that they wanted to die during especially upsetting times in their lives. It's not uncommon.
But even if Clementi did have a history of depression or suicidal thoughts, I don't see why that matters. If you mug someone who happens to have a weak heart, and they have a heart attack from the stress, you're not absolved just because they had an underlying condition. We have to accept the consequences of our actions.
I guess some people see suicide as a reaction people choose freely. I don't think that's always the case.
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Date: 2010-10-02 10:28 pm (UTC)Yeah, I've been seeing that, too. I have to wonder if people who make that argument have never had anything seriously traumatic or upsetting happen to them, or just can't empathize with how others might react to something like that. I've had people whom I see as being very stable, who have never been diagnosed with depression or another mental illness, tell me that they wanted to die during especially upsetting times in their lives. It's not uncommon.
But even if Clementi did have a history of depression or suicidal thoughts, I don't see why that matters. If you mug someone who happens to have a weak heart, and they have a heart attack from the stress, you're not absolved just because they had an underlying condition. We have to accept the consequences of our actions.
I guess some people see suicide as a reaction people choose freely. I don't think that's always the case.