"KYS: Stands for 'Kill your self' a sarcastic term used amongst friends basically telling one another to shut the f*ck up, when someone says something ignorant, embarrassing, or just plain stupid." — Urban Dictionary
I'd like to start off by stating something that our society sometimes forgets, or chooses to ignore: some people choose to end their lives. Everyday people wake up with the intention of living their lives, but then they may decide to commit suicide. It's sad that someone's life can get to the point where they feel it is so unbearable that there's no way to escape. Suicide is a real thing, and it happens every day, and it affects a lot of people.
Knowing this, people still continue to use the phrase "KYS" or they blatantly choose to say "Kill Yourself." Today's society has distorted mental illness and a fragile state of mind as a way to insult someone, or to poke fun at certain situations.
For those of you that haven't heard of this, here are some examples:
"If I snapchat you and you don't reply then you can KYS"
"If you stay inside on days like this KYS"
"If you vape just to do tricks you can KYS"
"If you're still obsessing over Justin Bieber just KYS"
And the saddest part about the above quotes is that I didn't make those up, in fact, these were quotes directly taken off of twitter. This isn't a crazy thing that someone made up, this is actually happening.
Your friends, your peers, maybe even some of your loved ones, are using this phrase all of the time. The worst part of this is the fact that the people saying this phrase don't even realize the implications of their statement.
Saying "KYS" is basically telling someone to go end their life. The most common thing I hear from people is that they don't actually mean to tell someone to kill themselves, and it's just a joke. Let me ask you this — How many people have to die in order to make suicide something not to joke about?
People every day suffer mental illness. People every day have their own set of problems and demons that they hide away from the general public. Humans are fragile, and the smallest thing can cause a greater reaction.
What would you do if you jokingly told someone to kill themselves, and they actually went and did it? You'd probably feel like sh*t. So why is it that when you tell people to kill themselves and they don't, you don't feel an ounce of guilt? It's this cynical paradox that people have gotten themselves trapped in.
All I want you to get from this article is that everyday people are struggling and they can't help the way they feel. They may not be able to control how they feel, but you have the power to control what comes out of your mouth every day. If you say this, please stop. If you catch someone saying this, politely ask them to choose a different phrase.
Remember to spread kindness and together we can end the "KYS" culture.
If you are struggling or contemplating suicide, know that there are people out there that do love and care about you.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline's number 1 (800) 273-8255 (for the United State of America).
There's no shame in calling or reaching out for help. Once you've hit rock bottom, there's nowhere to go but up.
