Warning: This article speaks about suicide and mental illness.
On December 31st, 2017, Logan Paul, a famous Youtuber and an ex-Vine comedian, posted a now-deleted video of him walking through Japan's famous 'Suicide Forest' and running into a dead man hanging from a noose in the trees. At about 1:40 into the video (after dramatic music played while zooming in on a dead man), his friend makes a comment, saying "We made jokes about seeing things in here," to which they said the whole reason they came into the forest was a joke. And while he tries very hard to get his point across that depression and mental illnesses are not jokes (thank you, Genius!), the repeated laughter and overall atmosphere between him and his friends is clearly that they are trying to make it one. And the stupid alien hat from Toy Story that he's wearing definitely does not help the situation.
So, if you're thinking what I was thinking after hearing all of this, you would probably assume that the video would never be posted. Not only is the material disturbing, but it's disrespectful and totally invades this poor, helpless man's privacy.
You'd think wrong. The video was posted to Youtube and viewed by millions before Paul had to remove the video himself (aka Youtube didn't monitor the content and remove it, as they often do) due to hate comments and extreme backlash. He then proceeded to post an almost boastful apology about "with great power comes great responsibility" and how he does "this sh*t every day ... one may understand that it's easy to get caught up in the moment without fully weighing the possible ramifications". As of January 5th, there has been a petition to suspend him from Youtube completely and his Twitter account is currently taking a break.
I'm not writing this article to give you a news update, because you could figure that part out all on your own. I'm writing this as a millennial, as a girl with social media, and as a friend to more than one person who has dealt with issues of depression and suicide, either with themselves or with their families. I feel like now, as it becomes easier and easier to hide behind a phone or computer screen, the line that we can cross is coming closer and closer towards us. Social media is not something to be used lightly. Every comment you write, tweet you send, and Instagram post you make can never fully be erased. While it may seem like a joke and your intentions may not necessarily be to harm someone or hurt them, never send anything that you'd want to be on the receiving end of. You should always make decisions using the Golden Rule, just like you learned in kindergarten.
Secondly, suicide as an action itself is not a joke. Never has been and never will be. By making comments saying "I'm going to kill myself" or telling another person to kill themselves, you might not even realize the ramifications of what you're actually doing. Depression and other mental illnesses, as well as making comments about self harming, are also not jokes. You can never truly understand what a person is going through, and many people put up a hard shell or a wall to shield you, an outsider, from seeing what's wrong. Treat everybody with respect. Be a friend or a neighbor, and always reach out to speak to others about what could be bothering them. What all of us could always use is a hug and a conversation, because it makes us feel important and cared about when someone offers to listen to you.
Moral of the story is spread kindness, not hate, and never do anything for views, likes, or comments. Ever. Think with your head and heart, not just your ego. Thank you <3
