Public figures who announce their intent to ctb

[Jen Erik]

Yesterday, the rapper Cupcakke posted on Twitter that she was going to ctb. Predictably, the Twitterverse jumped right on the case and the police eventually triangulated her location and announced she was 'okay', whatever that means – no other details have been released yet.

What do people think about this? This is the first time I've seen a 'celebrity' explicitly state "I am going to commit suicide", and I find it quite curious.

 

[Chinaski]

Ginger out of UK band The Wildhearts tweeted his intention to ctb and then returned a day or so later to say he'd failed. Tbqh l found the whole thing a bit...uncomfortable. Tweeting an intent to ctb to several thousand people is probably not a good idea if you intend to see it through imo.

Iirc the debonair actor George Sanders is supposed to have once quipped at some awards ceremony about how he intended to ctb when he was 65, and could no longer "wipe [my] own bottom", to uncomfortable and confused laughter. He did ctb eventually, with N, but I'm not sure if the story of the award ceremony quip is true or has become popular myth.

 

[Jen Erik]

Tbqh l found the whole thing a bit...uncomfortable. Tweeting an intent to ctb to several thousand people is probably not a good idea if you intend to see it through imo.

Yeah, I share that same thought.

she's probably doing it for attention. The tweet sounds kind of egotistical-ish

I don't think there is anything inherently wrong with doing something for attention, even threatening suicide, sometimes it's the only way a person knows how to ask for help. It's difficult to discern what the exact intent was in this situation.

 

[Smilla]

Nothing is private or sacred anymore in the age of social media.

I could never in a million years live stream my suicide, tweet about it, or post anywhere online my intentions, except here of course with you guys.

To me, it smacks of irrationality, a poor mental state, poor judgement, and childish attention seeking behavior. But, to each their own, and I hope she's feeling better.

It's also possible, though not likely, that she didn't have anyone to reach out to irl, and saw twittering as a sure-fire way to save herself if she was teetering on the edge.

 

[Chinaski]

childish attention seeking behavior.

Basically, yes.

 

[21Neberg]

Such a stupid decision. If you want to succeed at any method - don't fucking share it!!

 

[Dor]

Goes to psych ward "Guys I'm about to commit suicide"

 

[Jen Erik]

Goes to psych ward "Guys I'm about to commit suicide"

 

[hemonpath]

If you want to truly ctb then posting publicly is a call of help imo.

It's fine, it happens, but that means there is still at least some hope of you recovering, so you should pursue that if that is an option for you. I'd even support you because nobody needs to experience the hell of wishing to die.

Personally, I'm not exactly throwing a party because I want to die. It would be nice if I had anything else in me other than that wish, but it is what it is. I will even admit I joined this forum because I at least needed to know there were other people who shared the feeling, so I'm truly not judging the rapper, but yeah not exactly what I'd do. Infact it's one of my greatest fears to drunken call someone and say all these things and just... ruin my pride in the whole situation. I don't know if that makes sense but yeah, I have a pride to protect. The pride of my personal decision and thoughts on the matter.

 

[hemonpath]

Nothing is private or sacred anymore in the age of social media.

I could never in a million years live stream my suicide, tweet about it, or post anywhere online my intentions, except here of course with you guys.

To me, it smacks of irrationality, a poor mental state, poor judgement, and childish attention seeking behavior. But, to each their own, and I hope she's feeling better.

It's also possible, though not likely, that she didn't have anyone to reach out to irl, and saw twittering as a sure-fire way to save herself if she was teetering on the edge.

Agree completely. Esp. The social media part. Damn I wish it didn't exst sometimes.

 

[Hunter]

Apparently autonomy for people's ctb choices stops when the question of livestreaming or announcing their suicide comes into play. I'm not sure why an ethical line is being drawn here.

There reasons why people kill themselves on camera are mysterious and it may not be just to seek attention. Many people here seek out partners because they don't want to feel alone in their last moments. Posting about their intentions might be one way of feeling less alone. There may be other reasons... to assume it's just for the sake of attention is just as dismissive as anti-choice people who tell us the same when we open up about wanting to die. The same "attention seeking" argument has also been said about public suicides like train or jumping from buildings.

 

[Chinaski]

Apparently autonomy for people's ctb choices stops when the question of livestreaming or announcing their suicide comes into play. I'm not sure why an ethical line is being drawn here.

There is a very clear and obvious difference between an anonymous individual behind a nameless account announcing their intention to ctb in a tiny corner of the internet and a famous person tweeting from their blue-tick account, to a six- or seven-figure following, that they're about to suicide with the knowledge that it's going to go viral before they've even had time to gulp the N down.

People often do make grand suicidal gestures for reasons other than literally wanting to die, that very second. Sometimes this behaviour can be done for dramatic or manipulative purposes, sadly. I don't think anybody with genuine suicidal intent would broadcast it to a million people, frankly.

 

[hemonpath]

Apparently autonomy for people's ctb choices stops when the question of livestreaming or announcing their suicide comes into play. I'm not sure why an ethical line is being drawn here.

There reasons why people kill themselves on camera are mysterious and it may not be just to seek attention. Many people here seek out partners because they don't want to feel alone in their last moments. Posting about their intentions might be one way of feeling less alone. There may be other reasons... to assume it's just for the sake of attention is just as dismissive as anti-choice people who tell us the same when we open up about wanting to die. The same "attention seeking" argument has also been said about public suicides like train or jumping from buildings.

I don't agree. I still believe the less fuss the more honest my intentions, but I can definitely see where your coming from. In fact, it's made me uncomfortable about how i've been talking to others about their ctb plans on the forum and irl. I need to think more about my own thoughts on the matter.

 

[Jen Erik]

There reasons why people kill themselves on camera are mysterious and it may not be just to seek attention. Many people here seek out partners because they don't want to feel alone in their last moments.

This is an excellent point.

 

[Chinaski]

This is an excellent point.

It is, but here he's referring to people who do ctb, not those who simply announce their intent with a very, very high probability of being interrupted as a result.