link / archive
I’m going to say something that might sound crazy. Suicide and suicide attempts are sort of a societal alarm bell that says “something is very wrong with the environment this individual was in.” A living being choosing to take themselves out of existence is the most extreme act of distress there is. The state stepping in to silence this alarm bell by funneling suicidal people into a state sanctioned euthanasia program, normalizing this act through a socially accepted bureaucratic system, is not a good thing. It goes hand in hand with the state’s interest in maintaining the status quo at the expense of the population and the psychiatric industry’s interest in individualizing societal problems to extract profit and aid the existing system. It’s saying “there are no complaints here, just people with sick brains, carry on.”
There's something deeply disturbing to me about any individual thinking (not about themselves but about another person, or people in general) "death is the best and only solution" (unless terminally ill and in excruciating pain). But seeing it elevated to policy is absolutely terrifying.
That's why I was so disturbed by the booktok-darling novel A Little Life, whose entire premice is to offer a demonstration that yes, sometimes, suicide is the answer. To be clear, this isn't a conspiracy theory but the author's stated goal, which she has reiterated in multiple interviews. It is perfectly competently and even compellingly written, which only makes it more dangerous.
I don't know how we've reached a place where people think it makes sense to turn around, look at the people coming after you and go "Actually, it doesn't get better. You should just die."
Life is messy and complicated and at times excruciating. It's also absolutely worth sticking around for. Because it can be vibrant and comforting and exciting and exquisite. It's hard to keep sight of that in the hard times, but that's the point: hope is precious and hard to come by and hold onto. Don't let go of it if you can help it. Don't listen to peddlers of despair. And don't become one.
