Deadpool and the suicide prevention PSA
Hopefully everyone has gotten a chance to get a copy of Deadpool (2015-) #20 by now.
Obviously, trigger warnings for suicide
So, Deadpool #20 is a standalone issue that specifically targets the issue of suicide and we’re going to jump right to the ending to start off with: the writer’s, Gerry Duggan, message
I don’t actually think it’s outlandish to try to do a helpful story about suicide prevention with Deadpool as the protagonist. Like Duggan said, it wouldn’t be the easiest story to write, but it makes sense in an odd way. Deadpool is probably the most suicidal character ever if only because he is immortal and yet is constantly trying to kill himself and lets people murder him when it’s easier than fighting.
It’s also coincidentally the right time for this type of story with this type of character.
If this story came out in the 90s when Deadpool first debuted I don’t think it would be well received. The bro fans would complain about it being an afterschool special and people in general with think it’s in bad taste for character like Deadpool to be in a PSA like this, that’s Superman’s job (which we’ll get to in a second)
That was a Generation X audience; very disenfranchised, cynical and very angry about it.
This is a millennial audience, very disenfranchised, cynical and resigned to it all.
It’s an unarguable fact that the Baby Boomers are the worst generation ever and so when Generation X came along and got the shit end of their decadence and eventual complacency about civil rights they were understandably angry. Even grunge was pretty angry; you would sing with melancholy “I’m a loser baby, so why don’t you kill me” but this was underlined by rebellion. It was the clapback to the failed “give peace a chance”
Fuck you and your bigoted warmongering capitalism. I’m out, I’m done so why don’t you kill me?
Generation X is the exhausted end of this anger and is clearly exhibited by meme culture. Fuck you, everything’s a joke, how the hell are we can it dig ourselves out of this pit? Might as well kill myself ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Anger and aggression has become the joke. Celebrities are reading “mean comments” on Jimmy Kimmel that say things like “fight me, you piece of shit” and don’t understand that that means “I’m a really big fan of yours and am probably sexually attracted to you”
So why is a character created out of this angry high adrenaline culture the best one to speak to an exasperated culture that mocks angry high adrenaline?
Because he isn’t condescending.
You want to kill yourself? So does everybody else but there’s a lot of stuff on Netflix we still need to get to so let’s try to make the best of it.
Deadpool isn’t a happy person telling sad people to cheer up.
Arguably the most popular/cited superhero comic about suicide prevention was made for Generation X audience in 2006’s All-Star Superman #10
It was effective for a lot of people and pleasantly regarded by the general public but some people didn’t like it.
I’m obviously arguing that if this were to come out now the majority of people wouldn’t like it.
This girl is a complete stereotype. She could easily be the poster girl for the “rebellious” trope.
You can totally tell she’s depressed because look how dark her clothes are.
And then Superman comes along knowing fuck all about her giving her a shallow complement based on absolutely nothing and then hugs her.
He tells her it’s not that bad.
I think Deadpool #20 is better even if it only conveys camaraderie in the badness.
The cover alone conveys that
Deadpool sees a girl, conventionally attractive but within ordinary aesthetic, about to jump to her death
He jokes about it in a very deadpan and abysmal millennial way. Much like Superman, Deadpool knows nothing about this girl but he doesn’t condescend to her
He’s not the right guy for the job
He doesn’t know her or have any stake in her well-being
He doesn’t belittle her decision but implores her to give it a little time
What does Deadpool know best? Showtunes and beating people up so he does what he knows best and the distraction gives her the ability to feel and just do something, anything
Then what? He still doesn’t know what the right thing to do or say is. There is no right thing to do or say. He gives for the resources to talk to people that have at least been trying to figure out the best way to help in this situation longer than he has
He doesn’t force her to use these resources and he offers to go with her as an equal
As a few people pointed out, going into inpatient care is not fun, nor is any other option. The problems are numerous and frightening but we have to make do until we can build better systems, but that’s not really the point of the comic. It’s how to handle these things in the current system and when you have no idea what to do. Whether it was because the Deadpool team got consultants on the issue of whether they lucked into it I believe they nailed it.
It’s not an comic that will prevent someone from committing suicide, in my opinion, but it’s an comic that will help people know how to better react to their loved ones who are suicidal.
We’ve discussed suicide extensively on this blog from many angles and the consensus has always been that what helps is when people don’t condescend to you, don’t just tell you to feel better, don’t invalidate your right to do what you want with your body. What helps is being there, as an equal, to consider the decision further.
You may want to kill yourself and you have the right to do that but remember that you don’t have to do it right now. You will still have the option tomorrow or the day after. It is a huge and final decision and you need to consider it as clearheaded as possible. Do something fun or mundane and just distracting to get you through the next few minutes or hours and then explore all your options.
A suicide hotline might not work for you, nor will a hospital but they are options that are not permanent. You can try them. If suicide is really the right decision for you it will still be an option after you explore these avenues.
Remember, you can always make the decision tomorrow. Give today a chance.
