Suicide and depression, they seem to go hand in hand, that is, at least in our culture. However, a case study in Micronesia will give you a new perspective on why some global populations may get hit harder than others with waves of suicides. Before the 1960's suicide in Micronesia was virtually unheard of. Unfortunately, as described by Malcolm Gladwell in his book The Tipping Point, it became the cool thing to do and turned into a storm of suicides in the young male population. Was it from depression or delirium? The answer...neither. It all started with a boy named Sima who committed suicide just after getting yelled at by his father. From that point there have been hundreds of young male suicides over things so trivial as "a brother being obnoxiously loud." Much of this influx has to do with cultural norms. Some say that this trend in Micronesia follows patterns of imitation as a result of the theory of the tipping point, yet others believe it is a cultural form of rebelion and self expression (comparable to United States teens smoking underage). Gladwell states the practice of suicide in Micronesia has turned into a form of youthful experimentation, woops.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Suicide, you'd be a lot cooler if you did
Suicide and depression, they seem to go hand in hand, that is, at least in our culture. However, a case study in Micronesia will give you a new perspective on why some global populations may get hit harder than others with waves of suicides. Before the 1960's suicide in Micronesia was virtually unheard of. Unfortunately, as described by Malcolm Gladwell in his book The Tipping Point, it became the cool thing to do and turned into a storm of suicides in the young male population. Was it from depression or delirium? The answer...neither. It all started with a boy named Sima who committed suicide just after getting yelled at by his father. From that point there have been hundreds of young male suicides over things so trivial as "a brother being obnoxiously loud." Much of this influx has to do with cultural norms. Some say that this trend in Micronesia follows patterns of imitation as a result of the theory of the tipping point, yet others believe it is a cultural form of rebelion and self expression (comparable to United States teens smoking underage). Gladwell states the practice of suicide in Micronesia has turned into a form of youthful experimentation, woops.
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8 comments:
I'm looking forward to reading the book in my spare time (what's that). Thanks for the reminder.
Interesting... I've heard of people willing to give their lives for a worthy cause - but for something trivial... that seems almost too ludicrous to believe.
Makes a powerful statement about the perceived value of human life?!
Interesting that you posted this on Valentine's day. I wonder how many people think it's a norm to have suicidal thoughts on this day because they do not have someone to share it with. I wonder how globilization is going to influence suicide rates in the future. Are the 39 million chinese men who will not have any potential mates be more inclined to lean towards suicide because of pressure from the family? Hmm, just thought I'd add my 2 cents.
Jordan,
Did you see Suicide Club? Your post reminded me of it. Super intense...
interesting and alarming insights on young male suicide...perhaps rapid changes in society w/ globalization & industrialization are leading to a collapse of family values and nurturing, which leads to reckless behavior and immaturity/poor coping skills among the kids you mentioned?
Wow I never knew that it all started from a boy. I don’t know what to say… “Practice of suicide in Micronesia has turned into a form of youthful experimentation.” Why?
I am wondering how can we stop or reduce this practice; especially what is outstanding for me is that the practice of suicide is common between MALES. We need to come up with an innovative plan from governmental legislation, educational lessons from early on in childrens' life to hopefully in a long run stop this habit.
Keep up the good work.
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