Suicide epidemic in small Scranton town

Charles Davis88 said:Yeah, that's what I thought too, until I read this the other day...

The Wikipedia article has plenty of useful links—some people have even done actual studies on the subject.

Being poor in India is just about surviving the struggle since you're facing starvation anyway. It's totally different from "poverty" in England, where you can get at least $1,300 in social security plus free housing and food if you're struggling to make ends meet.

Eighteen suicides since the first of July—that’s more than one a month.
🤷
What does the average look like over there, anyway?
Furthermore, they seem to have settled on hanging as the method of choice, simply because it’s quick, painless, and cheap.
Looking at the available data—which is admittedly sparse—and considering the general socioeconomic climate, I don't think we're looking at a cult or some kind of fringe sect, though there might be a certain romanticization of death happening.
Since it's a relatively small community where most people likely know one another, it's possible the first incident triggered a domino effect. One person goes, then others start questioning things—asking "why him, and why am I still here?"—and it just snowballs. One by one.
It’s an interesting phenomenon, though not exactly my cup of tea when discussing politics.
It's a shame there isn't a PDF version of Criminalistics available. ☕

analogfalcon38 said:I don't know, could be anything, really.
Just a fact of life is that all of the West is struggling with this whole phenomenon among kids, whereas you don't see suicides happening at all within Muslim communities.👍

That’s a fair point... why would they take their own lives when they know a death sentence is practically guaranteed if they make one wrong move? Whether it's infidelity, socially unacceptable behavior, or anything else deemed improper, people possess a natural, deep-seated instinct to survive if death is constantly looming over them.

Furthermore, they chose hanging as the method because it’s painless, fast, and inexpensive.

LOL. The only thing accurate about that is the cost. The "optimal" outcome here is just breaking your neck. Even then, you aren't dead instantly; you're essentially severed from your body while your brain slowly dies. If your neck doesn't snap—which is actually more likely—you're left with several minutes of agonizing suffocation.

Far more effective methods would be carbon monoxide poisoning from car exhaust or overdosing on sleeping pills. Even slashing your wrists mostly just brings sharp pain at the moment of the cut, followed by simply drifting off into sleep.
Hehe, I don't have this information firsthand since I haven't tried to end it myself or known anyone who has; I just looked it up via 🙂

bluebison8 said:

Furthermore, they chose hanging as the method because it’s painless, fast, and inexpensive.

LOL. The only thing accurate about that is the cost. The "optimal" outcome here is just breaking your neck. Even then, you aren't dead instantly; you're essentially severed from your body while your brain slowly dies. If your neck doesn't snap—which is actually more likely—you're left with several minutes of agonizing suffocation.

Far more effective methods would be carbon monoxide poisoning from car exhaust or overdosing on sleeping pills. Even slashing your wrists mostly just brings sharp pain at the moment of the cut, followed by simply drifting off into sleep.
Hehe, I don't have this information firsthand since I haven't tried to end it myself or known anyone who has; I just looked it up via 🙂

Fair point, that kind of thing can happen... if you're an amateur.
It isn't exactly built for the uninitiated. ☕

As for what actually happened with those people, I suspect it’s just hard for fellow Americans to admit they were the ones behind it. It's easier to go hunting for cults or outside agitators.
Until the FBI or some official investigation confirms otherwise, we're all just guessing.

Robin Ramos2 said:And what’s the deal with all those martyrs just sitting there in anticipation? You know, those seventy-two frustrated girls who wrap themselves in aluminum foil right before they blow themselves up along with a few random bystanders? I mean, seriously... what is that even about?

Heh, so that's just the theory from this idol of yours you've got set as your avatar, huh?🙂)
Niko isn't out there blowing himself up just to take out some random guy walking down the street. There’s always some foreign occupier or a local sellout working for them involved—it's just that the mainstream American media won't touch that part of the story.👎

And another thing... those people who "go out in a blast" aren't suicides. They're martyrs. They're sacrificing themselves for their people, their faith, and their country.

analogfalcon38 said:Heh, so that's just the theory from this idol of yours you've got set as your avatar, huh?🙂)
Niko isn't out there blowing himself up just to take out some random guy walking down the street. There’s always some foreign occupier or a local sellout working for them involved—it's just that the mainstream American media won't touch that part of the story.👎

And another thing... those people who "go out in a blast" aren't suicides. They're martyrs. They're sacrificing themselves for their people, their faith, and their country.

In my view, they are idiots first and foremost, not martyrs. There isn't a religion or a single individual on this earth worth dying for. These people claiming to be self-sacrificing are actually just weaklings who lack the courage to face life. Based on your logic, given some of the struggles I'm facing right now, I could easily end my life just to make things easier for my family. They could collect my life insurance payout (which is actually quite substantial), pay off a property, and still have plenty left over to invest in mutual funds. But there is a second issue: nobody in my family wants to see me in a casket—especially not my two nieces, who love me dearly.

analogfalcon38 said:Heh, so that's just the theory from this idol of yours you've got set as your avatar, huh?🙂)
Niko isn't out there blowing himself up just to take out some random guy walking down the street. There’s always some foreign occupier or a local sellout working for them involved—it's just that the mainstream American media won't touch that part of the story.👎

And another thing... those people who "go out in a blast" aren't suicides. They're martyrs. They're sacrificing themselves for their people, their faith, and their country.

Yeah, right! Those idiots getting blown to bits are just crazed killers and total morons—or dogs and pigs, whatever you want to call 'em.

driftingfox16 said:In my view, they are idiots first and foremost, not martyrs. There isn't a religion or a single individual on this earth worth dying for. These people claiming to be self-sacrificing are actually just weaklings who lack the courage to face life. Based on your logic, given some of the struggles I'm facing right now, I could easily end my life just to make things easier for my family. They could collect my life insurance payout (which is actually quite substantial), pay off a property, and still have plenty left over to invest in mutual funds. But there is a second issue: nobody in my family wants to see me in a casket—especially not my two nieces, who love me dearly.

To be honest, the way these people die isn't much different from a soldier on a battlefield. If you abandoned your family to go to war to defend something vital to you, you'd be acting just like them—with the crucial distinction that they believe something better awaits them in the afterlife, whereas you might find nothing at all, or perhaps Hell (if you're Christian, since going to war violates one of the Ten Commandments: Thou Shalt Not Kill!), or whatever awaits followers of other faiths.

So tell me, what were all those legendary soldiers in World War I? Believe me, they knew they were walking into their deaths when they charged out of the trenches toward those machine gun nests. Were they all just ignorant fools, too?

Let's be clear: I am not advocating for the killing of civilians. However, I view suicide bombers merely as a modern method of warfare for those facing extreme technological inferiority.
You watched Quincy, didn't you? Remember how much the Britons complained because American guerrillas were picking off officers in ambushes, even if it went against the standard conventions and rules of war back then.

Man, remember that scene in the movie where the Americans were losing their minds because some Englishmen shoved all those hostile women and kids into a church just to burn them alive? Like, is that just another way to wage war now? Is that actually normal, or just straight-up sick and twisted?