Pro-SI community

This is a live journal community that is PRO self injury and self harm.  It states,

"We don't promote, but we don't judge either, and we see value in our actions...you must not post instructions or techniques. We have a forum for that...Feel free to vent here. If you want to stop cutting, there are serveral communities for that, but we can also be a support system. If you just wanna let us know how you're doing and what's been going on in your life, that's fine also. We're basically just here for one another."

Interesting other perspective to the issue?  Group has over 800 members.  

Listed under 'interests', one will find:

ana, anger, anorexia, anxiety, blades, bleed, bleeding, blood, bulemia, burning, carving, cut, cutting, death, depression, die, eating disorders, hatred, help, helping, hurt, hurting, knives, love, mental disorders, mia, outsiders, pain, passion, poems, poetry, pro-choice, pro-cutting, pro-ed, pro-si, razor blades, razors, sadness, safty pins, self-control, self-harm, self-hatred, self-injury, si,siers, slashing, venting, wounds, writing

interesting:  their word for "comment" is 'broken', so when you comment you 'break the silence'.  hmm...

Pepsi Suicide Ads

Advertising Age has a comment on the (now pulled) Pepsi Suicide Ads, using, well, here's their description:

"There's but one calorie in PepsiMax and, as we know, one is the loneliest number. So it only makes sense that a new flight of print ads from BBDO Dusseldorf show a cute but sad little personification of a calorie committing suicide in a few ultraviolent ways, including a gunshot, a hanging, self-immolation and even slitting his little blue wrist with a razor blade. "

Each image gives several different methods.  Why the 'overkill'?

Also gives comment on the GM 'Robot Suicide' ad that ran a few years back, with a link to the EDITED VERSION after people spoke out.  Power to the people?

COMMENTS:

"These days it's pretty easy to offend anyone. I for one really think these ads are cute :)

quite like the suicidal robot marvin from hitchhiker's. Maybe if they did away with stuff like blades and blood people would get off their back." (Interesting...the blood is the concern? Talking about pain and symbolic markers...)

"Fantastic ads. Something different to the regular boring stuff we've grown accustomed to. And anyway you can see far worse on Cartoon Network. That said, I guess with everyone feeling a little sensitive about violence post-Mumbai, the timing is probably not as cool as it could have been. Pity." (The 'Violence is Everywhere' defense)

Suicide in Advertising: From the Horse's Mouth

Here's an advertising blog's defense of the use of suicide in advertising: Advertising Pawn

Some key quotes:

"we provide you with an article on suicide and how to end your life with a bang (or a splash)."

"Advertising just loves hyperbolic behavior. In our world, suicide isn’t morose and heart-crunching (let’s leave that to real life). We prefer to consider suicide as the epitome of a relationship with a brand. After all, suicide is just the doubt looking for the truth, which means that our products become the ultimate reason to live, die, or think of life differently."

Be sure to check out the example ads they post at the bottom.

E.G. Blog

http://jmh83.wordpress.com/

Seeking Attention?

from http://freakontheloose.wordpress.com/2006/07/04/grow-up-i-think-my-group-knows-about-that-i/

 "i tend to agree with joyce, that when people cut, sure-they have a problem, but most of them have a problem of seeking attention of people around them. if suicide was on your mind, you wouldnt cut at random places, you’d cut at strategic places and deep enough, this way, your goal might be achieved. plus, if suicide really was your goal, you’d need a significant amount of courage to cut, most people find cutting painful, okay, so if hurting yourself, without the intention of suicide is your way out, i dont think anyone in a right frame of mind would agree it’s the right way. heck, even if suicide was a way out for you, i still wouldnt agree"

Just Do It Video

http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd259/mariahleia/suicide/thsuicide-1.gif

Video found at http://thesuicidelist.blogspot.com/

Interesting intersection of consumerism (Nike's 'just do it') and suicide.  What is the message here?