I'm going to kill myself in 90 days

February 10, 2008 3:33 PM

"I'm going to kill myself in 90 days." A blogger calling herself "Jane" sets up a blog to chronicle her final 90 days, and is calling on the internet for suggestions on how to do it. Disturbed blogger? Or another "viral campaign" for something soon to be revealed?

I couldn't find any articles about it, or further investigation. The WhoIS yields nothing interesting and the only mentions I could find were a bunch of forum posts and a craigslist post

posted by revmitcz (291 comments total)

More like something that should be summarily ignored..
posted by parallax7d at 3:34 PM on February 10, 2008 [9 favorites]

I mean, as an atheist I feel life has no greater purpose. My generation has had no great depression, no great war and our biggest obstacle is beating Halo 3. So, if I feel like saying "game over", why can't I?

I say fundie viral. I bet on day 0 she has a religious epiphany and turns to Jesus, who has finally given her life meaning.
posted by papakwanz at 3:37 PM on February 10, 2008 [40 favorites]

Her argument is that she has no purpose and thus has no reason to be alive.

If she truly believed that, she'd not be alive, chronicling her last 90 days. Is that not some odd sense of purpose?
posted by scabrous at 3:39 PM on February 10, 2008 [10 favorites]

More like AttentionWhoreJane
posted by p3on at 3:41 PM on February 10, 2008 [3 favorites]

ooh.. papakwanz just might have it.

(and she's quoting Fight Club anyway, which is kinda the WeakSauce)
posted by revmitcz at 3:41 PM on February 10, 2008

Suicide Blue?
posted by geekyguy at 3:42 PM on February 10, 2008 [2 favorites]

"I'm going to kill myself in 90 days."

Do it now, you lazy, procrastinating dingbat, I have shit to do.
posted by jonmc at 3:42 PM on February 10, 2008 [56 favorites]

Having had a look at day 90, I can only proffer the traditional advice which I imagine is practically currency in the Something Awful forums: it's down the river and not across the street, lady.

Well what, it's practical advice! I actually wondered whether I should write this or not, but since she's made up her mind and not willing to reconsider it'd be a shame if she were to botch it up. I'd hate to be driven to suicide -- and an extraordinarily public one at that -- only to be ultimately unsuccessful and left with the idea that "shit, I can't even do THAT right".
posted by clevershark at 3:42 PM on February 10, 2008

My generation has had no great depression, no great war and our biggest obstacle is beating Halo 3.
I generally consider those good things. I'd rather play Halo 3 than live through the Great Depression.
posted by jmd82 at 3:44 PM on February 10, 2008 [26 favorites]

I thought there was a law requiring one to quote Fight Club when making a suicide blog?

90 days? This isn't even a cry for help. It's a cry for attention.
posted by Ryvar at 3:44 PM on February 10, 2008 [1 favorite]

scabrous wins.
(she won't do it, but if she does, then it might be worth reading.)
posted by patr1ck at 3:44 PM on February 10, 2008

I didn't think anyone would find it or even care if they did.

Well, even if you don't promote your blog or post a link to it somewhere, people will eventually find it by using blogspot's "next blog" button, which gives you a random blog to read. I know because I started a few blogs and abandoned them without ever passing the URL around, only to get notified months later that someone found it and posted a comment.

But within two days of starting her blog, it shows up on Cragislist and within 5 days it's on Metafilter? Smells skunky to me, unless "she" was putting it out there herself.
posted by notmydesk at 3:47 PM on February 10, 2008

This will be much more interesting if we find out she gets run over by a bus or something before the 90 days are up.
posted by blaneyphoto at 3:48 PM on February 10, 2008 [4 favorites]

I think it's a cry for help. Help dying that is. Let's be good samaritans and kill her.
posted by jonmc at 3:49 PM on February 10, 2008 [1 favorite]

My generation has had no great depression, no great war and our biggest obstacle is beating Halo 3.

Bullshit. We have Bush, global warming, a ridiculous war in Iraq, a wholy misinformed public, genocide continuing on as we speak, human trafficking, a complete lack of sustainability -- I could go on forever. Don't speak for "your generation," because some of us actually give a shit about the world we live in.
posted by spiderskull at 3:50 PM on February 10, 2008 [54 favorites]

If one is really committed to ending their living time on this planet, why wait 90 days and add to the global warming problem for the rest of us? Selfish beotch!

This will probably be a case of suicidus interruptus though. Anyone who goes through that much trouble doesn't want to die; they just want people to pay attention to them. Correct me in 90 days if I'm wrong. And if you show me I'm wrong, I promise I won't be consumed with grief and kill myself.
posted by jamstigator at 3:50 PM on February 10, 2008 [1 favorite]

Jesus fuck, I hope network news doesn't pick this up.
posted by tracert at 3:53 PM on February 10, 2008 [7 favorites]

This is ridiculous.
posted by inconsequentialist at 3:53 PM on February 10, 2008

I hope someone who's had a loved one commit suicide, finds her and punches her in the face. She should just get it over with already.
posted by Skygazer at 3:53 PM on February 10, 2008 [4 favorites]

If 500 people favorite this comment, I'll disable my account.
posted by hermitosis at 3:54 PM on February 10, 2008 [507 favorites]

No fair, I want her to do it now

I hate old Internet 1.0
posted by mattoxic at 3:55 PM on February 10, 2008

Maybe she can be brought around and back to appreciating life by experiencing the crisp, refreshing taste of Pepsi Blue(tm)!

I think the consensus is that it's either simple attention-whoring or the most appallingly tasteless viral ad in history.
posted by clevershark at 3:56 PM on February 10, 2008 [1 favorite]

Is Halo 3 really that hard to beat?
posted by notmydesk at 3:57 PM on February 10, 2008 [10 favorites]

Jesus fuck, I hope network news doesn't pick this up.

Yes, it could start a suicide fad, which would be bad. The decision of whether or not to kill yourself is one of the most important a weblogger can make.

Weblog Suicide...Don't Do It!!
posted by jonmc at 3:57 PM on February 10, 2008 [2 favorites]

If she's looking for fun projects to brighten her remaining days, she should consider a 90 day suicide-themed advent calendar. Each day could have a little Edward Gorey-style drawing, depicting a ghastly suicide.

Maybe after 90 days of really thinking about it, and having fun putting together her calendar, she'll realize that life isn't so bad after all, as long as you have something interesting to do.
posted by SPrintF at 3:57 PM on February 10, 2008 [9 favorites]

Population reduction?
posted by ninjew at 3:57 PM on February 10, 2008

jane is a gangster!!!
posted by grouse at 3:58 PM on February 10, 2008 [5 favorites]

Each day could have a little Edward Gorey-style drawing, depicting a ghastly suicide.

Are there 90 Bunny Suicide drawings? I personally prefer that minimalist style to Gorey's.
posted by clevershark at 4:00 PM on February 10, 2008

Hey, either it's real or it isn't. Either way, the solution is the same - refer it along to mental health professionals and the police. If it's real, maybe she'll get the help she needs - if it's fake, hopefully the idiots behind it will get arrested.
posted by Mitrovarr at 4:00 PM on February 10, 2008 [9 favorites]

I hope someone who's had a loved one commit suicide, finds her and punches her in the face.

I have, twice. And I'd love to. Three times.
posted by The Deej at 4:01 PM on February 10, 2008 [5 favorites]

If 250 people favor this comment, I'll kill myself. In 90 days.
posted by item at 4:01 PM on February 10, 2008 [44 favorites]

Yeah.......... I'm not clicking on that. I don't want my hit contributing to that. Whether it's genuine, attention-whore hoax, or viral marketing and/or fundie-ism: Ew.
posted by CKmtl at 4:02 PM on February 10, 2008 [3 favorites]

I told you I was planning maybe to be hardcore at some predetermined time in the future!

I'm wondering how long it will take for the handwringing, poor-thing, mental-health-is-not-funny brigade to make us feel guilty for joking about this, so I'll say that it's sad if it's real and I hope she doesn't actually go through with it (spectacularly unlikely as that may be).

But if it's some kind of promotional or marketing stunt, I'll kill those responsible myself, with my bare goddamn hands.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 4:02 PM on February 10, 2008 [6 favorites]

Achewood, on a similar mission.

also: is it just me, or has she already dropped a couple clues as to a location and a bit of a routine with the dress shopping and the Starbucks/Hollywood sign?
posted by heeeraldo at 4:02 PM on February 10, 2008

@notmdesk

I can only vouch for a friend having shown it to me, and knowing he's definitely not involved. I'm also not. The rest, however, is admittedly kinda fishy.

way off-topic personal note : never realized you were on MeFi, your "temporary insanity" writings are still a source of extreme delight for me. And, oddly, you're the only blogger I've ever actually e-mailed to compliment. Albeit about 4 years ago.
posted by revmitcz at 4:06 PM on February 10, 2008

If 65913 people favorite this comment, I'll get drunk and dance naked on my porch then pass out.
posted by jonmc at 4:07 PM on February 10, 2008 [49 favorites]

If eleven people favourite this comment, I'll kill myself in Halo 3.
posted by tawny at 4:07 PM on February 10, 2008 [30 favorites]

I want all of you to do the things you promise to do. But I can only favorite your comments once. Which I'm too lazy to do. One man can't make a difference.
posted by ninjew at 4:09 PM on February 10, 2008

I like the part in the video where she takes her clothes off.

Also, what is up with the "pan and scan" or whatever that is going on with the footage? The camera is ostensibly on a tripod or otherwise "still", but yet the field of view moves around. There is something strange going on there.

If I were going to kill myself in 90 days, my goal would be to have as much sex as possible with as many people as possible.

Think about it, you don't have to fear VD, and if you are a woman, you don't even have to fear pregnancy (provided you don't mind possibly terminating a 1st trimester pregnancy along with yourself, which I wouldn't think you would).

I'm not sure what this is, but you can say with some certainty it is not what it professes to be.
posted by Ynoxas at 4:12 PM on February 10, 2008

I really will disable my account permanently if 500 people favorite that comment. Although, it's been just a few minutes and there are already a dozen, so this may have been a higher-stakes game than I thought I was playing.
posted by hermitosis at 4:13 PM on February 10, 2008 [2 favorites]

I wonder if she's ever been called a tease.
posted by inconsequentialist at 4:13 PM on February 10, 2008 [2 favorites]

papakwanz

I say fundie viral. I bet on day 0 she has a religious epiphany and turns to Jesus, who has finally given her life meaning.

This was my exact thought upon first reading it, too.

If I had money, I'd bet a lot of it that she'll somehow be saved by finding Jesus.

Notice, too, that the picture of the hollywood sign has a blatant cross. The photo has nothing to do with her post whatsoever. I think it's some kind of lame attempt at foreshadowing.

Not only do I agree with Mitrovarr that mental health pros and the police need to be called in, but I think some serious net forensics need to be done to out this person.
posted by vertigo25 at 4:13 PM on February 10, 2008 [1 favorite]

You've got my vote jon.
posted by nola at 4:14 PM on February 10, 2008

and our biggest obstacle is beating Halo 3.

Two words: Nethack, roguelikes.
posted by ersatz at 4:16 PM on February 10, 2008 [7 favorites]

This is not the best of the web.

Taken at face value, posting her blog here is publicizing someone's psychological problems and making a spectacle of them. Granted, that's what she wants, probably, but it's not what she needs.

If it's anything else, i.e. some viral campaign, then they are making a spectacle of other people's psychological problems, and trivializing them. It's insulting.
posted by gauchodaspampas at 4:16 PM on February 10, 2008 [6 favorites]

On a side note, since preliminary investigations into the IP location and Whois information have proved uninteresting, let's all flag it for objectionable content. As soon as the hosting company finds out about it, they'll hit the delete key so fast they'll probably break their finger, and they will have far greater ability to find out where the creator is located (to summon help if it's real and legal retribution if it's not) than we do.
posted by Mitrovarr at 4:17 PM on February 10, 2008 [2 favorites]

I like the part in the video where she takes her clothes off.

you big tease, she keeps her undies on. Besides she's too skinny for my taste.
posted by jonmc at 4:17 PM on February 10, 2008

You've got my vote jon.

must be my right purty mouth. ;>
posted by jonmc at 4:18 PM on February 10, 2008

If 65913 people favorite this comment, I'll get drunk and dance naked on my porch then pass out.

Oh come on, you were going to do that anyway.
posted by clevershark at 4:19 PM on February 10, 2008 [3 favorites]

I didn't think anyone would find it or even care if they did... This blog is not a cry for help or even to get attention.

Your typing says no, but your statcounter says yes, Yes, YES!
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 4:19 PM on February 10, 2008 [2 favorites]

But, jonmc would do those things anyways without your charity favorites! Scandalous!
posted by Burhanistan at 4:21 PM on February 10, 2008

Do it now, you lazy, procrastinating dingbat, I have shit to do.

I think it's a cry for help. Help dying that is. Let's be good samaritans and kill her.

Are you one of those assholes who yells jump? Fuck, grow up man!
posted by P.o.B. at 4:22 PM on February 10, 2008 [5 favorites]

i told u i was hardcore
posted by nasreddin at 4:23 PM on February 10, 2008 [7 favorites]

Day 86's "here I am in my underwear" crotch-cam screams fake to me. For some silly reason I don't think a suicide interested in anonymity would identify her hometown and then post a video of herself in her underwear, with her face clearly visible.

My nickel bet: it's a "journalist" who wants to write about how cold and heartless people on the internet are. If it isn't actually being produced by one, it'll certainly be used that way by one.
posted by ook at 4:24 PM on February 10, 2008

*hands P.o.B. a razor blade*
posted by jonmc at 4:24 PM on February 10, 2008

Sure, she'll kill herself in 90 days, but not before revealing how amazingly ripped she got from her Power 90X workout.
posted by Sys Rq at 4:27 PM on February 10, 2008 [1 favorite]

I hope someone who's had a loved one commit suicide, finds her and punches her in the face.

I have, twice. And I'd love to. Three times.
posted by The Deej at 7:01 PM on February 10 [+] [!]

Make that four.

: (
posted by Skygazer at 4:27 PM on February 10, 2008

Ynoxas, I can't see that working for me:

Fat balding depressive middle aged man wants to have sex with as many people as possible..

hello, any takers?

Fat balding depressive middle aged man here....

Free sex, hello...

Anyone?
posted by mattoxic at 4:28 PM on February 10, 2008

and FWIW, I've known at least three people who've killed themselves which is why I wont indulge this ridiculousness.
posted by jonmc at 4:31 PM on February 10, 2008

She looks emo to me... and she can barely keep my attention for 9 min let alone 90 days.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 4:31 PM on February 10, 2008

the internet excels at spreading stupid, doesn't it?
posted by pyramid termite at 4:34 PM on February 10, 2008 [3 favorites]

There should be a Dexter-type to take care of fake suicide morons like her.
posted by hojoki at 4:35 PM on February 10, 2008 [1 favorite]

Well, I guess one of the writers on strike needed something to do...


My vote is for some upcoming tiv show or something.

I don't think truly suicidal people do things like that or sound like that.

And if it does turn out to be some kind of "fundie viral" I'LL be ticked off. Because it would be pretty darn unbiblical.

(AND my final answer, if it does turn out to be someone with mental illness, I vote borderline disorder.)
posted by konolia at 4:37 PM on February 10, 2008

Make that TV show. I can spell but apparently I'm not all that as a typist.
posted by konolia at 4:37 PM on February 10, 2008

Isn't 90 days a long time to wait for your period?
posted by hal9k at 4:37 PM on February 10, 2008 [3 favorites]

Her last post will say "He who is valiant and pure of spirit may find the Holy Grail in the Castle of aaaaaagggh." (Yes, I know Python quotes are tacky, but this post calls for tacky.)
posted by goatdog at 4:39 PM on February 10, 2008 [1 favorite]

A yawn for help?
posted by furtive at 4:40 PM on February 10, 2008 [6 favorites]

I think it's a fundie viral; this is exactly the kind of thing they think is just brilliant and the whole riff about being an atheist and life not having any meaning is exactly what fundies think about atheists. Also, the "me in my underwear" thing is about as close as a fundie could come to what they would really want to show, which is nakedness and not caring about people seeing your body because nothing has meaning. But, being fundies, they can't actually do that so they pull the punch.

And I keep saying they because I will bet money there are at least as many people behind this as there are behind lonelygirl115.
posted by localroger at 4:40 PM on February 10, 2008

Hey, either it's real or it isn't. Either way, the solution is the same - refer it along to mental health professionals and the police. If it's real, maybe she'll get the help she needs - if it's fake, hopefully the idiots behind it will get arrested.

For what?
posted by Flunkie at 4:43 PM on February 10, 2008 [2 favorites]

Maybe this blog will also turn out to be a Chris Morris spoof.
posted by little apollo at 4:43 PM on February 10, 2008

Frankly if this is a fundie viral I'd find it very hard to fight the temptation of putting a rock through one of the involved church's windows were I to find myself near the building. "Bearing false witness", and all that.
posted by clevershark at 4:44 PM on February 10, 2008 [1 favorite]

And if it does turn out to be some kind of "fundie viral" I'LL be ticked off. Because it would be pretty darn unbiblical.

konolia, comments like taht are the reason I dig your funky vibe, sister. (also, you're over 50, right? If you flirt with me I can initiate you into the club of 50+ women who flirt with me* at my workplace (and it's only women over 50) that me and my co-workers have dubbed 'Jon's Cougars.')
posted by jonmc at 4:44 PM on February 10, 2008

to clarify: konolia at her best is like that woman in Night Of The Hunter who turns her shotgun on Robert Mitchum's character and says 'You ain't no preacher, neither."
posted by jonmc at 4:47 PM on February 10, 2008 [2 favorites]

More and more Internet is starting to resemble 19th century Russian novels. This is the young person who is not very popular, but wasting to tuberculosis and everyone has to visit and try to smile and be supportive while hoping that she would turn the drama down or die already. Then there is a senseless war going on, and a new political hope somewhere. And much ado about God.
posted by Free word order! at 4:49 PM on February 10, 2008 [25 favorites]

Flunkie: For what?

Oh, probably falsely causing a crime (or emergency) to be reported. I believe that's illegal in at least some jurisdictions. I'm sure it violates other laws as well - and there's always getting the person responsible committed involuntarily.

Also, unless this is self-hosted, the host will kick them off. There's just too much liability involved with a project like this (i.e. copycats.)
posted by Mitrovarr at 4:50 PM on February 10, 2008

Also, what is up with the "pan and scan" or whatever that is going on with the footage?

Well, my webcam has some (shitty) feature where it will follow your movements with software, zoom in / zoom out automatically. That's a possibility.
posted by Jimbob at 4:52 PM on February 10, 2008

SheHe should just get it over with already

Those were the very words I spoke to a friend of mine over breakfast, regarding my brother. Little did I know his discoloured body was swelling under a warm summer sun in his Olds Cutlass even as I uttered them.

Express derision for attention whores, yes, but speak not those words - if ther follow through you'll regret them, guaranteed.
posted by CynicalKnight at 4:55 PM on February 10, 2008 [15 favorites]

I don't know if this is real, but if it isn't, one day this sort of thing probably will become real.

There's a certain dark humor occasionally:

Also, I don't want to pre-sell or go to the trouble of boxing anything up. Call me selfish, but who wants to spend their last days packing up a house?

But mostly, it's just boring.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 4:55 PM on February 10, 2008

Suicidal threats? Check!
Nudity or partial nudity? Check!
Now she just needs visuals of her making out with another chick, and she'll have completed the Attention Whore Trifecta.
posted by schroedinger at 4:57 PM on February 10, 2008

konolia, comments like taht are the reason I dig your funky vibe, sister. (also, you're over 50, right? If you flirt with me I can initiate you into the club of 50+ women who flirt with me* at my workplace (and it's only women over 50) that me and my co-workers have dubbed 'Jon's Cougars.')

Sorry, friend, still forty-nine till December. My husband turns fifty next friday but I'm not going to allow HIM to flirt with you.
posted by konolia at 5:03 PM on February 10, 2008 [3 favorites]

papakwanz has it. Notice the big old cross in the Hollywood sign photo? Looks like konolia's gonna need to do some whuppin'.
posted by nasreddin at 5:08 PM on February 10, 2008

No matter what this is, it shouldn't be getting our attention. If it's phony it should be deleted, if it's real we shouldn't contribute to it.

My vote is to delete this fpp.
posted by HuronBob at 5:10 PM on February 10, 2008 [1 favorite]

Wow... Best O' teh Webnets, this.

I'd like to say I'll be checking back in 90 days, but I'm sure some other dumbass will have my attention at that point.
posted by Pecinpah at 5:10 PM on February 10, 2008

My husband turns fifty next friday but I'm not going to allow HIM to flirt with you.

Awww, he knows I'm cute as hell. ;>
posted by jonmc at 5:13 PM on February 10, 2008

Meh.

This would have been slightly interesting back in the day as an 'internet phenomenon' thing, but these days the Internet is culture and other forms of media are simply appendages slowly withering away.
posted by delmoi at 5:13 PM on February 10, 2008

This kid's got some great ideas that could help this idiot.
posted by Busithoth at 5:16 PM on February 10, 2008

God, is suicide seriously the next internet spectator sport? So fucked up on so many levels...
posted by liruskainen at 5:17 PM on February 10, 2008

i flagged the blog, since there needs to be either mental health professionals involved or the harsh light of day shone on the pepsiblueness.

also, her generation has no great war? what about the war we've been in for longer than WWII?
posted by rmd1023 at 5:20 PM on February 10, 2008

A good friend of mine committed suicide, and I take this stuff very seriously. That being said, this is either a stunt or a world class attention whore (quite possibly both). Either way, the world is probably better off without someone who would trivialize the horrible pain and suffering that the vast majority of suicidal people go through and do it with a "look at me!" fucking Blogger account.

Good riddance.
posted by dhammond at 5:21 PM on February 10, 2008 [1 favorite]

I predict I will favorite this and then forget about it until the Lifetime movie: "90 Days to Death"
posted by parmanparman at 5:21 PM on February 10, 2008

By the way, I notice the original poster the link ALSO lives in Hollywood...here's the blurb to his blog....is anyone else just a wee bit suspicious here?


MitczRev. Mitcz (pronounced "Reverend Mitch") is a "twentysomething" Stand-up Comedian, Internet TV Host, Actor, and 10-year-veteran Web Designer living in the jaded city Hollywood, CA.
While Rev. Mitcz's stand-up comedy can be at times jarring and abrasive, he presents a goofy twist on subjects that audiences have found endearing. Some have suggested that his comedic appeal is a mixture of his personal appearance (which in itself can be controversial) and his stage presence that becomes infectious enough to make audiences laugh at subject matter that they'd otherwise be appalled by.

This site serves as a central hub of all things Rev. Mitcz, encompassing video/audio footage of past comedy performances, photos of the man himself, a peek into his design portfolio, a list of upcoming gigs, and links around the worldwide web that show off his attempts at blogging, and the official site of his live internet-based TV show. In addition, should you want to book Rev. Mitcz to perform comedy at your event, there is information on the "booking" page
posted by konolia at 5:22 PM on February 10, 2008

Brilliant blog. Look at all the venom she drew up.

I've lost friends to suicide too, and I try to keep a little idea that they may have been telling me "fuck you".

Suicide needs more respect. I guess all the haters here would force people to stay alive if they were able to? Christ, what a bunch of assholes.
posted by telstar at 5:24 PM on February 10, 2008 [1 favorite]

Can someone grab a shot of this Hollywood cross supposed dead giveaway and put it on flickr?

Or, alternatively, a google cache of it? Assuming that won't show up as a hit for the attention-whore/marketeer/missionary.
posted by CKmtl at 5:24 PM on February 10, 2008

*gag*
Seriously, if this is a viral for anything I'm quitting this biz.
posted by dabitch at 5:27 PM on February 10, 2008 [1 favorite]

I say fundie viral. I bet on day 0 she has a religious epiphany and turns to Jesus, who has finally given her life meaning.

Bingo.
posted by Pope Guilty at 5:34 PM on February 10, 2008

Brilliant blog. Look at all the venom she drew up.

With all due respect, your metrics are shit.
posted by dhammond at 5:34 PM on February 10, 2008 [1 favorite]

I'm currently at the 10% mark. One thing they never tell you about attention-whoring, is how weirdly unfulfilling the attention feels when you have to whore for it. Really, the favorites better keep pouring in to kill me off, because otherwise there'll be no living with me after this!
posted by hermitosis at 5:34 PM on February 10, 2008

OK. Here's the thing.

Only fundies think that atheists think life has no purpose. It's the classic lame argument, and this "well, if there is no god, might as well just die" sounds like the kind of shit I heard from wacko preachers on the mall on my undergrad campus. Also, no one decides to kill themselves just because they are bored. There's no, "Hey, why not, that sounds like it'll be interesting." People who commit suicide or attempt to are in immense pain, and they see death as the only way out. There is never this kind of rational, "Hmm, what should I do with my stuff?" "Oh well, I guess I'll still go to work and go out on dates before I kick the bucket" bullshit. Also, no one PLANS to do it THREE MONTHS IN ADVANCE. Maybe if you're dying from a terminal illness or something. If you PLAN to do it, you most likely don't really WANT to do it, and are hoping for someone to stop you. And you are certainly more dramatic about it than, "Hmm, yeah, I think I want an early summer death."

For those interested: Day 0 is May 5. Cinco de Mayo, and also right near Ascension Thursday.
posted by papakwanz at 5:39 PM on February 10, 2008 [6 favorites]

i flagged the blog, since there needs to be either mental health professionals involved

The funny thing is, if a "mental health professional" finds out that a patient is planning suicide, they are required by law to violate confidentiality and go to the authorities and rat their patient out.

This blogger has turned that equation on its head. Bravo!
posted by telstar at 5:40 PM on February 10, 2008 [1 favorite]

What if this really turns out to be a viral marketing campaign for a salsa company who's planning to release some new salsa concoction on Cinco de Mayo? She'll decide not to kill herself because she's finally found the perfect salsa.
posted by PostIronyIsNotaMyth at 5:47 PM on February 10, 2008 [10 favorites]

Where's Tom Cruise? He'd know what to do.
posted by grounded at 5:48 PM on February 10, 2008 [1 favorite]

Yo.

What the FUCK.

...

Fundie viral sounds about right, and it's exceedingly saddening that this is the first conclusion we jump to.

Although I do have to say, this thread has totally highlighted konolia's absolute loveliness and I've totally developed another crush. dammit.
posted by Phire at 5:49 PM on February 10, 2008

A good friend of mine killed himself several years ago without warning.

I wish I had the 90 days notice.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 5:50 PM on February 10, 2008 [8 favorites]

I haven't thought about my friend Keith who killed himself--20 years ago, almost, I think--in ages. He said in his note that he was just tired of being under a cloud all the time. Good man. I believe people should have the right to end their lives if they choose to but wish he hadn't.

That said, this seems to be crap.
posted by maxwelton at 5:51 PM on February 10, 2008 [2 favorites]

Konolia..

I checked out the Rev's profile as well... and wondered.. but a google of the "90 day jane" finds a lot of hits now, including digg, I get more suspicious when a site is almost invisible and gets posted here.... I'm not ready to lynch the Rev. yet...
posted by HuronBob at 5:53 PM on February 10, 2008

Er, I meant, he was a good man. Not good that he killed himself. (Maybe I should kill myself, save the world some incoherence and typos--but I'm going to wait to see how it turns out for "Jane.")
posted by maxwelton at 5:54 PM on February 10, 2008

Nthing the Jesus theory. If that's the deal, it's jaw-dropping for its spectacularly cynical approach... imagine, 90 days of tacky marketing deceit all constructed to promote Truth.

Somebody call Mel Gibson.
posted by rokusan at 5:57 PM on February 10, 2008

Well, I flagged that blog. Let the Blogger people deal with this as they see fit.
posted by clevershark at 5:59 PM on February 10, 2008

Flagged as offensive. I second HuronBob's call to delete it.

(Plus this is all reeks of stunt. Yeah, I mean you Rev.)
posted by Skygazer at 6:01 PM on February 10, 2008

(P.S., we definitely need to stop favoriting hermitosis' comment at 499--and save that last one for some future indiscretion on h's part:

"Oh, yeah? So you think being informed and reasonable about [sexism, racism, declawing, circumcision] is welcome around here? Say hello to your 500th favorite!")
posted by maxwelton at 6:02 PM on February 10, 2008 [5 favorites]

sexism, racism, declawing, circumcision

All at once? Eww.
posted by ZenMasterThis at 6:03 PM on February 10, 2008

"Well, I flagged that blog. Let the Blogger people deal with this as they see fit."

I hope they start a blog which chronicles them shutting down the blog in 90 days.
posted by travis vocino at 6:04 PM on February 10, 2008 [2 favorites]

This blogger has turned that equation on its head. Bravo!
posted by telstar at 8:40 PM on February 10 [+] [!] </em

Yes, Bravo! Which is why she should change her blogs name to 90secondJane and just get it over with.
posted by Skygazer at 6:05 PM on February 10, 2008

She could get run over by a truck and die before the 90 days are up.
posted by mike3k at 6:06 PM on February 10, 2008

Fascinating.

However, she failed at the execution. A blogger account can be easily traced.
If someone wanted to do this correctly, nothing would be better than writing and then make it appear days after you killed yourself. Easily achievable by most blog software.

Of course, you miss the attention but hey, you wanted to kill youself and leave a public record, not be an attention whore.
posted by Memo at 6:18 PM on February 10, 2008

Why is she asking the internets what to do instead of asking Ashley Olsen?
posted by mr_crash_davis at 6:20 PM on February 10, 2008 [1 favorite]

I give it maybe another day, tops, before Blogger pulls the plug.

The thing that strikes me as really sketchy is the video. It looks like it was shot with somebody else holding it. I guess it's possible that it was given the pan-and-scan treatment in post, but it sure doesn't look like it was just taken from a camcorder sitting on an improvised support in a dressing room.

The whole thing is a bit odd. I can accept the plausibility of someone deciding to gain some notoriety by publicizing their own suicide, but suicidal person plus convenient buddy to hold the camera? Harder to believe.

I look forward to the after-the-fact retrospective post, but I doubt Blogger will let it go long enough to get really interesting.
posted by Kadin2048 at 6:28 PM on February 10, 2008

Amen, telstar. Suicide should be an inalienable right for anyone that fully understands its consequences.
posted by hjo3 at 6:31 PM on February 10, 2008

Some good might come of this. May could be designated Suicide Awareness Month (actually, I'm surprised there isn't one already - or was it missed off the list?).
posted by tellurian at 6:35 PM on February 10, 2008

I say fundie viral. I bet on day 0 she has a religious epiphany and turns to Jesus, who has finally given her life meaning.
posted by papakwanz

Or finds Obama.
posted by semmi at 6:41 PM on February 10, 2008

Please forgive me for this, but I couldn't resist. It fits so well.
posted by konolia at 6:41 PM on February 10, 2008 [1 favorite]

mmm, I guess more people want to see me naked than see item dead.
posted by jonmc at 6:49 PM on February 10, 2008

It's a strange world we live in.
posted by item at 6:52 PM on February 10, 2008 [1 favorite]

If this isn't weird fundie bullshit (doubtful) then the person is just straight-up disturbed in ways that have nothing to do with atheism.

You don't need God to know that there are lots of ways to make the world better, not only through direct action, but by having a child and attempting to educate them to behave in a way that will continue to improve the world after you die.

Personally, I view atheism as a greater call to action than most theistic beliefs. After all, if you're a theist you can blame all the world's problems on a greater being, assume that said being will solve them if they want to, and never take any real responsibility for anything.

If you're an atheist, the situation is the exact opposite, and you must actively decide if you will be part of the solution or if you will ignore the vast problems facing this world.

Oh well.
posted by Tacos Are Pretty Great at 6:52 PM on February 10, 2008 [2 favorites]

item, my brother, I'd bare all to let you live cos that's the kinda guy I am...
posted by jonmc at 6:56 PM on February 10, 2008

It strikes me in poor taste whether or not it's fake. If one is going to commit suicide, it seems to me that taking time to minimize the impact of the death on others, however one can, is the decent thing to do. Were I to do so, I'd feel obliged to tidy my up my belongings and obligations, and write some explanatory letters to those who deserve an explanation. However preferable an explanation in person would be, the sort of person who deserves that--and there are many, in my own life--would also be inclined to dissuade me from suicide, perhaps by force, so a letter it would have to be.

Threatening suicide in order to get oneself dissuaded out of it has always struck me as ... too undignified, I suppose; but if a suicide is one who never mentioned it, ever, the effect on family and friends of having learned of it will be even greater - setting all of them off thinking "oh what could I have done", maybe blaming themselves, going through a total (and largely unwarranted) re-evaluation of their opinion of the person, etc. Undignified and messy as all hell. It would probably be best to "coincidentally" ensure that one's affairs were in order, for an upcoming trip or change of job or some other reason, and then go arrange a quiet "accident". The total polar opposite of a blog announcement. I can't think of any worse way to do it, as far as effects on people are concerned.

On the other hand, suicide isn't the only way to die with some notice. If one is definitely going to die, I don't see so much of a problem with someone with terminal cancer doing an "I will die in 90 days" blog, even if they intend to euthanize themselves. I wouldn't read it unless I knew the person involved, and if it was me I'd for damn sure make it friends-only if I even did it at all, but YMMV.

This is really why I think the blog's a "fake" of sorts (ie, won't lead to a genuine suicide on day 90, whatever the motives of the blogger): almost everyone who kills themselves doesn't go through any great preparation. They can't. A day or two tops. It's a snap decision, made having reached the end of one's rope. What kind of person could possibly think killing themselves for that long without getting over it, getting distracted from it, or doing it? Why the arbitrary deadline? If she's waiting for some event to occur to make life worthwhile, and giving it 90 days, it may occur on the 91st day, or it may never occur at all (which is a fact better faced). The 90 day thing is at least as irrational as the suicide.
posted by aeschenkarnos at 7:11 PM on February 10, 2008 [3 favorites]

Fat balding depressive middle aged man wants to have sex with as many people as possible..
hello, any takers?

Sure, Lori Gottleib

Though you'd probably have to settle in respect of the numbers, to just one.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 7:13 PM on February 10, 2008

The bar for committing internet suicide has been set pretty high. Stripping naked, shaving your head, applying ritualistic face paint and then blowing your brains out while listening to Bjork - now that's a suicide! Threatening to maybe kill yourself in 90 days if you aren't actually a viral marketing scheme or a lonely attention whore... well it barely makes a ripple. She's probably do better to threaten to kill and eat a rabbit if she wants attention. Or maybe balance things on its head.

[Note: This post does not actually advocate suicide, not even for stupid people. Following the first link is not advised and you'd be better off just reading about it on wikipedia]
posted by CheshireCat at 7:19 PM on February 10, 2008 [1 favorite]

This would have been slightly interesting back in the day as an 'internet phenomenon' thing

Yeah, "a good thread values uniqueness over novelty" and it's already been done.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 7:21 PM on February 10, 2008

Flagged. The blog, not this post.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 7:31 PM on February 10, 2008 [1 favorite]

a beginner's guide to faking your death on the internet
posted by madamjujujive at 7:32 PM on February 10, 2008 [3 favorites]

@ Konolia & HuronBob :

I promise, in any way you'd deem appropriate, that I simply got linked to this via friends on a private forum (on a nudie-indie-alt-girl site I occasionally do freelance design for) and posted it here cause I was kinda surprised no one else already had.

Not sure how to prove my innocence beyond that. Yes, I'm a stand-up comedian. Yes, I live in Hollywood. Yes, my comedy is pretty dark and I've said/done some fucked up shit. But, no, I had absolutely nothing to do with this. I didn't even know she was in Hollywood until it was mentioned here.

And for the record - I'm not that kind of "reverend". It's meant mostly as sarcasm.
posted by revmitcz at 7:34 PM on February 10, 2008

I have the underwear she's wearing, and now I kinda wanna kill myself. Maybe they're poisoned panties.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 7:50 PM on February 10, 2008

I mean, as an atheist I feel life has no greater purpose. My generation has had no great depression, no great war and our biggest obstacle is beating Halo 3. So, if I feel like saying "game over", why can't I?

I'll bet a dollar that this is a viral for The Purpose Driven Life.

Only a dollar, though, since Rick Warren is probably too smart to approve of something this retarded.
posted by Avenger at 8:00 PM on February 10, 2008

what else is on?
posted by subgear at 8:31 PM on February 10, 2008

JUMP!
posted by caddis at 8:31 PM on February 10, 2008

If I were going to kill myself in 90 days, my goal would be to have as much sex as possible with as many people as possible.

I'm not going to kill myself in 90 days (that I know of), and that's still my goal.
posted by Mr. President Dr. Steve Elvis America at 8:40 PM on February 10, 2008 [4 favorites]

My money's on: Research for a Sociology grad student's thesis. The comments on the blog and in threads like this will provide much fodder for pages and pages of crap. Wonder what her thesis statement will be?
posted by spock at 8:42 PM on February 10, 2008 [2 favorites]

'Tis in the vein of 'I'm Totally Psyched About This Abortion!'
posted by ericb at 8:43 PM on February 10, 2008

This is clearly a cry for help.





I'll PayPal her a couple bucks for the razor blades.
posted by Optimus Chyme at 8:59 PM on February 10, 2008 [1 favorite]

My money's on: Research for a Sociology grad student's thesis.

I hope the working title of her thesis is "People on the internet are cynical and distrustful".
posted by clevershark at 8:59 PM on February 10, 2008

I'm going to jill myself in 90 days, let me know if you have any suggestions for how I can do the deed.
posted by subgear at 9:13 PM on February 10, 2008

revmitcz: Hey, thanks a lot! I really appreciate that.
posted by notmydesk at 9:15 PM on February 10, 2008

comment from the blog: you know what is sad? my 4 yr old son was diagnosed with cancer last week. they are giving him 8 months to live. he would enjoy your life, and you are going to waste it away.
let me know where you live and i would welcome the act of smashing your head between two cement blocks.
you self-absorbed douche

Betcha that's fake too.
posted by telstar at 9:20 PM on February 10, 2008

This is pretty disgusting and disturbing.

Out of curiousity about the domain by proxy thing, I found it interesting that:

"Prohibitions: Domains By Proxy® is not intended to be used to protect your identity if you:
• Transmit spam, viruses or harmful computer programs;
• Violate the law or infringe a third party’s trademark or copyright;
• Engage in morally objectionable activities, including but not limited to those which are child pornographic, defamatory, abusive, harassing, obscene, racist, or otherwise objectionable."

( more legal action-ish links here)

Don't know where this falls, however.
posted by NikitaNikita at 9:26 PM on February 10, 2008

Well, there's only one thing we can do, right?

We've got to find this woman.

Maybe it's just my Superman complex (Believe it or not, my day-job is as a mild-mannered reporter with a girlfriend whose initials are L.L.) but if this woman is really planning to kill herself - for attention or not - she needs to get help. Because believe it or not, while this may have the hallmarks of a "fundie viral" it also has the hallmarks of a person suffering from existential depression, something I myself suffer from. This typically hits very intelligent people - who are also the most likely to be athiests (anecdotally) and so while it's unlikely, it is plausible.

If it's real, we have to find her.

If it's a viral video, it is in such appalling bad taste that the perpetrators of it need to be show for the horrible people that they are. If this is really a viral campaign, these guys need to be shut down, and dragged out into the sunlight. If this really is a viral campaign, then whatever assholes signed off on this need to know that they've doomed whatever product they're hawking.

So if it's fake, we have to find her.

Either way, my conscience does not allow me for this woman to do harm to herself, and it does not allow me to let some viral campaign harm others who are suffering - those who lost loved ones to suicide, those who may be pushed into suicide by this campaign...

So We Have To Find Her.
posted by BrianBoyko at 9:42 PM on February 10, 2008 [5 favorites]

So We Have To Find Her.
posted by BrianBoyko at 11:42 PM on February 10

Well get crackin' Superman.

Noone's stopping you.
posted by Ynoxas at 9:50 PM on February 10, 2008

( more legal action-ish links here)

Right. Bust the messenger. Does anyone know how many people are contemplating suicide at any one time? This woman appears to be going slightly public about it and the whole screeching tribe wants to bring down whatever possible apparatus on her head. Again, what a bunch of weenies, in this blog and that one.
posted by telstar at 9:52 PM on February 10, 2008 [2 favorites]

Ynoxas: It's what I do.

Dun, da da da dun. Da da dun. Dun, da da da dun. DA DA DUN!!!
posted by BrianBoyko at 9:55 PM on February 10, 2008

How Not to Commit Suicide by Art Kleiner.
posted by mecran01 at 9:56 PM on February 10, 2008

BrianBoyko: I feel/felt the same way, and further googling led me to a hunch that it may be someone on the indie-nude-alt-girl site (NSFW) possibly referenced in revmitcz' earlier comment.

Then I was weirded out and kinda disappointed in myself for getting sucked into this, so now I'm going to go to bed and let someone else nab the bad guy/s (girl/s)

Whatever flavor of fake this might be (viral, attention whore, fundie, etc.)... Skygazer, Deej:, please throw in an extra punch in the face for me when/if this gets solved.
posted by NikitaNikita at 9:59 PM on February 10, 2008

My generation has had no great depression, no great war

This just proves she's as stupid as I thought she was: The Iraq War, The 9,000,000,000,000 Dollar Debt.

I'll tell you what: I've been someone whose had to deal with depression for a long time now, and never was I once as optimistic about it as this Jane character seems to be. It scared the shit out of me. Where would I go? How would I do it? Would it be painful? How long would it take? What effect would it have on my family, etc., etc. This person, on the other hand, seems to be going about her daily routine as if everything's A-okay. (I haven't read any of her posts, but I have just started viewing the video that she's linked to, and christ). Going to a department store and picking out clothes to see how good they'd look on you. If you're so fed up with life that you're planning on offing yourself, you can't even get out of bed, let alone out of the house for shopping. This lady gives suicide a bad name. And by that I mean--the last thing that we need is someone making light of the matter and exploiting it for a bit of fame, if that is what she is doing. God I hope she's not. On the other hand--I hope she is. Whatever her ulterior motives are, this was a bad idea to begin with.
posted by hadjiboy at 10:14 PM on February 10, 2008 [3 favorites]

You're on the right track Spock. I just get more of an art school project feel from it, mostly because it looks like she's killing herself out of boredom.
posted by Hugonaut at 10:29 PM on February 10, 2008

Hadjiboy: Actually, it doesn't sound off to me, though I can see where you're going with this.

I've had to deal with both chemical depression - what you're describing, and "existential depression."

Basically, existential depression is when you come to grips with the fact that whether you live or die makes no difference in the ultimate scheme of the world, so, considering that life is full of ruddy banalities like having to find food, water, and shelter, having to look at the human race for all it's flaws - when ultimately, life has no meaning, death has no meaning either - it's very easy to rationalize that there is no difference between life and death.

Basically, a depressed person thinks about committing suicide because they believe that it will end the pain of living. An existentially depressed person thinks about committing suicide because they rationally evaluate the cost/benifit analysis of existing vs. not existing, and have found that they find not existing preferable. That's what "90 day Jane" sounds like to me - if it's true, and why I'm a bit hesitant to brush this off.

I'm going to have to deal with this my entire life, you know. My brain will always be weighing living vs. not living on a pair of scales. Of course, what I've been doing with my life is putting a finger down on the "living" side. I'm pulling a Don Quixote with my movie and so long as I can think to myself that art justifies life, that creation is better than destruction, well, I can live with that.

I am not a doctor/psychologist.
posted by BrianBoyko at 10:30 PM on February 10, 2008 [1 favorite]

You're on the right track Spock. I just get more of an art school project feel from it, mostly because it looks like she's killing herself out of boredom.

I disagree. Klerck really did kill himself, and he claimed it was because he was bored.
posted by Mr. President Dr. Steve Elvis America at 10:32 PM on February 10, 2008

One of the anonymous comments on Blogger linked to her other blog.

(Disclaimer: I do not know whether this is the same Jane.)
posted by halogen at 10:39 PM on February 10, 2008

Damn, I missed the opportunity to jump in quickly for cheap & easy favourites in this thread.

My life has no meaning now.
posted by UbuRoivas at 11:12 PM on February 10, 2008 [2 favorites]

After I watched the video of her picking out a suicide dress, there's no doubt she lives in Los Angeles. The first store she goes into is a store on Hillhurst, in the Los Feliz area of Los Angeles, at the corner of Kingswell and Hillhurst. It's in my neighborhood. The name of it escapes me, but it's right next to world's worst restaurant Home. I think the third dressing room, the one with the orange curtain, is Atmosphere, on Vermont. I feel as though someone is holding the camera at certain points.

There's part of me that makes me think it's a put-on, kind of a Silver Lake art project gone awry, a bored girl and her dumb roommate who got sloshed at The Drawing Room one night and, instead of going to Echoplex to see Midnite Movies perform, decided to see how many people they could piss off with this blog. But then there's all that stuff where she's responding to criticism and such, and if *I* were going to post a blog that's just a put-on, I wouldn't react to responses, unless that's the point of the experiment. I've just found both this fpp and the blog, so I still have some catching up to do, but she's surely from Los Angeles -- or, at least, that footage was shot in LA.
posted by incessant at 11:30 PM on February 10, 2008

Incessant, can you find out the name of that store for me? I'm sure they'll remember the woman who came in with a video camera only a couple of days ago.
posted by BrianBoyko at 11:33 PM on February 10, 2008

Disturbed blogger? Or another "viral campaign" for something soon to be revealed?

False opposition, there.

The real answer is "none of the above". Obviously, just a giant douche.
posted by UbuRoivas at 11:35 PM on February 10, 2008

incessant has it.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 11:45 PM on February 10, 2008

Brian, it's a place called "American Vintage," says my wife. I'd doubt they'd recall the woman wiht the video camera -- it looks like she was using a digital camera's video capture option, and it seems she only was filming, from the hip, as she was walking into the store. Upon reading the rest of her blog and the comments here, she clearly goes to the Starbucks at the corner of Vermont and Prospect, and she lives within walking distance of me. How remarkably odd. I'm not entirely sure where that church is that's in the Hollywood sign picture, but it won't be hard to spot in the morning, I'm sure.
posted by incessant at 11:50 PM on February 10, 2008

Maybe she should start slowly and just cut off her feet.
posted by RavinDave at 11:53 PM on February 10, 2008

no, she should cut off her foot in this style.
posted by UbuRoivas at 12:13 AM on February 11, 2008

Pretty girl like you shouldn't kill yourself. You can find some man to take care of you with a body like that. Leave suicide to the ugly and fat members of your gender. You deserve better.

With an unlimited team of independent online psychiatrists she is bound to get the help she needs.
posted by lightweight at 12:23 AM on February 11, 2008

Yeh, that's just the most ridiculous advice I've ever read.

Soon as she gets a man to take care of her, what invariably happens? Cheesecake frenzy.
posted by UbuRoivas at 12:38 AM on February 11, 2008

I'm going to have to deal with this my entire life, you know. My brain will always be weighing living vs. not living on a pair of scales.

Brian, you have no idea what the hell you're talking about, do you? Take it from me, just from readin that you're not in any danger of committing suicide any time soon and this girl is a completely phony idiot. If anyone should find her it should be to throw a pie in her face.
posted by Skygazer at 12:51 AM on February 11, 2008

In 90 days, Jayne is going to kill himself... some Reavers.
posted by kyleg at 12:52 AM on February 11, 2008 [11 favorites]

Hey Telstar you troll any harder and you're going to pop a vein.

Look, people have a right to do anything they like. They don’t have a right to make light of the real suffering of those who're actually suicidal or those that have dealt with it.

True suicidal ideation is a mental illness. There is profound physical, emotional or psychological distress. You don't do it because you're "bored". People who are that ill don’t talk about it to anyone let alone online, and they don’t put up a blog with a catchy name and record suspiciously well edited exhibitionist videos. Even if it does allow the individual to remain anonymous.

It’s people who’re locked up inside themselves you need to worry about. People who can’t or won’t open up and become progressively resigned and withdrawn. Isolating themselves for long periods of time and pretending that everything is "alright".

This girl and/or the people who hired her to do this are complete assholes.
posted by Skygazer at 1:10 AM on February 11, 2008 [3 favorites]

get on with it. dont wait for me.
posted by monkeyJuice at 2:21 AM on February 11, 2008

Hasn't she heard? All she has to do to make life better is settle.
posted by crossoverman at 3:00 AM on February 11, 2008

Did you see the parody blog? http://90dayjayne.blogspot.com/
posted by jfrancis at 3:25 AM on February 11, 2008 [1 favorite]

Hardly new.

A couple of years ago a guy set up a similar blog, announcing his suicide for a certain date. Then by the date announced (actually, 10 days before, just to make sure nobody would try to actually stop him) he jumped from a bridge, end of story. He was kind of a geek and extremely clever in covering his tracks.

No links because a) the blog has obviously been pulled shortly after and b) everything was written in Italian anyway.
posted by _dario at 3:57 AM on February 11, 2008

Skygazer There is profound physical, emotional or psychological distress. You don't do it because you're "bored".

I get what you mean, but I disagree somewhat: The opposite of boredom is engagement in the world, and that does help with suicidal ideation, profoundly so. A person no longer able to engage with the world might well describe themselves as "bored". It's true, but it's not the whole story.

People who can’t or won’t open up and become progressively resigned and withdrawn. Isolating themselves for long periods of time and pretending that everything is "alright".

Isolation isn't in and of itself a bad thing, and IMO an introvert who suicides after isolation does so not because of the isolation, but because the isolation didn't help quickly enough, or sufficiently.

I suspect teenagers suicide more not necessarily just because they feel more deeply depressed (though I think they do), but also due to inexperience with depression as such. "What is happening to me? This is horrible! I can't take it another second!" As with drug overdoses, the inexperienced addict is more likely to come to harm. (Which isn't the only analogy between these conditions.)
posted by aeschenkarnos at 4:37 AM on February 11, 2008 [1 favorite]

Anonymous Anonymous said...
Sounds like a problem that a good ass fucking could fix. You're hot, go do some porn, you'll feel better and we'll all be happier.
February 10, 2008 11:32 AM

Do you think that he was using "good ass" as an adjective, like "Damn that was a good ass burger" or do you think that he was saying that she needs some ass fucking that is good? I ask because my grandmother has been very depressed lately and I want to make sure that I provide the best help that I can.
posted by ND¢ at 5:27 AM on February 11, 2008 [2 favorites]

everyone I know has killed themselves. On the plus side, there is no one to make annoying comments at the TV while I am watching it.
posted by scose at 5:32 AM on February 11, 2008

The brilliant Brit satirist Christopher Morris did this in The Observer yonks ago. The writing is laugh out loud funny. I strongly recommend everyone in the world reads it immediately www.compsoc.man.ac.uk/~cow/studio/geefe.html
posted by henners at 5:56 AM on February 11, 2008 [1 favorite]

poop
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 6:13 AM on February 11, 2008 [1 favorite]

I'll give her credit if on day 0 she says she's not going to kill herself along with an impassioned "I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore" speech.

Howard Beale only strung his viewers along for seven days, though, not ninety.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 6:37 AM on February 11, 2008

Let's see if she points her webcam at herself in the toilet with pill bottles everywhere and then later says "Oh, I wasn't trying to kill myself.."

Ah, the old days of LiveJournal...
posted by drstein at 6:48 AM on February 11, 2008

What I find more depressing than the idea of someone posting this kind of blog for real is all the people who are eager to taunt her for doing so or post about how she should do it sooner. I think the whole thing is likely fake, given the internet, but if there's even a smidgen of doubt (which of course there is), it makes me feel sick to think of all the people goading her to do it. What a world.
posted by agregoli at 7:22 AM on February 11, 2008 [1 favorite]

you'd prefer Kaycee Nicole style handwringing? What you see as 'goading' is actually people calling bullshit.
posted by jonmc at 7:28 AM on February 11, 2008

This is entirely fake.

Yukio Mishima she is not. And she's definitely no GG Allin, whe didnt'even go through with it (his "due date" was Halloween 1992), he basically just OD'd 9 months later like any other heroin junkie.
posted by Skygazer at 7:37 AM on February 11, 2008

This entire thread was worth it just for the 90DayJayne link jfrancis posted.
posted by emmastory at 7:42 AM on February 11, 2008

What are "reavers"? Is that something I would have to have seen a lot of movies to know about?
posted by clevershark at 7:53 AM on February 11, 2008

It's a gorram mystery.
posted by emmastory at 7:56 AM on February 11, 2008

.

first...lolz!

But seriously - this smells like viral bullshit to me...
posted by mattr at 8:24 AM on February 11, 2008

Many of you are probably like me - I am going to forget about this crap as soon as I leave the page. I think I'm already forgetting about it as I write this.

But please make a followup post when the days are up? Hopefully then there'll be something worth reading about.
posted by crunch buttsteak at 8:41 AM on February 11, 2008

is she running ads?

she should run ads.
posted by MeatLightning at 9:05 AM on February 11, 2008

you'd prefer Kaycee Nicole style handwringing? What you see as 'goading' is actually people calling bullshit.

I don't find anything noble about telling someone who *might* be contemplating suicide to hurry up and get it over with, and the site is riddled with those kinds of responses. It's the intentional nastiness towards someone for no apparant reason that surprises me.
posted by agregoli at 9:25 AM on February 11, 2008

I bet it is an art school "project". 90 days from now is just about end of semester - review board time.
posted by R. Mutt at 9:28 AM on February 11, 2008 [1 favorite]

If 500 people favorite this comment, I'll disable my account.

I only favorited that to keep track of whether or not 500 people favorite it.
posted by nzero at 9:55 AM on February 11, 2008

I don't find anything noble about telling someone who *might* be contemplating suicide to hurry up and get it over with, and the site is riddled with those kinds of responses.

I think anyone with an IQ higher than a houseplant can see that this is a hoax.

It's the intentional nastiness towards someone for no apparant reason that surprises me.

The reason may not be apparent to you, but the reason for the anger is that she's using something serious as a ploy for attention or worse, some kind of marketing ploy.
posted by jonmc at 10:03 AM on February 11, 2008

I'm so tired of these internet-suiciders. Please don't validate this blog in any way by suggesting the girl get mental health, or begging her not to do it. She's playing for attention, and now she has a whole meta thread on her. I would be willing to bet good money she just disappears after a while, when public interest wanes, or that if people keep visiting, she'll claim that Blogger is forcing her to take down the blog, or something similar. Worst case scenario, she pretends to kill herself in a completely exploitative, tasteless display.

Other than that, nothing to see here, move on.

The idea of ads is interesting, though. Which would work best on a site like this? Emo ringtones?
posted by misha at 10:21 AM on February 11, 2008

The idea of ads is interesting, though. Which would work best on a site like this? Emo ringtones?

Rat Poison? Razor Blades?
posted by jonmc at 10:27 AM on February 11, 2008

It's the intentional nastiness towards someone for no apparant reason that surprises me.

Yeah I'm with you. I think that the things is that there are so many hoaxes on the net and no one, but no one wants to be the person that's duped by them. The sad thing is that there are people who have killed themselves over the internet and people have goaded them right up until the end. I wonder how those people feel, because whilst I'm as cynical as the next guy, I really, really wouldn't want to have such a thing on my conscience. There's every chance that this is fake and my feeling is to ignore it (that's why I haven't clicked on the link).
posted by ob at 10:37 AM on February 11, 2008 [1 favorite]

there are people who have killed themselves over the internet and people have goaded them right up until the end. I wonder how those people feel, because whilst I'm as cynical as the next guy, I really, really wouldn't want to have such a thing on my conscience

I don't know that I've ever actually "goaded" but I could give 2 shits about whether she does it or not. I won't feel even a tiny, tiny bit of anything if she follows through. Why would I?

I'm not going to chant "Jump!" to someone on a ledge, but if they do actually jump, then I'm not sure what it is supposed to mean to me. There are about 150,000 deaths per day. I'm much more sympathetic to people who have life taken from them, as opposed to taking it themselves.

I also don't believe suicide to be such a horrible, terrible thing. I think people should have the right to choose to end their life anytime they wish, safely and legally. (Although I realize the irony/humor in asking for safe and legal ways to kill oneself. Safety is difficult to establish in a purposefully fatal activity, and legality is mostly irrelevant.)

If this person had a terminal, untreatable disease, and decided to kill herself instead of waiting out the long death, I think she would have several supporters here on MeFi.

But, I am with most above in saying this is a hoax or viral of some sort. Hell LonelyGirl15 or whatever was 10x more blatantly fake than this, and yet legions of people still believed.
posted by Ynoxas at 10:52 AM on February 11, 2008 [1 favorite]

I think anyone with an IQ higher than a houseplant can see that this is a hoax.

I agree it's likely a hoax but no one knows for sure. At any rate, I find it ridiculous to defend making a nasty comment directly to someone who has (truthfully or not, who can know?) threatened to kill themself. It's really immature, and obviously the internet is the playground for such a thing. I still find it awfully depressing that people can be so cruel to someone they don't even know.

The reason may not be apparent to you, but the reason for the anger is that she's using something serious as a ploy for attention or worse, some kind of marketing ploy.

Maybe it is, maybe not. The jump to that conclusion AND the nastiness towards her directly is what disturbs me about the comments on the site and some of them on here. I agree with ob - if one thinks it's fake, there's no need to make a comment about it. I haven't pleaded with her not to do it, nor have I encouraged her to do so - honestly, I am not moved to comment at all. That people are moved to comment to her so cruelly is what is disappointing.
posted by agregoli at 10:55 AM on February 11, 2008 [2 favorites]

This comment and link by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabbadi Champion redeems this whole thread:

I'm going to poop my pants in 90 days

I want to assure you all that I read and appreciate all comments. Well, I'm not sure what else to say, so here's a picture of a monkey fucking a football


posted by jason's_planet at 11:04 AM on February 11, 2008

She should start a fund for charity. Like PBS every $1000 knocks off a day of fund raising.
posted by jeblis at 11:09 AM on February 11, 2008

aeschenkarnos: Isolation isn't in and of itself a bad thing, and IMO an introvert who suicides after isolation does so not because of the isolation, but because the isolation didn't help quickly enough, or sufficiently.

Aeschenkarnos, I'm talking about internal isolation; An emotional or spiritual disconnectedness, that no longer seems traversable or worthy of any effor to reconcile. In a word: Despair.

I agree that physical isolation and change of setting/routine can be very helpful, if imposed in time as you say. The messed up thing is that the people most at risk are trapped by their own skewered and degradede thought processes and won't go that route, in time, out of some sense of duty or obligation or responsibility to others, when what they should really be doing is taking care of themselves and seeking someone out who can help them, or getting out of whatever fucked up situation they're in, any way they can, until they can approach it with a new and better perspective (or at least a plan of action). Sometimes that means a permanent change.
posted by Skygazer at 11:23 AM on February 11, 2008

Where's Tom Cruise? He'd know what to do.

Sorry, I've canceled that in my area.
posted by Tom Cruise at 11:25 AM on February 11, 2008 [2 favorites]

She is like the anti-Aubrey de Grey!
posted by Senator at 11:38 AM on February 11, 2008

this is some lame art project akin to 16 year old bad poetry. it has a general concept and the tools available but an artist lacking depth and talent to make something really impactful. shock art, oh whoopie do.
posted by eatdonuts at 11:47 AM on February 11, 2008 [1 favorite]

I think anyone with an IQ higher than a houseplant can see that this is a hoax.

This very well could be fake, I hope so, and that would more than make her an attention whore.

AND

Anyone who says that someone who *may be* intending to commit suicide should just get it over with would, in my estimation, also fall into the same category.
posted by P.o.B. at 12:23 PM on February 11, 2008 [1 favorite]

Would it be considered a failure if she got murdered before her 90-day mark?
posted by aftermarketradio at 12:31 PM on February 11, 2008

Where's Tom Cruise? He'd know what to do.

It's that so much that he would know exactly what to do. It's that he's the only person, who can actually do anything. He's the only one. HA HA HA HA HA. WOOO!!! YEAH!! OH YEAH!!!!

etc...
posted by Skygazer at 12:46 PM on February 11, 2008 [3 favorites]

It's that not so much that...
posted by Skygazer at 1:14 PM on February 11, 2008

This does seem to trivialize suicide, real or not. If it isn’t for real it does seem a mockery of people who are in real pain.

And if it is real - what’s the point? How can anyone reading the site verify that “Jane” actually did herself in? Or really wanted to?
Furthermore, isn’t it remotely possible this could convince someone already borderline to do it? That being the case this is entirely irresponsible whether it’s real or not.

It just doesn’t seem at all relevent any way you look at it and there are many more tasteful ways to handle the questions she’s posed.

And - finding Jesus or not - she should be tracked down, completely shaved, painted yellow and “Chicken” should be tattooed on her forehead.
posted by HVAC Guerilla at 2:05 PM on February 11, 2008 [1 favorite]

Anyone who says that someone who *may be* intending to commit suicide should just get it over with would, in my estimation, also fall into the same category.

P.o.B., since you seem to a little dim, I'll say this slowly. I don't believe the site is real. Not one fucking iota. IIf I did, I wouldn't have said a fucking thing. My comment was my way of calling the bluff or whatever it is this person is up to.

But maybe you're trying to show us how great you are for being concerned about this (probably fictional, even you concede) suicidal person. In my estimation that makes you as much of an attention whore as anyone else in this thread and even worse for pretending that it's about 'concern.'
posted by jonmc at 2:29 PM on February 11, 2008 [2 favorites]

She can't write authentically for 90 days. It's gonna drop in believability fast. This date post is rushed, nonsensical bs.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 2:33 PM on February 11, 2008

But maybe you're trying to show us how great you are for being concerned about this (probably fictional, even you concede) suicidal person.

jon, it seems like you levy this charge against people a lot. I really am baffled why you jump to this conclusion that anyone who has one iota of sympathy for another human being is trying to parade about a kindly and morally superior version of themselves. I won't deny that people do that, but I rarely see it on Metafilter with the frequency you claim.
posted by agregoli at 2:41 PM on February 11, 2008

Mad crazy fake. Cheer up, emo kid.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 2:54 PM on February 11, 2008

jon, it seems like you levy this charge against people a lot. I really am baffled why

In this particular case, there's no other explanation for showing sympathy besides stupidity, and you don't really seem stupid.

Look, you and I know both know beyond a reasonable doubt that this site is a hoax (not beyond all doubt, yes, but come on don't insult everybody's intelligence), so the comments that depressed you so much are merely a reflection of realizing that.

anyone who has one iota of sympathy for another human being is trying to parade about a kindly and morally superior version of themselves

agregoli, in the course of my workday, I deal with smelly, drunken/drug addicted homeless people on an almost hourly basis. I've actually gone out of my way and risked approbation from my superiors at work to make sure they have a chance to make a few bucks off us so they get to eat/drink/get a fix, not because I consider myself their champion but because I've gotten to know them and like them.

What I see from a lot of people online is a lot of talk where they try to show how upset they are about something. Talk. Is. Cheap.
posted by jonmc at 3:09 PM on February 11, 2008

If fifty people paypal me ten bucks, I'll buy an xbox 360 and Rock Band, and play the ever loving fuck out of Highway Star on expert!
posted by stenseng at 3:22 PM on February 11, 2008

In this particular case, there's no other explanation for showing sympathy besides stupidity, and you don't really seem stupid.

Perhaps to you - my explanation for showing sympathy is that I believe there might be a chance she's serious. And I actually DO feel sympathy if that is the case. That doesn't make me stupid (well, perhaps to you, but I honestly don't care about that). Furthermore, I cannot assume that it's 100% fake. And I DO find it callous when people tell someone who expresses suicidal thoughts that they should "hurry up and do it." The comments on her site are completely abhorent to me.

Look, you and I know both know beyond a reasonable doubt that this site is a hoax (not beyond all doubt, yes, but come on don't insult everybody's intelligence), so the comments that depressed you so much are merely a reflection of realizing that.

"Depressed me so much" is really making it sound like I'm crying my eyes out here. I'm not. I honestly don't agree with you (shocking, I know). I think it's likely it's a fake, but I don't have the certainty you do about it.

agregoli, in the course of my workday, I deal with smelly, drunken/drug addicted homeless people on an almost hourly basis. I've actually gone out of my way and risked approbation from my superiors at work to make sure they have a chance to make a few bucks off us so they get to eat/drink/get a fix, not because I consider myself their champion but because I've gotten to know them and like them. What I see from a lot of people online is a lot of talk where they try to show how upset they are about something. Talk. Is. Cheap.


I have no idea why that gives you the motivation to shit on people for feeling something about a topic or person you don't give a shit about.
posted by agregoli at 3:26 PM on February 11, 2008 [1 favorite]

I have no idea why that gives you the motivation to shit on people for feeling something about a topic or person you don't give a shit about.

I give a shit about homeless people and depression and everything else, bu t hthe fact that you feel compelled to tell us all how broken up you are over something that you admit is probably bullshit tells me something: that you are really invested in being the most righteous person in the room, no matter what. That tells me that you have what's known as a savior complex, which does nobody any good.
posted by jonmc at 3:34 PM on February 11, 2008 [3 favorites]

You know, I started laughing on the way home because I was thinking about your paragraph about where you work and it reads to me as you claiming moral superiority over the people you claim are claiming moral superiority.

The fact that you feel compelled to tell us how all the people who have any sympathy for another human being are being dishonest, even though I'm honestly without any other motivation except for posting in a comments area (just like you - it's all talk with all of us) shows me that you are desperate to show yourself as better than. Which means we at least read each other the same. =)
posted by agregoli at 4:29 PM on February 11, 2008 [1 favorite]

If this site survives the week, it is fake. No blogging company would allow this kind of thing to stay up, because it just screams liability. The only way it won't get deleted is if it is not actually hosted by blogspot, but is privately hosted somewhere else, with the host in on the scam. In this case, blogspot might have a legal case against them.
posted by Mitrovarr at 4:36 PM on February 11, 2008

agregoll, I understand where you are coming from. And really, it's because this site takes advantage of caring people like you that jonmc is disgusted by it, and I am right there with him. The 90dayjane blog exploits everything that is tragic about depression and suicide to get attention. Have you never been in a chat room where someone threatened to do something like this and then came back with another username? I have, and I didn't believe it then, but lots of people did, naively, and then felt hurt and betrayed when it turned out to be a hoax.

This. girl. is. not. suicidal. Suicidal people do not set timelines. Why? Because they simply can't see anything worth living for. To them, 90 days is interminable. It might as well be years.

People caught up in the grasp of depression are living in an unreal dimension where the world would be a better place without them right now, and no one can convince them otherwise. They have no motivation to go on living. They certainly don't become motivated to start up a blog, post videos of themselves trying on clothes, and light up a countdown ticker for three months. If they could do that, they'd seek counselling or go see a doctor for anti-depressants.

It's because they simply can't see any other answer that people opt to kill themselves, and this attention whore trivializes their very real pain and suffering by making it into some kind of internet meme. No, thanks. DO NOT WANT.
posted by misha at 5:56 PM on February 11, 2008 [4 favorites]

Dude, I get all that. Truly, I do. I'm like you - I'm not "taken in" by it.

To me, it's fucked up to post a suicide countdown page if you're suicidal, and it's fucked up to do it if you're NOT suicidal. Even the people who post these kinds of things, even if they're laughing their asses off, are still fucked up. And I personally don't think that any fucked up human being deserves the kind of shit that's being lobbed over on that site.
posted by agregoli at 6:19 PM on February 11, 2008

Ya know, OK, fine, she's an attention-seeking hoaxer. I'm all for tracking her down and humiliating her. But is it just possible that someone is toying with the idea of suicide? Is just starting down that mental path?

I haven't checked out that blog and don't want to, but is it so hard to think that this blog is the manifestation of "Maybe the world would be better off without me? Maybe I'd be better off just giving it up?" Sure, someone who started a blog like this from ideas like that would probably come to their senses, making it a hoax of sorts, but, yeesh... I'm not questioning anyone's compassion or denying their outrage if this is a premeditated hoax, but could we find out first? Because if this started out as someone feeling really low and looking, foolishly, to the internet for a little validation, I wouldn't want to see them kicked in the face by someone urging them on to actually kill themselves after all.

Sometimes I think it would be nice to know who'd be wrecked by my death. Sometimes I wish I could tell some of the people around me just how much they mean to me by telling them how much it would hurt if I lost them. Sure, you can say "I love you", and I do, but still. Somehow it comes up short. I wish there was a way short of threatening suicide to say "I'm feeling desparate, and if you care about me please help me."

Because there have been a few times in my life I was almost there, almost ready to ... I don't know exactly ... I can't say I was seriously suicidal. I didn't take any concrete steps to die, though I do remember standing at a high railing one time thinking maybe I ought to hop over after I had really botched things up bad on a few fronts in my life. It would have been soooo stupid. But when I walked away it wasn't because I was walking away from that idea, just that I had other things to do right then, but I wasn't ready to jump right then, and felt I could come back to it if I wanted, when I had made up my mind.

So maybe it isn't so much for her that I wish people wouldn't urge this hoaxer on to her death. Does this make me an attention whore? Well, I might be, but I don't think for this.
posted by Reverend John at 6:36 PM on February 11, 2008 [1 favorite]

I deal with suicidal ideations several times a year. In my past I've come close to suddenly and irrationally pulling a head-on with a semi. Most of the time, though, it's just a simmering urge to do self-harm.

I don't believe for a moment that she's suicidal. In my experience, suicide isn't a high-publicity, three-month planning event.

There being umptybillion people on this planet, most of whom are living in abject poverty, I think it'd be simply grand were this jackass to give up all her resources and advantages to some more-deserving third-worlder. Whether she does that through suicide or a vow of poverty doesn't really matter.

I hope she is located and given a solid boot up the ass.
posted by five fresh fish at 6:49 PM on February 11, 2008 [2 favorites]

FFF and Reverend. John: I hear you guys. You have to tell those dark feelings and thoughts to f--k off.

Don't deal with being overwhelmed by yourself for too long. Open up to someone. (That goes for anyone reading this.)

And of course, if it's depression (lack of appetite, insomnia/waking up too early, deep confusion) speak to a professional. If cost is an issue, there's usually affordable sliding scale therapy services available in most cities and towns. They're listed in the phone book under "counseling services."
posted by Skygazer at 8:01 PM on February 11, 2008

No blogging company would allow this kind of thing to stay up, because it just screams liability.

Which is why it's fishy to me that this hasn't been deleted yet.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 8:33 PM on February 11, 2008 [1 favorite]

I wonder how she would respond if someone wrote to tell her that she had inspired that person to commit suicide, too?
posted by misha at 8:23 AM on February 12, 2008 [1 favorite]

I wonder how she would respond if thousands upon thousands of people did what misha suggested, spamming her blog in some sort of denial-of-service type attack, until the noise from all the other would-be 'suicides' drowned out whatever signal she was trying to send out there...?
posted by UbuRoivas at 8:49 AM on February 12, 2008 [1 favorite]

Suicidal people do not set timelines. Why? Because they simply can't see anything worth living for. To them, 90 days is interminable. It might as well be years.

misha hit it on the head with this comment. 90 days = 9,000 years typically for someone who is suicidal. They don't make plans 90 days out unless they have little intention of making it to the 90 day mark or little intention of killing themselves in the first place.

If this woman is real, this would be one of the most drawn-out and detailed suicide case studies the world has ever witnessed.
posted by docjohn at 9:58 AM on February 12, 2008

Museum of Hoaxes -- Status: My hunch is that 90 Day Jane is a hoax.
posted by ericb at 10:37 AM on February 12, 2008

Skygazer: I appreciate your support, and I'd extend it out to anyone else feeling that way, but for myself, I (fortunately) haven't felt that way for a long time. For whatever reason, maybe getting older, maybe perspective (seeing the things I thought were catastrophic eventually work out in their own ways), maybe things are just better for me now (some things definitely are), I'm just not that close to the darkness as I once was. Its just that I can still remember it.

I hate to play devils advocate for what sounds like a hoax, but if someone was just toying with the idea, they might well pick a 'far away' time like 90 days. If you started your blog on the 3 day or the 1 or 2 week mark, or even a month you might need to face your deadline a little too soon, especially if its just a thought, just an escape from a despair that you think maybe you can bear after all.

I mean, really, is our criticism of this woman that she just isn't committed enough to suicide to suit us? Of course not, we're pissed because we think shes a hoaxer, maybe with something to sell. But if we're wrong, if she really is contemplating suicide, however casually, obviously we don't want her to follow through.

I guess what I'm saying is, you don't have to be full-blown bleak-black hopelessly depressed to think about suicide, so if she's just a twit and not trying to sell us something, lets cut her a little slack, eh?
posted by Reverend John at 10:37 AM on February 12, 2008

I hate the Internet.
posted by Quartermass at 11:10 AM on February 12, 2008

If this woman is real, this would be one of the most drawn-out and detailed suicide case studies the world has ever witnessed.

Not to mention that she'd be mad as a hatter.

For better or worse mental illness and good time management skills don't go well together, thankfully. She can have one or the other, but NOT both. Unless there's a ritualized cultural element to it --and, this might be a stretch I know...but she doesn't strike me as Samurai or a Jihadist-- But she does remind me of something. What can it be?

What's this all about?

I can't really put my finger on it.

Hmmm...

So, so, so, so.... lemme me get this straight:

There's a young girl in her early twenties.

With dyed black hair and..

pale skin...

Who has an exhibitionist tendencies...

and is a drama queen...

You know the wife...the wife..she hates it when I lose sleep.

So this girl, with the pale skin and the dyed black hair ...she thinks suicide is cool...like it's a fashion thing....whattya call those people...Gothers...gothic or something.......they like the black clothes and the spooooky music and Dracula music...it's like Halloween...all the time..I like Halloween....
I'm losing all sorts of sleep over this see...and the wife, she doesn't like it when I don't sleep cos I get so grumpy.

Oh and the guy who posted this. He works for a certain outfit....

Heck.


I tell ya...it's all very very interesting. Oh my head, I gotta get more sleep...




I think my bullshit meter is just went haywire...



posted by Skygazer at 11:22 AM on February 12, 2008 [1 favorite]

I think my bullshit meter is just went haywire...

And she's in Hollywood. My spidey sense is tingling.
posted by jeblis at 12:20 PM on February 12, 2008

Watch. She'll end up going skiing in Taos on Day 90 instead of killing herself.
posted by ericb at 12:30 PM on February 12, 2008 [1 favorite]

Oh and the guy who posted this. He works for a certain outfit....

that doesn't mean a whole lot. gothics are more likely to find & circulate this stuff quickly.
posted by UbuRoivas at 1:00 PM on February 12, 2008

She has an accompanying facebook account/group, has registered 90dayjane.com (and paid for anonymous registration). Seems to me the threat of committing a crime would allow law enforcement access to her facebook, blogger, and registration info.
posted by jeblis at 1:02 PM on February 12, 2008

What's the crime?
posted by docjohn at 1:24 PM on February 12, 2008

What's the crime?

Exactly.

"In the U.S. suicide has never been treated as a crime nor punished by property forfeiture or ignominious burial. (Some states listed it on the books as a felony but imposed no penalty.) Curiously, as of 1963, six states still considered attempted suicide a crime--North and South Dakota, Washington, New Jersey, Nevada, and Oklahoma. Of course they didn't take matters as seriously as the Roman emperor Hadrian, who in 117 AD declared attempted suicide by soldiers a form of desertion and made it--no joke this time--a capital offense." *

posted by ericb at 2:09 PM on February 12, 2008

Hmm interesting, I thought it was listed as a crime. Silly yes, but could be enough to grant a warrant as a means to get her help, or more amusingly expose this as a crappy art project.
posted by jeblis at 3:58 PM on February 12, 2008

But if we're wrong, if she really is contemplating suicide, however casually, obviously we don't want her to follow through.

Speak for yourself. I couldn't give two strokes whether she offs herself or not.

Life is not precious on this earth. The actions of our governments and our citizens proves that every goddamn day of the week.

That some over-privileged first-worlder might kill herself is not a tragedy, except to those who are close to her.

What is a tragedy are the uncountable deaths happening in third-world nations due to ineffective distribution systems and corrupt and uncaring governments.

I believe I could be readily convinced that the only way this bitch chick can come out of this with any dignity would be to kill herself, because otherwise the entire thing is a sick debasement of all those who are truly suicidal. Seldom have I felt as much disgust and disrespect for an individual.
posted by five fresh fish at 6:34 PM on February 12, 2008 [1 favorite]

BrianBoyko: "Well, there's only one thing we can do, right?"

But I thought you were all worn out from your heroic transformation from Nazi to superhero.
posted by Deathalicious at 10:13 PM on February 12, 2008 [2 favorites]

The blog has been taken down. As I understand it, it was a "project" from a writer.
posted by triv at 2:13 AM on February 13, 2008

it was a "project" from a "writer"

fixed.

no, it was a "project" from an asshole.

that's it.
posted by UbuRoivas at 2:23 AM on February 13, 2008 [1 favorite]

(apart from everything Skygazer said)
posted by UbuRoivas at 2:27 AM on February 13, 2008

.


.


.
posted by UbuRoivas at 2:47 AM on February 13, 2008

To no one's surprise:

90DayJane is a personal art piece about me. It was meant for me and (what I ignorantly thought would be) a small number of people who might find it on BlogSpot. It is the result of me tapping into the darkest part of myself and seeing where it led.

What I have written and filmed, at its core, is from a place of truth. I am the girl in the videos. I have great disappointment with my generation and its obvious obsession with celebrity culture rather than their fellow man, thus the former Chuck Palahniuk reference.

I wanted this blog to be about personal discovery and truth. But the correspondences I have received have taught me more about those qualities than I could ever express. 90DayJane has become its own entity and has influenced me. In fact, it has changed my perspective as a human being.

I feel a massive sense of responsibility to my art, but more importantly the readers of this blog. My closeness to this project must have made art seem like reality to many people. That is not a reaction that I expected nor can I morally justify. This is why my project, 90DayJane, will be taken down in the next few hours.

90DayJane was meant to mirror the tragic figure, Christine Chubbuck. Newscaster Christine Chubbuck committed suicide in 1974 by shooting herself in the head live on air. She was very vocal about her depression to those around her and gave every indication of her exact intentions leading up to the event. Sadly, no one reacted or helped Christine and those left behind could only ask “why”.

Her story both inspired and terrified me because I can truly empathize with her rage and even her isolation. I wondered how Christine’s life and subsequent suicide would play out in our time. Would the internet be yet another place of isolation to her or an escape? If she remained vocal about her intentions would anyone bother asking “why” or even noticing before the fact? Would the reaction (if any) of the public change her intentions?

I thought this mirror might reflect the isolation everyday people feel and the lack of true human connection on the internet.

It is my feeling that the internet is the best and worst example of human interaction. This was painfully proven to me by reading every comment and every email. I believe I owed that to everyone. I know we all saw the dark side of the reactions in the blog comments. There was so much hate, immaturity and apathy. But, I truly wish everyone could see the beauty and honesty in the emails; many people feel like Jane (me). People have been more real and heartfelt than I thought was possible. I owe them a debt of gratitude for showing me the difference between people’s reactions and their true feelings. I understand.

I do want everyone to know that I accepted no money for 90DayJane despite multiple offers from television, film, books, etc… I will not release my identity and I ask not to be contacted for any type of promotion. I want only for the people who wrote to me to know that I hear them and feel the same way. Your emails touched me so much. Please, share your thoughts with someone in your life or express them in a positive way.

To everyone, please reach out to those around you. It’s much harder to ask for help than to offer it.

posted by jeblis at 8:20 AM on February 13, 2008

FAIL.
posted by Skygazer at 9:10 AM on February 13, 2008 [1 favorite]

Interesting. Great to hear her explanation of the project as she saw it. Glad to find out she had no idea the reaction it would cause upon people finding her blog (I find her explanation sincere, although obviously she should have done a private blog to begin with).

It is my feeling that the internet is the best and worst example of human interaction.

The best? Please get out more. The worst? Also, please get out more.
posted by agregoli at 9:13 AM on February 13, 2008 [1 favorite]

FAIL indeed. I don't even buy her "Oh, golly, I didn't think so many people would find it!" cop-out. She's young enough and tech-savvy enough to know how the internet works, about email and IM and blogging. Her "art piece" was purposefully shocking and/or disturbing; if she didn't realize that it would spread quickly, she's mentally defective.

Attention-whore, and crap art.
posted by CKmtl at 9:27 AM on February 13, 2008

It is the result of me tapping into the darkest part of myself and seeing where it led.

All the way to showing the world your underwear, apparently.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 9:47 AM on February 13, 2008

I have great disappointment with my generation and its obvious obsession with celebrity culture rather than their fellow man...

"...So here's my knickers!"
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 11:49 AM on February 13, 2008 [2 favorites]

I have great disappointment with my generation and its obvious obsession with celebrity culture rather than their fellow man

Yes, and what part of the amateur stripshow recording while buying a special dress for the award suicide night, then posting it on the internet, doesn't scream of "what would Paris do?"
posted by UbuRoivas at 12:00 PM on February 13, 2008

(damn you, Alvy!)
posted by UbuRoivas at 12:03 PM on February 13, 2008

I thought this mirror might reflect the isolation everyday people feel and the lack of true human connection on the internet.

...so here's my fake suicide blog!
posted by UbuRoivas at 12:11 PM on February 13, 2008

Info on the takedown
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 12:47 PM on February 13, 2008 [1 favorite]

The site is now down, was it all a ploy? I know that I might be WAY too sensitive, but this really bugged me.
posted by iohyem at 2:39 PM on February 13, 2008

90 Day Jane proves that no matter how depressed, disturbed, or downtrodden a girl is, there will always be one, if not many internet commenters ready to pummel her with lewd sex jokes.

Somebody owes me a nickel.
posted by ook at 2:50 PM on February 13, 2008

Welcome to MetaFilter, iohyem! You might want to consider reading the other comments in a thread before making one of your own.
posted by grouse at 2:54 PM on February 13, 2008

The site is now down, was it all a ploy?

Read jeblis and TPS's's's's comments.
posted by CKmtl at 2:56 PM on February 13, 2008

hey, what's with the pile-on?

i read it as [considering that] The site is now down, was it all a ploy? I know that I might be WAY too sensitive, but this really bugged me.

besides, who reads all the comments before weighing in? hell, i don't even read the links in the posts!
posted by UbuRoivas at 3:01 PM on February 13, 2008

site moved
posted by jeblis at 4:06 PM on February 13, 2008

Check out ThePinkSuperhero's link above for one of the better lewd comments. I think she's gotten a lot of bad comments simply because almost everybody saw through this from very early on. I'm in the camp that either way I really didn't/don't care if people take their own lives.
posted by jeblis at 4:10 PM on February 13, 2008

I wanted this blog to be about personal discovery and truth.

So naturally, one would lie about contemplating and committing suicide.

I thought this mirror might reflect the isolation everyday people feel and the lack of true human connection on the internet.

There are abundant examples of charity, human connection, etcetera on the net. In MeFi alone there have been marriages, charitable donations, shared grieving... and AskMe is all about the human connection. Jane's abysmal ignorance is not an excuse for her careless actions.

It is my feeling that the internet is the best and worst example of human interaction.

Is this dim bulb completely unaware of the rest of the world? How the hell can the world's military juntas not rate as worse than anything on the net. FFS.

I know we all saw the dark side of the reactions in the blog comments. There was so much hate, immaturity and apathy.

None of which is as hateful, immature, and stupid as the stunt you pulled, Jane. Your lame attempt at an "art" blog was a vulgar slap in the face to the many people who have had to deal with the hopeless despair that leads to suicide as a means of escaping the black tar pit of depression.

I owe them a debt of gratitude for showing me the difference between people’s reactions and their true feelings.

You haven't a goddamn clue, Jane. You've never had to deal with depression, you've never seriously considered ending your life, and you sure as hell haven't the foggiest idea whether people's reactions reflect their true feelings.

The only saving grace you have, Jane, is that you are probably a young, ignorant art bimbo who has never had to deal with mental illness. You couldn't possibly have known how despicably insulting, repulsive, and harmful your ham-handed attempt at "art" truly was.

Jane, you fail.
posted by five fresh fish at 5:03 PM on February 13, 2008 [3 favorites]

She's a Class-A 'Attention Whore!'

From her post yesterday:

"I've received some wonderful emails from individuals, but also media outlets. Many of them have been respectful and simply asked questions or for perhaps an interview. Which is understandable even though I am declining to be interviewed.

Then I got this email from a HUGE television network.

'Jane:

I am with [redacted] casting and Talent Development team. We find your blog, and you as an individual, fascinating.

We would love to meet with you and discuss some ideas. Can we make this happen very soon?

You can reach me at my e-mail address or please call my office directly at [redacted].

Thanks,

[redacted]

"Can we make this happen very soon?"

Wow, and people think I'm morbid"

posted by ericb at 5:16 PM on February 13, 2008

Then I got this email from a HUGE television network.

I'm generally not one to write Letters Of Complaint or stuff like that... but I'd be sorely tempted to become one just for her, if something of hers got on TV or in movies or in a local art gallery.

Here's hoping the proposition was actually from "Dr" Phil, so that he could yell homespun Texas wisdom at her.
posted by CKmtl at 5:33 PM on February 13, 2008

Is Dr Phil on Fox?
posted by UbuRoivas at 6:02 PM on February 13, 2008

Possibly? It's a syndicated show. It's not made by Fox, if that's what you meant.
posted by CKmtl at 7:33 PM on February 13, 2008

90DayJane is a personal art piece about me. It was meant for me and (what I ignorantly thought would be) a small number of people who might find it on BlogSpot. It is the result of me tapping into the darkest part of myself and seeing where it led.

it led to utter banality and transparent manipulation - you have a great career ahead of you as a manager at burger king or the producer of a reality tv series

and frankly, i'd learn more about deep fryers than cameras if i were you

sorry, but that's as far as your dark side's going to take you, cupcake

and art? you wouldn't know art if salavdor dali pissed on your head
posted by pyramid termite at 10:31 PM on February 13, 2008

...while saying "this is not a urinal"
posted by UbuRoivas at 5:02 AM on February 14, 2008

Does anyone know how old she is?
posted by agregoli at 6:44 AM on February 14, 2008

Gawker says this is a fake.
posted by amj at 7:59 AM on February 14, 2008

what a pretentious twit...
posted by empath at 8:13 AM on February 14, 2008

Gawker says this is a fake.

No, really?
posted by ericb at 9:10 AM on February 14, 2008

90DayJane is a personal art piece about me.

That's not art. That's masturbation.

Jane, your experiment was deeply flawed from day one. I'm not one who believes punching women is something to ever be taken lightly, but I stand by my comment in this thread. It was the only way to I felt I could express the level of repulsion and anger I felt towards the f--ked up sideshow you created.

It was clear you had zero idea of the suffering mentally ill people who truly contemplate (not play around with for kicks) suicide feel or the devastation and destruction it leaves in it's aftermath.

If you really want to help you should volunteer time or give money to an organization such as the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

That would be doing something positive about this issue.

Also, I don't think you were alone in pulling this stunt off and so I say to the rest of your associates in Hollywood: You guys are a bunch of Grade A narcissistic losers. You're not rock n roll, you're not evil and sexy smart and you're not pushing the boundaries of anything but your own sociopathic tendencies. Fu*k you all.

You failed miserably.
posted by Skygazer at 10:55 AM on February 14, 2008 [1 favorite]

Sorry. Perhaps I had a cached page on my browser, but when I looked through the end of the thread I didn't see that the Gawker info had been added.
posted by amj at 11:52 AM on February 14, 2008

jeblis wrote: site moved

Why is it the video links on that site link to what looks like some kind porn/spyware thing?
posted by anazgnos at 4:56 PM on February 14, 2008

some unkind porn/spyware thing

Fixed that blah blah
posted by Sys Rq at 1:24 PM on February 15, 2008

I do want everyone to know that I accepted no money for 90DayJane despite multiple offers from television, film, books, etc…

Yeah, right, "multiple offers." I don't believe that, either.
posted by misha at 3:36 PM on February 15, 2008

Update: The movieLOL people appear to have taken over the ninety-day suicide thing, text (largely maybe entirely) intact with no indication of whether it was them in the first place or if this is some kind of super creepy fork of a de facto 'open source' text.

(Their ideas no longer intrigue me and I am about to unsubscribe from their newsletter, but that's how I found out about this)
posted by motty at 6:00 AM on February 18, 2008

MetaFilter: Their ideas no longer intrigue me and I am about to unsubscribe from their newsletter
posted by UbuRoivas at 2:33 PM on February 18, 2008 [1 favorite]

I thought I'd commented in this thread last week, and that by implication it had completely died out after the 11th or so. It's odd coming back to it now and skipping straight to the reveal.
posted by cortex at 1:02 PM on February 19, 2008

Wow, the movieLOL version is a serious WTF. If you click the tiny 'suicide isn't sexy' link on the sidebar, you get a little disclaimer that tries to justify the site as an "anti 'suicide culture' campaign." Riiiight.

I wouldn't have thought it humanly possible to be more tacky and offensive than 90 Day Jane, but they've managed it.

(Not to mention that the changes they've made are really off-pitch. "90 Day Tania?" Sheesh.)
posted by ook at 1:40 PM on February 19, 2008

tiny suicide isn't sexy

...as opposed to the little death.
posted by UbuRoivas at 3:53 PM on February 19, 2008 [3 favorites]

So... That blog? Already a 404. Might wanna add your brokenlink/deadlink tags now.
posted by klangklangston at 12:50 PM on February 27, 2008

What a twat.
posted by Dr-Baa at 11:44 AM on February 28, 2008

Whee!
posted by Orange Pamplemousse at 12:40 PM on February 28, 2008

If 500 people favorite this comment, I'll disable my account.
posted by hermitosis at 5:54 PM on February 10 [500 favorites -] [!]

Done.
posted by omegar at 1:02 PM on February 28, 2008

Heh, it was at 498, and I favorited it, and it dropped to 497.
posted by oaf at 1:07 PM on February 28, 2008

Closure at long lost.
posted by cortex at 1:15 PM on February 28, 2008

And I just unfavorited it, and it jumped from 492 to 497. I guess we all know what I'm worth 'round these parts.
posted by oaf at 2:33 PM on February 28, 2008

I'm reminded of Peregrinus Proteus, a second-century AD Cynic phiosopher who flaunted his detachment by committing suicide in the most spectacular fashion possible: he cremated himself at the Olympic Games of AD 165.

The Peregrinus analogy also suggests the viral-Christian idea: ironically, according to the satirist Lucian, Peregrinus was an ex-Christian.

The Death of Peregrinus
posted by bad grammar at 7:30 PM on February 28, 2008