Webdeath 2.0
March 23, 2007 5:28 AM Subscribe
Whether accidentally showboating, or by putting like-minded people in touch, the web is no stranger to online death. But now someone's taken it one tragic step further. The internet being what it is, I have no doubt this will end up on rotten.com or similar.
"Is it important that the alleged use of the internet in this death is fully investigated."
Why?
posted by NeonSurge at 5:34 AM on March 23, 2007 [1 favorite]
Why?
posted by NeonSurge at 5:34 AM on March 23, 2007 [1 favorite]
I guess the novelty of the internet hasn't worn off yet, if we need to make it a big news story (OK, for Sky News anyway) when something like this happens. It's certainly tragic, but no more so than any of the "offline" suicides that take place everyday.
posted by Elmore at 5:38 AM on March 23, 2007
posted by Elmore at 5:38 AM on March 23, 2007
To clear up the allegations of course!
posted by srboisvert at 5:39 AM on March 23, 2007
posted by srboisvert at 5:39 AM on March 23, 2007
I have no doubt this will end up on rotten.com or similar.
Well, so far the news article about it has ended up on MetaFilter.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 5:41 AM on March 23, 2007
Well, so far the news article about it has ended up on MetaFilter.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 5:41 AM on March 23, 2007
In other news, someone left a suicide note using that fancy new alphabetic writing the other day.
posted by nebulawindphone at 5:45 AM on March 23, 2007
posted by nebulawindphone at 5:45 AM on March 23, 2007
I meant the video, flapjax.
I'm aware of that. And I meant the news article about it.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 5:49 AM on March 23, 2007
I'm aware of that. And I meant the news article about it.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 5:49 AM on March 23, 2007
Flameout.
posted by hermitosis at 6:11 AM on March 23, 2007
posted by hermitosis at 6:11 AM on March 23, 2007
Is this a better way of getting attention than visiting every single starbucks in the world?
posted by rhymer at 6:20 AM on March 23, 2007 [1 favorite]
posted by rhymer at 6:20 AM on March 23, 2007 [1 favorite]
i told u i was hardcore
I wouldn't call Rippers actions accidental... they were quite deliberate and simply the final expression of a recurring failure to communicate by exhibiting such behavior.
What would be so compelling about low quality video of someone hanging them self? I wouldn't find it worth the bandwidth, or my time... maybe he made a production out of it?
Anyway, rotten spunoff their video section to liveleak, unless I am mistaken...
posted by prostyle at 6:22 AM on March 23, 2007
I wouldn't call Rippers actions accidental... they were quite deliberate and simply the final expression of a recurring failure to communicate by exhibiting such behavior.
What would be so compelling about low quality video of someone hanging them self? I wouldn't find it worth the bandwidth, or my time... maybe he made a production out of it?
Anyway, rotten spunoff their video section to liveleak, unless I am mistaken...
posted by prostyle at 6:22 AM on March 23, 2007
I am sooooo sick of the Ripper story.
posted by M.C. Lo-Carb! at 6:28 AM on March 23, 2007
posted by M.C. Lo-Carb! at 6:28 AM on March 23, 2007
Huh, It's intresting to see a "ripper" site written by his family, I'd seen other sites about him, including his origional URL.
posted by delmoi at 6:32 AM on March 23, 2007
posted by delmoi at 6:32 AM on March 23, 2007
> "Is it important that the alleged use of the internet in this death is fully investigated."
Why?
I expect the investigation will be about whether any of those other people in the chat room said or did anything that might fall afoul of the UK's law against assisted suicide, which covers anyone who "aids, abets, counsels or procures the suicide of another...". Prosecutions have been brought for advising another to commit suicide.
posted by hoverboards don't work on water at 6:34 AM on March 23, 2007
Why?
I expect the investigation will be about whether any of those other people in the chat room said or did anything that might fall afoul of the UK's law against assisted suicide, which covers anyone who "aids, abets, counsels or procures the suicide of another...". Prosecutions have been brought for advising another to commit suicide.
posted by hoverboards don't work on water at 6:34 AM on March 23, 2007
What would be so compelling about low quality video of someone hanging them self? I wouldn't find it worth the bandwidth, or my time...
Oh, but there are people who would. Clearly you don't hang around Consumption Junction much.
posted by nebulawindphone at 6:34 AM on March 23, 2007
Oh, but there are people who would. Clearly you don't hang around Consumption Junction much.
posted by nebulawindphone at 6:34 AM on March 23, 2007
In other news, someone left a suicide note using that fancy new alphabetic writing the other day.
If he'd left a suicide note as a video, this story would be a lot less graphic. But he actually filmed the suicide. That's a little different. Still not interesting to me, but not at all analogous.
posted by DU at 6:41 AM on March 23, 2007
If he'd left a suicide note as a video, this story would be a lot less graphic. But he actually filmed the suicide. That's a little different. Still not interesting to me, but not at all analogous.
posted by DU at 6:41 AM on March 23, 2007
I expect the investigation will be about whether any of those other people in the chat room said or did anything that might fall afoul of the UK's law against assisted suicide, which covers anyone who "aids, abets, counsels or procures the suicide of another...". Prosecutions have been brought for advising another to commit suicide.
Ah. See, now, that's actually relevant. Perhaps MP Pritchard should have said something along those lines instead of sounding like a ban-the-Internet loony. Of course, I suppose that if speaking sensibly were his strong suit, he wouldn't be in politics.
posted by Faint of Butt at 6:47 AM on March 23, 2007 [1 favorite]
Ah. See, now, that's actually relevant. Perhaps MP Pritchard should have said something along those lines instead of sounding like a ban-the-Internet loony. Of course, I suppose that if speaking sensibly were his strong suit, he wouldn't be in politics.
posted by Faint of Butt at 6:47 AM on March 23, 2007 [1 favorite]
My wife is a 911 dispatcher. It turns out that a disproportionate amount of suicidal people like to call 911 and off themselves on the phone. Sometimes they take pills and the police get there in time, but other times they call her up, ask her to tell their family that they're sorry, and then stick a gun in their mouth.
I'll see if I can get some of the tapes and put them up on the internet for all the sick voyeurs.
posted by Terminal Verbosity at 7:06 AM on March 23, 2007 [1 favorite]
I'll see if I can get some of the tapes and put them up on the internet for all the sick voyeurs.
posted by Terminal Verbosity at 7:06 AM on March 23, 2007 [1 favorite]
Yes, by all means, find out if SOMEONE IS TO BLAME for this man killing himself.
I mean, surely someone must pay for this. You know, besides the guy that killed himself. Someone ELSE needs to pay. Someone that's still alive.
I think some time back I accidentally stumbled into some sort of parallel universe and haven't found the exit. Back in the mid-90's I was reading a lot about things like astral projection and multiple realities and all of that, and about how you could train your subconscious mind to "steer" you to these other realities. I thought it was all hogwash.
Maybe there was something to it after all. So many things in the world seem just fundamentally wrong, outright alien, and so few people seem to be bothered by it.
Some days it's really like the world I see and view doesn't square with the supporting history and experiences as I know them. Like changing channels in the middle of a movie.
I'm not sure why this relatively banal story was the touchstone for my sudden, and to my knowledge first, discussion of these feelings. Interesting.
posted by Ynoxas at 7:55 AM on March 23, 2007 [1 favorite]
I mean, surely someone must pay for this. You know, besides the guy that killed himself. Someone ELSE needs to pay. Someone that's still alive.
I think some time back I accidentally stumbled into some sort of parallel universe and haven't found the exit. Back in the mid-90's I was reading a lot about things like astral projection and multiple realities and all of that, and about how you could train your subconscious mind to "steer" you to these other realities. I thought it was all hogwash.
Maybe there was something to it after all. So many things in the world seem just fundamentally wrong, outright alien, and so few people seem to be bothered by it.
Some days it's really like the world I see and view doesn't square with the supporting history and experiences as I know them. Like changing channels in the middle of a movie.
I'm not sure why this relatively banal story was the touchstone for my sudden, and to my knowledge first, discussion of these feelings. Interesting.
posted by Ynoxas at 7:55 AM on March 23, 2007 [1 favorite]
rhymer writes "Is this a better way of getting attention than visiting every single starbucks in the world?"
I hate their suicide. It always tastes so burnt.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 8:52 AM on March 23, 2007
I hate their suicide. It always tastes so burnt.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 8:52 AM on March 23, 2007
the ides of march was so last week.
so, the police are "liaising with the internet service provider" to determine the identities of the others in the chat room, eh, to pay them a friendly visit? officer, i didn't see nuthin'!
posted by bruce at 9:29 AM on March 23, 2007
so, the police are "liaising with the internet service provider" to determine the identities of the others in the chat room, eh, to pay them a friendly visit? officer, i didn't see nuthin'!
posted by bruce at 9:29 AM on March 23, 2007
Kevin Whitrick, 42, took his life after being goaded by dozens of chatroom users from across the world who initially believed he was play acting. -- source
Yes, I think that someone saying something like this ... "F***ing do it, get on with it, get it round your neck. For F***'s sake he can't even do this properly" ... while a person is standing on a chair with a rope around his neck could use a talking to by the cops or someone (like maybe a shrink).
posted by Orb at 12:24 PM on March 23, 2007
Yes, I think that someone saying something like this ... "F***ing do it, get on with it, get it round your neck. For F***'s sake he can't even do this properly" ... while a person is standing on a chair with a rope around his neck could use a talking to by the cops or someone (like maybe a shrink).
posted by Orb at 12:24 PM on March 23, 2007
Some days it's really like the world I see and view doesn't square with the supporting history and experiences as I know them. Like changing channels in the middle of a movie.
posted by Ynoxas at 10:55 AM on March 23
In a way, what we describe as life is what we see, media, shopping malls, etc. If you think about it, those are extensions of other people's minds and experiences, the people who design the products in the stories, the businessmen who fund them, the people who built them and the people who are shopping there etc. It doesn't square with what you know because, objectively, it isn't what you know. Those things are a projection of other people.
posted by Pastabagel at 12:27 PM on March 23, 2007 [1 favorite]
posted by Ynoxas at 10:55 AM on March 23
In a way, what we describe as life is what we see, media, shopping malls, etc. If you think about it, those are extensions of other people's minds and experiences, the people who design the products in the stories, the businessmen who fund them, the people who built them and the people who are shopping there etc. It doesn't square with what you know because, objectively, it isn't what you know. Those things are a projection of other people.
posted by Pastabagel at 12:27 PM on March 23, 2007 [1 favorite]
Ynoxas: Pick up a copy of Mark Ames' (of the eXile) Going Postal. You might, just possibly, have a broader understanding of what brings people to kill themselves. Also, a note at LJ (another infamously suicide-heavy site) on major depression should help you understand a little better.
Suicide is not a victimless crime – nor does it occur in a vacuum.
posted by avriette at 4:50 PM on March 23, 2007
Suicide is not a victimless crime – nor does it occur in a vacuum.
posted by avriette at 4:50 PM on March 23, 2007
I don't know if it's authentic or not but this is supposedly a screencap of the chat room.
posted by Rhomboid at 6:59 PM on March 23, 2007
posted by Rhomboid at 6:59 PM on March 23, 2007
Rhomboid: 404'd
Although, I don't know why I was so eager to see it.
posted by tehloki at 10:19 PM on March 23, 2007
Although, I don't know why I was so eager to see it.
posted by tehloki at 10:19 PM on March 23, 2007
Jay Stile is all grown up now, I see.
posted by Joakim Ziegler at 8:34 AM on March 24, 2007
posted by Joakim Ziegler at 8:34 AM on March 24, 2007
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posted by DU at 5:30 AM on March 23, 2007 [1 favorite]