Post a controversial opinion

that's basically the "only outlaws will have guns" argument - it being illegal creates an extra set of hoops and risks and it's difficult to just impulsively get your hands on a bunch. I get that it's stupid but opiate addiction makes you do stupid things. of course I do agree that 'possession' is a stupid thing to criminalize

idk how controversial this is, but it pisses me off how every time suicide appears in the media there is heaps of "if you need help it's there" and "here is the phone number for the samaritans" and never even the merest hint of "this is what's wrong with the world we've made which is making people not want to live in it any more" or "actually the help you need is not available because the government (and the public) doesn't want to pay for it"

I vote otm as opposed to controversial.

yes, seriously otm, and thank you for posting that

not sure how "this is what's wrong with the world" is better info than "here a number you can call" to someone comtemplating suicide

I suppose it varies from state to state but by and large there do exist publicly funded suicide prevention hotlines

not to mention walk-in mental health clinics

please tell me you are not srsly advicating for a message that informs people contemplatonmg suicide that "actually the help you need is not available" wtf

Help is most definitely available

Was talking to my wife yesterday about some conservative friends we have and how they view every social issue through the lens of "what does this mean to me / my family" only, think this is the thing here too, the analysis being "there are lots of suicidal people, let's them them the number to call" maybe works on an individual level if that's how you view things. In terms of a real solution though, it's nothing.

I'm not saying hide the samaritans number ffs. But there is never any word on the causes, never any responsibility.

suicide happens on an individual level

I don't know if there are heaps of mental health walk-in clinics where you are, but around here there are very few and they are massively underfunded

xp if you didn't understand please re-read

let's them them the number to call" maybe works on an individual level if that's how you view things

well yeah that's how I view things: the idea is to pehaps prevent an individual from committing suicide

xp I live in Massachusetts and help abounds, and a lot of people are not aware this is the case.

If you re-read you might find out that I am not in any way opposed to "perhaps stopping an individual committing suicide" - but that simply isn't enough.
There is fuck all help for people in the uk, what there is is being cut by the day, millions are desperate with no real help available. There is near zero public outcry about this. Posting glib messages about helplines in such a society is not going to do any good.

could we consider neither one of you is proposing a zero sum game scenario here, like...you could communicate...both....messages

I think I quite clearly said exactly that

Agreed, two seperate issues, and the suicide rate and underfunded mental health programs are underreported issues, anything to engender public outcry is good.

Yes, but also. Suicide and depression are not simply issues of curable illness, they are symptomatic of the shitty way our society treats people in general.

Depression is a mystery. It is biochemical but not to the exclusion of trauma, family history, financial hardship, societal problems. It can't simply be laid at the feet of late capitalism or whatever. People kill themselves for an array of complex reasons.

not to mention walk-in mental health clinics

At first I thought you must be from, like, Finland but then I saw Mass, which is more like Finland than the rest of the USofA when it comes to social services.

I am a social worker in the capitol of the USofA and I know of no such thing as a "walk in mental health clinic" unless you are counting the emergency room?

Suicide hotlines are a good thing, yes, but I agree that throwing that out there in a FB post is pretty weak when it comes to mental health advocacy.

http://www.namidc.org/find-support

I'm not gonna argue that social services are up to snuff in general

I think in general people feel helpless when they lose loved ones to suicide and want to take whatever steps to prevent others in their life from going down that rabbit hole. I can't blame them for wanting to contribute the best way they know how.

I don't know about MA, but in DC,"24 hour emergency psychiatric care" equals emergency room at a hospital with an inpatient psych ward. I *wish* we had walk in mental health clinics!

I am a social worker in the capitol of the USofA and I know of no such thing as a "walk in mental health clinic" unless you are counting the emergency room?

we've got walk-in mental health clinics (non-ED) at the VA -- I work in one (sorta)!

24/7???

Walk-in is extended business hours, evening/overnight is ED

People who listen to talk radio, or podcasts with a talk-radio-like format, are evil soulless monsters.

Or

OR

And (I hope it goes without saying) people who actually make talk radio and talk-radio-like podcasts are literally satan

sweet

Hail Satan.

Or rather Hail, Satan.

Making a talk-format program is like doing stand-up comedy in that the mere fact that someone would want to do it is strong evidence that there's something deeply wrong with them

You either die a Rhea or live long enough to be Ouranos

Hesiod iirc.

To all the people clinging to or striking at other’s identities: FUCK IDENTITY “FEELINGS” FOR NOW AND FOREVER YOU ARE LYING TO YOURSELF ABOUT OTHERS AND/OR YOURSELF 98+% OF THE TIME AND IF YOU USE IT TO EXCLUDE OR ESPECIALLY x1000 FOR A REASON TO HARM OTHERS FUCK YOU x 1000.

Kate Bush kinda nails my enjoyment of some sports talk radio in "dream of sheep": "I'll listen to some friendly voices/talking bout stupid things". It's hard to explain. It's somewhat soothing. I don't have many friends btw. Also I hate angry hosts and "personalities" ugh

sports podcasts are brilliant dozing off material

otm

and late night talk radio can be magical. compelling, soothing, comforting, stimulating... sometimes it's a friend you need in those wee hours when otherwise your own thoughts would be making you crazy.

When I was a kid I would always be up til about 3 am on the weekends, and a local radio station out of Chicago had this older dude DJing overnight, playing mostly vocal and small combo postwar jazz, with some big band mixed in. Total pro, and every set he’d play “One For My Baby” by Sinatra at 2:45, which would put me to sleep. He did a lot of talking too, the guy was like an old version of Donald Fagen’s Nightfly character, monologuing about his memories and the music.

aw, I didn't mean cool stuff like that!

I'm all over the 'sports podcasts as vaguely contentless, friendly voices to fall asleep to' thing. I'd be kind of stuffed without them.

I can't remember if I saw it on ilx too but supposedly hotels and new apartment buildings are putting in studios for podcasters because every single mf'er has a podcast now.

I just don't understand where people find the time to listen to episode after episode of two comedians horsing around for 90 minutes. It's all I can do to keep up with listening to albums I buy. I'm sure there are many podcasts I would find enjoyable and interesting, but I don't commute to work and if I have free time to listen to something, I want to hear music, not chatter

completely agreed but i've accepted that i'm on the wrong side of history here

I have never enjoyed a single episode of just people bullshitting. Like, I've enjoyed Molly Lambert's stuff on the internet, for Grantland etc, so I gave her new podcast Nightcall(?) a listen, and just noooo

they're also all 2-3 fucking hours long now

it's infuriating to me that ppl routinely put out long-ass podcasts that no one edits properly. madness