Whether you follow them or not, rating systems are helpful in alerting people of content that may not be suitable for young viewers, themselves, or others. When you see "V" on the screen before a show goes on, you know right away there's violence in the episode you're about to watch. It's not the most revealing opening to a story, I know, but it's a fact. Ratings help you if you need to follow them.
That brings me to a point, which, mind you, is very personally charged. I think it'd be beneficial if rating systems included a notation whenever suicidal content is included. A few years back during in an eight month span, I lost two people to suicide. While I realize my senses are heightened, I've seen first hand how debilitating the mere mention of suicide in various programming can be for family members. It may only momentarily set them back, but it does nonetheless. Alerting similar viewers that a suicide or situation is featured may help them avoid it altogether or mentally prepare themselves to watch it and take the sting out.
On a related note, "I'm going to kill myself" is just an expression, and I get that. Way too often, however, it's a line used on TV, in film and song lyrics to get laughs. Michael Scott, for example, used to say it all the time on The Office. Sometime it was funny -- sometimes it was a stretch. If we can limit derogatory terms like "faggot" in movie trailers and curse words on prime time TV (although I've noticed more and more "dick" drops at the 8:30 p.m. hour), perhaps it's time we limit hurtful comments like that for awhile or at least denote when it's going to be said.
In my observations, the words can serve as daggers in the hearts of someone who lost someone. Visuals are worse. Just last weekend, I was watching Saturday Night Live's Digital Short when all of a sudden Matt Damon -- playing a homeless guy -- shot his head off during a game of Russian roulette. The audience ate it up. I didn't and can imagine how families touched by suicide felt.
I realize you can't have ratings for everything. I'm not asking for an "A" before a program features alcoholism, but it's a relatively simple ask. Maybe it's the stigma surrounding suicide that adds tothis notion for me. I know when my best friend died in a car accident, I could watch any content with turnpike crashes and not be phased. If you agree with me (or not) -- weigh in below. What I'd really love to do is have some sort of IMDB database of all shows containing suicidal references and actions. That'd take some work, but I'm game. If such a service exists, please tell me. If you can help me get it off the ground, I'm listening.
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Suicide is such a shocking death to those left behind that I can see how it's hard to watch references on TV.
Basically, a warning similar to what shows up on CTV here in Canada that says "Warning this program has scenes of violence and disturbing topics that may be offensive to some viewers" or something like that is appropriate.
No one talks about it. His name is rarely mentioned. So much pain and no one knows how to deal with it. It has destroyed relationships with siblings. It is a horrible horrible weight. Even now... after 14 years.
It's been a number of years, but it still hits me anew unexpectedly at times.
BUT, I see suicide as a part of life in that it happens in a number of families. The saddest thing about suicide (I think) is seeing how the survivors of the person who committed suicide react to it. I have never recovered from my mother's suicide & never expect to; I think others might feel same way.
So, since I never forget--it's with me every day--, I can honestly say that seeing tv programs, movies, where a suicide happens does not bother me or offend me, and I need no warning. It's not a "painful reminder" since I need no reminders.
Just my opinion....
I especially disagree though with your suggestion to put limits on artistic expression, even if temporarily. Art’s function is not just to express the benign and the comfortable but to take on life’s ambiguous multi-dimensionality full bore. Some of our favorite works of art whether they be books, poems, songs, movies or TV are laden with imagery that many will find offensive, but if we’re to set limits on their creation we don’t get things like “Macbeth” (violence and murder), Bukowski’s “Ice Cream People”, Pearl Jam’s “Jeremy” (both potentially about suicide), “Thelma & Louise” (the final scene) or Whitman’s “A Woman Waits For Me” (with its explicit sexual imagery).
Personally I’m okay with “The following is for mature audiences and may contain scenes, etc…”. It alerts the audience to “mature” content but leaves the interpretation with us to decide.
If you don't want to hear or see any references to suicide, don't watch the evening news. Don't attend performances of operas like Tosca, Peter Grimes, Madama Butterfly, Dialogues of the Carmelites, The Flying Dutchman, Gotterdammerung, etc.
Find therapeutic activities that are fulfilling and that can bring you happiness. Crafts work. Gardening. Reading. Playing cards with friends. Working out at the gym. Volunteering.
Take all the time you need to heal until you feel that you're ready to get on with your life. But don't expect everyone to stop what they're doing -- and what may involve their life's work or artistic output -- just to keep coddling you.
George Heymont
http://myculturallandscape.blogspot.com/2007/11/about-author.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/george-heymont
As uncomfortable or hurtful as it may seem, suicide (or depictions of it) fit within that paradigm and we as adults should possess the ability to process these things without additional regulatory interference.
I actually laugh at how specific the TV ratings/warnings have become--I think Rescue Me was TV-MA, LSV. Do you really want warnings for: suicides, rapes, gun shootings, knifings, drownings, patricide/matricide/infanticide, bullying, etc.? Where do you draw the line to ensure we're all comfortable watching something?
Maybe you just need to pre-read more before you watch something to see if it may contain suicidal scenes. Or get therapy. Or avoid watching anything potentially upsetting.
I think there are too many potential sources of cultural material that could upset you to avoid: films, TV, news programs, music, plays, videogames, etc. My point was that it's unreasonable to ask that all these pieces be reviewed and tagged and that there is nothing inherently more upsetting about suicide versus the other issues I mentioned. It obviously means more to you, but I don't think it's reasonable to tag every potentially objectionable subject for every viewer.
Plus, you asked. :-)
I tend to read up on a film, reviews, synopsis beforehand nowadays. I don't like surprises and I like to know when to shut my eyes....