Talk:Forced suicide

Latest comment: 12 years ago by SmallEditsForLife in topic Sentence offered as an alternative to public shame

comments edit

The WTC jumpers were not forced to commit suicide in this sense. Also, the picture is not used fairly to illustrate this article. It would be "fair" to use it to illustrate the WTC jumpings but using it in other contexts is at best questionable. Grace Note 01:56, 1 March 2006 (UTC)Reply

They were forced by the fire. Forced suicide implies the choice of suicide as the better alternative. In this case it was a choice between suicide and death by fire. They choose suicide.--God Ω War 04:20, 4 March 2006 (UTC)Reply

There's actually quite a bit of discussion on whether most of the "jumpers" (and I use that word with some reservations) actually chose to jump. It may have very well been that the body's fight-or-flight response took over and they ran away from overwhelming heat and/or fire without consciously choosing to jump. Many may also have fallen accidentally as they tried to attract attention from the many helicopters that were flying around the WTC on that morning. We'll never know, so perhaps assuming without question that those who fell jumped deliberately is unfair. --Charlene.fic 00:00, 24 September 2006 (UTC)Reply
Forced suicide does not merely imply the choice of suicide as the better alternative, it is more than that. A person suffering from disease may also choose suicide as a better alternative, but that is not specifically "forced suicide". --Ezeu 05:06, 4 March 2006 (UTC)Reply
I wouldn't say that's forced suicide. Suicide, in itself, is a better alternative for some, doesn't mean it's forced suicide. I think the line such as suffering torture in the intro paragraph needs to be removed or clarified. Gflores Talk 00:15, 6 March 2006 (UTC)Reply
Agreed. When I saw "suffering torture" I immediately thought of the WTC jumpers. Perhaps something can be said about the torture being inflicted by a hostile enemy? That could still leave open the ambiguity that the terrorists caused the fire, but I think it makes things a tiny bit clearer. -Etoile 13:57, 30 August 2006 (UTC)Reply
I think the term "forced suicide" implies the intervention of another person, so it probably wouldn't be appropriate to include voluntary euthanasia under that heading. I'm sceptical about the WTC jumpers too. I suspect the plan of the people who perpetrated the attacks was merely to cause as much death and destruction as possible (please, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong), not specifically to force people to commit suicide. I don't really have a source to back this up, but I just think there should be some sort of direct pressure on a specific person to commit suicide, be it from society in general or a specific individual or group, or at the very least a specific intent that the victim should commit suicide, before it can be called a forced suicide. I don't think that a mere callous indifference to whether they commit suicide or not is enough. Landithy 08:00, 14 September 2007 (UTC)Reply

I think Stalin's victims should be included in this, the many that he put the gun down on the table and walked away, said the NKVD or equivelent would be coming soon to arrest and torture them.

Culture edit

This sounds callous, i know, but would it be worth mentioning the film Se7en? Might involve a spoiler warning, though. One of the victims dies in a "forced suicide" kind of way. Malrase 16:44, 18 December 2006 (UTC)Reply

It's 100% fictional. It's no more relevant to the real world of forced suicide than the bizarre and melodramatic crap-movie Titanic was to the real event, wherein over 1,500 people died in horrible agony. --Charlene 00:36, 29 December 2006 (UTC)Reply
But still, in the Titanic article, you have a reference to the film - no matter how awful it was. I accept your point, though. 90.202.126.225 17:47, 14 April 2007 (UTC)Reply

As a substitute for honor killings edit

I've undone the edit that removed this section from the article, as I could see no justification for its removal, and no reason was given. As always, I'm happy to discuss the matter if somebody objects. Landithy (talk) 02:34, 18 March 2008 (UTC)Reply

What about Robert Neville in 'I am Legend' (the book, not the film), where he is given the option: either commit suicide with the pill that the woman gives him (sorry, can't remember her name!), or get 'exectuted' by the waiting crowd outside. It would be interesting to have 'assisted suicides in literature and film' or something; I'm sure there's more examples. Katie- lilbeyo@hotmail.com (email me if you like this idea) :) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 77.101.192.251 (talk) 22:32, 24 April 2008 (UTC)Reply

In Ancient China edit

I added in Ancient China forced suicide was often given to female criminals, but I couldn't find any source in English. Cecikierk 02:59, 26 March 2008 (UTC)cecikierk

Does anybody happen know if references have to be in English? I know I've submitted academic papers, with references in foreign languages and nobody has complained, but I'm not sure if Wikipedia has a specific policy on this, and I'm not entirely sure where to start looking. Landithy (talk) 02:51, 27 March 2008 (UTC)Reply
Start looking in Wikipedia:Verifiability, where you will find WP:RSUE. English references are preferable, but not required. —Toby Bartels (talk) 23:02, 20 May 2008 (UTC)Reply


Someone needs to rationalise the 'pie' discussion in the first couple of paragraphs... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.0.174.33 (talk) 15:52, 29 September 2008 (UTC)Reply

"as seen in the film"? edit

Am I the only one who thought the sentence "Failure was not tolerated in Stalin's régieme as can be seen in the film Burnt by the Sun." a little odd? Sounds, at best, like a sentence out of an essay - but surely isn't acceptable in an encyclopedic article? MetzMaboo (talk) 21:30, 25 February 2009 (UTC)Reply

another secret method edit

People have been known to force individuals with chronic debilitating diseases to commit suicide, but on a gradual basis via severe, protracted harassment including shunning and blacklisting. It's also common in Hollywood against entertainers with a lucrative contract whom they no longer wish to pay. Unethical psychiatrists might also employ the same tactics on psychotic patients they consider dangerous burdens to society. It's a hideous crime that needs to be exposed. Joseph F. 75.208.58.203 (talk) 03:42, 25 June 2009 (UTC)Reply

Sentence offered as an alternative to public shame edit

The heading mentions that forced suicide is offered as the only alternative to public humiliation or having ones named ruined, such as one of the theories of Tchaikovsky's death. The opening makes it sound like forced suicide is only ever offered as a choice of death sentence, rather than also being an option as opposed other non death situations. SmallEditsForLife (talk) 14:35, 30 September 2011 (UTC)Reply