I use social media...a lot. FaceBook, Twitter, yep I do them. Not into Instagram, but will when I have a cell phone that actually takes pictures. I do use Pintrest, and Reddit, and a few others. For being in my 50's, I've accepted the techno revolution and have become quite adept at searching the internet. As a matter of fact, if I can't find it on the internet, it can't be found.
I so some online shopping and was considering getting an Amazon Prime Account. They have things that I would like to have and that free 2 day shipping is a blessing in disguise.
So, you can imagine my horror on Friday when I logged into FaceBook and saw that Amazon was selling T-Shirts that were disgusting...to say the least. On the front, it show someone hanging themselves on one side and someone overdosing on the other. Across the top, it said "Suicide Watch". On the back, it said "Got Suicide?". An organization I belong to Change.org had a petition to remove those shirts. I happily signed and shared to everyone of my friends.
If you don't already know, let me tell you why this is so wrong on so many different levels. First, for those who have survived suicide, it's not a laughing matter. Nor is it something to make fun of. It's hard. There is so much emotion that goes with the grief of those who are left behind someone who completes suicide. This triggered many of my friends as they are also survivor's of suicide.
Second, To those contemplating suicide, this shirt would push you to do it. There is a lot of shame that goes with being suicidal. There is so much judgement from people who have never been there and seeing something like this could very well be the thing that pushes someone over the edge.
If you haven't been there, haven't been in that frame of mind, then don't say a word. You don't know. Some people say that suicide is selfish. Those are the people who have never been there, or have survived a suicide and this is how they deal with their grief, with the questions that come with suicide and the guilt that will always follow. They don't understand how that person could choose death instead of being with them.
Suicide is about escaping pain. Nothing more, nothing less. There is a small percentage that commit suicide by accident (those that accidently overdose chasing that high, autoerotica asphyxiation to think of a couple), but that is less than 1% of all suicides. The people who are suicidal feel pain, a pain that seems to go on and on. The emotional pain of being worthless, not good enough (and trust me, this is a pain that never truly goes away) to live. I've been there, I know what I'm talking about.
My point is this Amazon should have had some type of oversight committee to approve something like this. I get the first amendment. Hell, I count on it at times. But, just because you have the first amendment, that it protects your right to speech doesn't mean you get to escape the consequences of what you are saying. Several people I know were boycotting Amazon because this T-Shirt was so offensive.
So, Amazon, what were you thinking? Next time, maybe take a look at what is being sold on your site, make sure that it's not just socially offensive, but that it doesn't trigger a situation in which others could be physically or mentally injured or worse, cause a death. I believe in free speech, but I also believe in having a social consciousness.
