WW News - Cork Confirms It’s The Real Capital When It Comes To Suicide

Knex*

A lot of people on the Waterford Whispers site, as well as Facebook, are upset and outraged at the latest WW article, stating that they've crossed the line. Many quotes of "Gone too far", "Not funny", or "Insensitive" are to be found.

I will admit that the title took me by surprise and spiked my emotions at first glance, but after taking a moment and actually reading the article, I think as a piece of satire on a very sensitive issue, it hits the spot.

Satire is not meant to simply be humourous, but to challenge preconceptions and question the norm.

From my stand point, I hadn't known that Cork had double the rate of suicide to the rest of Ireland. I think its becoming increasingly more documented how under resourced we are with regards to mental health in this country, and pieces like this from WW, while hard hitting, are a step towards getting the issue into light and perhaps going a small way towards resolving it.

Any thoughts on the matter?

Article found here: http://waterfordwhispersnews.com/2016/11/24/cork-confirms-its-the-real-capital-when-it-comes-to-suicide/

GreenFolder2

They're usually funny but that is really just not.

Definitely crossed a line.

Mena

GreenFolder2 wrote: »

They're usually funny but that is really just not.

Definitely crossed a line.

Why?

The_Valeyard

Maybe they are actually highlighting an issue.

podgemonster

At first the title appears shocking and tasteless. But the article itself really highlights in a satirical way just how bad things are in Cork in terms of suicide stats, how inadequate support services are and how unmotivated and uneducated politicians are to tackle the issue.

It may initially annoy and offend a lot of people but at least it gets us talking about something we should all be talking more about.

I view satire as a form of expression to make us think. This article, while close to the bone, is I'm guessing supposed to make you wonder about lack of resources in place for suicide prevention. So instead of being outraged at the writer that outrage should be directed towards the powers that be.

maudgonner

I think they made it very clear that they weren't mocking victims of suicide or their families. Or Cork people, for that matter.

There have been WWN articles before on controversial subjects that I thought really missed the mark, but this one seemed much better than that to me.

Kadser

They're only offended because it's Waterford taking the ps.

SEPT 23 1989

Hundreds of lives destroyed in two weeks is no laughing matter

mzungu

GreenFolder2 wrote: »

They're usually funny but that is really just not.

Definitely crossed a line.

The article takes aim at the poor Government response to the issue, it is not making fun of suicide.

Mr Joe

I highly doubt it is double the national average, I'm quite confident that is a falsehood. I also don't think the huge levels of suicide in Ireland are down to lack of suicide prevention services. I think it is more down to culture and the sick place Irish society is these days.

Grandeeod

A storm in a tea cup and yet another example of how the internet gives a voice to those that are easily offended.

To anyone with a semblence of intelligence, the satire in the article clearly does two things, highlights an issue and does so in a lighthearted fashion. Lately it seems you can't say jack**** about anything. Sick of it.:rolleyes:

Knex*

podgemonster wrote: »

At first the title appears shocking and tasteless. But the article itself really highlights in a satirical way just how bad things are in Cork in terms of suicide stats, how inadequate support services are and how unmotivated and uneducated politicians are to tackle the issue.

It may initially annoy and offend a lot of people but at least it gets us talking about something we should all be talking more about.

Yeah this is my view on it as well.

mzungu

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

Hundreds of lives destroyed in two weeks is no laughing matter

I agree, but I don't think any right minded person would laugh at what is in the article. Does it hit near a nerve? Yes. But, the overall message is trying to bring attention to a serious matter, I don't think whomever in WWN wrote that with the intention of it being viewed as comedy.

Uriel.

I think it's a great "article".

If you read it for the message it's trying to convey then I think it hits the nail on the absolute head. There is insufficient resources being directed to suicide awareness and prevention,nationally and particularly in Cork where suicide rates are apparently out in front. It goes on to opine that the government pays the topic lip service and not invest in a meaningful way.

The means of delivery of the message is different to what you might normally expect in a "serious" article or opinion piece but that doesn't undermine the core message. It is very useful to express messages in different ways and to different audiences.

Those offended by the piece either haven't looked between the lines to get the message and understand what the article is trying to deliver, or are just looking to be offended, as so many seem to work at on a full time basis these days.

That said, I don't believe the article will be any sort of serious catalyst for change.

Cienciano

GreenFolder2 wrote: »

They're usually funny but that is really just not.

Definitely crossed a line.

There's no line

Irish Guitarist

It reads like a real news article. There's no satire whatsoever in it. That's what's not funny about it. Then again I've never seen anything funny about any of their articles and have always thought they were a rip off of The Onion, which isn't remotely funny either, so maybe I'm missing something.

padd b1975

Cienciano wrote: »

There's no line

And that site is never usually funny.

The article is probably as close to genuine satire as they've ever managed over the past few years.

Has professional fcuk-up Connor Cusack weighed in yet??

Kadser

Depressed Cork people should move to Waterford City, no suicides there last year.

retro:electro

Satire doesn't always have to be humerous. It's a way of making us think about the world around us in an exaggerated kind of way. Constructive social criticism is what it's mainly used for.

Tangatagamadda Chaddabinga Bonga Bungo

It needs to be highlighted and this is a way of doing it so I think they are 100% right to do it. Seems one of the main ways to get something to 'work' online is by getting the people who are constantly on the look out to be enraged 'triggered'.

Put it this way, this thread started recently attracted a total of 12 posts, 487 deaths by suicide recorded in 2013. And nobody cared enough to post about it, it's just not very 'sexy'. This thread already has more posts. Start a thread about nearly anything else and it'll get more posts! Actually talking about suicide in anyway is still taboo, being offended is certainly not, so if WWN has been able to marry the two here and highlight an issue that needs to be highlighted more than nearly any other issue, then I think they've done a great job in helping a worthy cause.

Grandeeod

Tangatagamadda Chaddabinga Bonga Bungo wrote: »

It needs to be highlighted and this is a way of doing it so I think they are 100% right to do it. Seems one of the main ways to get something to 'work' online is by getting the people who are constantly on the look out to be enraged 'triggered'.

Put it this way, this thread started recently attracted a total of 12 posts, 487 deaths by suicide recorded in 2013. And nobody cared enough to post about it, it's just not very 'sexy'. This thread already has more posts. Start a thread about nearly anything else and it'll get more posts! Actually talking about suicide in anyway is still taboo, being offended is certainly not, so if WWN has been able to marry the two here and highlight an issue that needs to be highlighted more than nearly any other issue, then I think they've done a great job in helping a worthy cause.

I did something related to suicide in the "creative" field. Finished me off. Once its direct, people get cowardly. But if its done via a newspaper article, they will be all full of talk and opinion. I fully support WWN here, but Im aware of the criticism they are garnering. My contribution wasn't satire, it was more direct. Anyway, glad its being discussed. Suicide entered my life at 16.

Poor Uncle Tom

I don't particularly like it, but I'm not offended by it. Anything that helps highlight the issues can only be helpful in the long run.

ZeitgeistGlee

Ah the old "It's not satire if I don't find it funny" backlash argument.

Maybe instead of getting upset that WWN would dare to satirise our utterly failed approach to suicide prevention, we could get upset at ourselves as a nation for letting it get that way and genuinely try to improve things? Oh that won't get them easy Facebook likes? Ah, well carry on then.

GBX

The_Valeyard wrote: »

Maybe they are actually highlighting an issue.

Exactly. They have highlighted other issues in the past. Click bait title with good intentions.
It's in no way a slight on those affected by suicide.

Arcade_Tryer

Knex. wrote: »

A lot of people on the Waterford Whispers site, as well as Facebook, are upset and outraged at the latest WW article, stating that they've crossed the line. Many quotes of "Gone too far", "Not funny", or "Insensitive" are to be found.

Those people make me want to commit suicide.

maudgonner wrote: »

I think they made it very clear that they weren't mocking victims of suicide or their families. Or Cork people, for that matter.

Nah, I think they are mocking the Cork inferiority complex somewhat. Which is great. It needs to be mocked. Constantly.

pauliebdub

I've seen it online. The title appears to be a bit crass but the article is very well written and has some very valid points.

Looking at some of the comments it appears that suicide is a topic that people prefer to sweep under the carpet and have difficulty discussing or reading about or maybe they are a bit thick that they don't understand the article that it went over their heads.

lazybones32

I don't read WW but satire isn't just about humour. It can be deadly serious too and provided they weren't mocking those who've committed suicide or their families, I'm all for a provocative title that will stimulate debate. The sensitive approach has already been tried and it isn't working. Any and all angles must be used.

My name is URL

Waterford Whispers is satire. Satire doesn't need to conform to anyone's views on decency.

Far more worrying is actual journalists and media outlets using sensationalist terms like 'suicide cluster' to describe these things. While ignoring experts and the advice they give regarding the reporting of such things.

http://www.samaritans.org/sites/default/files/kcfinder/files/press/Samaritans%20Ireland%20media%20factsheet%20-%20broadcast%20media.pdf

That shit happens all the time and nobody bats an eyelid. It's a sad state of affairs when people are more offended or distraught by a piece of satire than they are about the things actually happening around them.

Goya

ZeitgeistGlee wrote: »

Ah the old "It's not satire if I don't find it funny" backlash argument.

Maybe instead of getting upset that WWN would dare to satirise our utterly failed approach to suicide prevention, we could get upset at ourselves as a nation for letting it get that way and genuinely try to improve things? Oh that won't get them easy Facebook likes? Ah, well carry on then.

What do you think should be done to improve things?

Grandeeod

Flimpson wrote: »

What do you think should be done to improve things?

Please tell us what you think should be done??

Goya

Grandeeod wrote: »

Please tell us what you think should be done??

Strange response to me asking someone else a question.

ZeitgeistGlee

Flimpson wrote: »

What do you think should be done to improve things?

It's not something which can be solved overnight, and sadly isn't (as WWN pointedly commented) something that's a vote earner for Local/National politicians in the same way "fixing da roads" is.

Aside from the obvious of changing our attitudes towards mental health/welfare (which IMO have roots in our religious heritage) I'd like to see targeted spending in schools so that at risk children/teens/young adults can identified and given the help they need. IMO no child should go without needed counselling simply because there's not availability in their school and/or the cost of private counselling is so exorbitant. Mental health funding in general should be prioritised but like everything else there needs to be metrics to ensure the right money is being spent in the right places.

One thing for definite, getting angry because a piece of too on-the-nose satire ruffled feathers isn't the way to improve things. Speaking personally I'm not a fan of celebrity/name-driven awareness campaigns that last a few weeks because after it (some) people feel "I've done my bit" and it doesn't lead to a permanent shift in their outlook. Fair enough (some) people don't want to talk about it year round because it's not a nice thing but it's a much worse thing to have to live with and feeling you can't talk to anyone about it because it makes them feel uncomfortable.

That's my 2c anyway from my own experiences with mental health.

Grandeeod

Flimpson wrote: »

Strange response to me asking someone else a question.

No its not a strange response. You posed the question to someone else and Im posing the question to you. Simple really.

Goya

Grandeeod wrote: »

No its not a strange response. You posed the question to someone else and Im posing the question to you. Simple really.

It was quite confrontational, apropos absolutely nothing - extremely strange, don't know what prompted it at all. I however asked the person the question based on their post.

Goya

ZeitgeistGlee wrote: »

It's not something which can be solved overnight, and sadly isn't (as WWN pointedly commented) something that isn't a vote earner for Local/National politicians in the same way "fixing da roads" is.

Aside from the obvious of changing our attitudes towards mental health/welfare (which IMO have roots in our religious heritage) I'd like to see targeted spending in schools so that at risk children/teens/young adults can identified and given the help they need. IMO no child should go without needed counselling simply because there's not availability in their school and/or the cost of private counselling is so exorbitant. Mental health funding in general should be prioritised but like everything else there needs to be metrics to ensure the right money is being spent in the right places.

One thing for definite, getting angry because a piece of too on-the-nose satire ruffled feathers isn't the way to improve things. Speaking personally I'm not a fan of celebrity/name-driven awareness campaigns that last a few weeks because after it (some) people feel "I've done my bit" and it doesn't lead to a permanent shift in their outlook. Fair enough (some) people don't want to talk about it year round because it's not a nice thing but it's a much worse thing to have to live with and feeling you can't talk to anyone about it because it makes them feel uncomfortable.

That's my 2c anyway from my own experiences with mental health.

Yeah I don't disagree with much of that. I don't agree with the "our collective failure" stuff though - I really dislike collective blame because people who are not to blame (including the people with mental illness) get swept up as part of those to blame. The legacy of attitudes towards mental illness (which have definitely improved) comes from a complex history (and it is not particular to Ireland).

I don't take issue with the WWN headline by the way (although if people find it tasteless, including maybe people who have lost someone to suicide, they're entitled to their opinion).

Grandeeod

Flimpson wrote: »

It was quite confrontational, apropos absolutely nothing - extremely strange, don't know what prompted it at all. I however asked the person the question based on their post.

Its a simple question. Nothing confrontational about it all.

I am merely asking you to answer the question that you posed to another poster in relation to suicide prevention services.

jacksie66

This post has been deleted.

ZeitgeistGlee

Flimpson wrote: »

Yeah I don't disagree with much of that. I don't agree with the "our collective failure" stuff though - I really dislike collective blame because people who are not to blame (including the people with mental illness) get swept up as part of those to blame.

Fair point, my view would be that as society is a collective entity then blame while not uniform has to be accepted collectively for failure but I definitely see your point in that that would feel unfair if you're on "the right side" so to speak. My point wasn't so much about assigning/accepting blame as acknowledging as a society faults continue to exist and we must as a society strive to improve things.

Flimpson wrote: »

The legacy of attitudes towards mental illness (which have definitely improved) comes from a complex history (and it is not particular to Ireland).

Yeah, the winds are blowing in the right direction for the right kinds of change. Hopefully it won't be too long before mental health is treated the same way as physical health and viewed without inherent stigma.

jimmy blevins

I googled satire and this is what came up: "the use of humour, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.".
It a pity people use technology to feed their sense of self intitlement rather than educate themselves.

Galway_Old_Man

jimmy blevins wrote: »

I googled satire and this is what came up: "the use of humour...

Well that's WWN out then.

Maybe we should try "satire: re-packaging internationally well known piss-takes sites, and stories, with local slang and right-on bollo(ks"

Poor Uncle Tom

Galway_Old_Man wrote: »

Well that's WWN out then.

Maybe we should try "satire: re-packaging internationally well known piss-takes sites, and stories, with local slang and right-on bollo(ks"

Talk about selective vision......:rolleyes:

IvyTheTerrible

I always find it interesting that some people find satire funny until it touches one of their "pet" subjects. The offended comments are always along the lines of "I usually find your articles funny but this time you've gone too far". It's annoying that they can't see the irony.

And for the record, I lost a brother to suicide and I find the article spot on.

Robsweezie

Satire doesn't always have to make you laugh, it should make you think as well.

Very often they'll do a spin on mental health, then include links to helplines at the end. Like kanyes recent hospitalization.

lawred2

Knex. wrote: »

A lot of people on the Waterford Whispers site, as well as Facebook, are upset and outraged at the latest WW article, stating that they've crossed the line. Many quotes of "Gone too far", "Not funny", or "Insensitive" are to be found.

I will admit that the title took me by surprise and spiked my emotions at first glance, but after taking a moment and actually reading the article, I think as a piece of satire on a very sensitive issue, it hits the spot.

Satire is not meant to simply be humourous, but to challenge preconceptions and question the norm.

From my stand point, I hadn't known that Cork had double the rate of suicide to the rest of Ireland. I think its becoming increasingly more documented how under resourced we are with regards to mental health in this country, and pieces like this from WW, while hard hitting, are a step towards getting the issue into light and perhaps going a small way towards resolving it.

Any thoughts on the matter?

Article found here: http://waterfordwhispersnews.com/2016/11/24/cork-confirms-its-the-real-capital-when-it-comes-to-suicide/

Surely the purpose was to raise awareness in a satirical manner about a very real problem!?

Are people really at that stage where they are incapable of seeing past their own desire to be the first offended?

Rubberchikken

it's an article. good to highlight a very serious issue but one which the govt/hse will not change in the near future.

smurgen

Fair play to wwn and shame on the rest of the irish media.i was reading about a recent spate of sucides in cork in the evening echo, the local paper and read the highest national average figure.it was actually double the national average some years. Bar the irish times writing a small piece about michael martin bringing it up in the dail i couldn't find anyting.
We really are turning into two nations,dublin and outside dublin.the indo seem more concerned about talking about housing and the next bubble.suicide rates in cork being off the wall just aren't sexy enough.we are truely turning into a forgotten county.suicide prevention isn't a priority because the government cant see a fast or noticible return on it's investment.but it genuinely galls me to see enda kenny talking about things like brexit leading to a united ireland.ffs man,you don't even look after the people you current are answerable to nevermind if the country grows.he constantly seems to be fiddling while rome burns.

Kadser

He's no right to talk about a united Ireland when the majority up North don't want this.

looksee

Kadser wrote: »

He's no right to talk about a united Ireland when the majority up North don't want this.

I think you are in the wrong topic.

The_Kew_Tour

As a Corkman im not offended.

It might wake people up.