![]() ![]() When she re-emerged, it was to post a tearful video she claimed was being filmed at a hospital where she said she was getting the help she needed. It all started last week when a fanartist going by the name Zamii caused a scare on Tumblr when she posted an apparent final note to her Tumblr, then disappeared for three days. In a bizarre turn of events prompted by the ensuing debate over what kinds of fanart are acceptable, some fans have now turned even against the show’s creative team, including show creator Rebecca Sugar. There are always people outside your reach.Steven Universe is a beloved animated children’s show known for its smart and progressive depictions of its diverse and lovable cast of characters.īut these positive qualities in the show itself have led to a very ugly turn of events in the Steven Universe fandom, after a beleaguered fanartist said she attempted suicide after being bullied by members of the fandom who felt her art was problematic. The only way I know to stay sane is to be very rigorously disciplined and not be emotionally invested in anything outside your control. “You get into an intense rapport with people very quickly, then you hang up and never heard from them again,” she says. But in the end, Laura and her team know that all they can really do is hope their words help. They’ve created a support group for themselves, in fact. It’s not easy for Laura and her fellow volunteers, who spend a few hours per day responding to Redditors and kicking trolls out. It allows people to be more open on Suicide Watch than they might otherwise be, able to express their feelings without risk of being found out or stigmatized. But Laura argues that there are perks to the anonymity, too. Suicide Watch lacks that one thing that all other suicide hotlines have, which is backup emergency services in case a person’s threats to commit suicide turn real.Īll users are anonymous, which of course means you can’t trace where a person is or who they are, which makes having 911 on call impossible. Volunteers like Laura are constantly watching the subreddit, deleting comments and banning trolls that are deemed threatening or violate the thread’s underlying codes: no abusive or “tough love” language, no suggestions for committing suicide, and no “it gets better” type of empty promises.īut the site also poses some potential problems. Laura is a Canadian who, along with a team of other volunteers, has helped man Suicide Watch for five years (the subreddit has been around for six) she also works with a suicide hotline, which means she understands the intricacies of suicide prevention.īut while Reddit has a reputation for going bonkers on some threads, Suicide Watch has been refreshingly civil and supportive, and a lens into how social media can be utilized as a community tool for good. Related: Pediatricians are recommending depression tests “Then I looked into the background of the sub and discovered it had come about because no matter how much we tried to send people elsewhere or discourage people from talking about their thoughts of suicide, it just kept happening.” “My first thought on discovering the sub was, ‘Oh my god, I’ve gotta get this shut down’ because Reddit is the worst place in the world to do suicide intervention,” the moderator, identified only as Laura, told the BBC. Writer Felicity Morse interviewed the moderator of Reddit’s Suicide Watch, which follows a simple formula: On the subreddit, posters write about their situation - if they’re feeling suicidal, what has pushed them to this state, etc. Recently, the BBC explored an innovative way of addressing this problem, as well as the emotional consequences for the volunteers involved. Would someone in such a heightened emotional state really think to do so? But picking up a phone and talking to someone is an action many people - especially younger people - are becoming less familiar with in our everyday lives. There are hotlines and emergency therapists available for someone who is struggling with suicidal thoughts. Volunteers delete comments and ban trolls that are deemed threatening Reddit's Suicide Watch is an example of how social media can be supportive Posting online is more familiar for some, especially younger people, than picking up the phone ![]()
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