The deaths this week of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain highlight the epidemic of suicides in America. And, given the celebrity-obsessed nature of our culture, I fear their suicides might make it seem “cool” for other tortured souls to do the same.
To be fair, suicides were increasing at an alarming rate for years before the nation developed an opioid-like addiction to dystopian antics of Donald J. Trump. But talk about adding fuel to fire.
I mean, am I the only one who suspects there’s a correlation here? (The government has yet to publish statistics for 2017 – the first full year of his presidency.)
It’s bad enough that media coverage of his lunatic rantings is so pervasive, we can’t even watch professional sports for a little escape. But every time he opens his mouth, he makes me feel like I’m living in such a surreal world, even I just want to … escape. #Anomie
Thank God I am hopeful enough to see the light at the end of the tunnel. #Impeachment! #2020! And, I am patient enough to get there.
But if – for whatever reason – you are feeling like you’re not, I urge you to seek professional help, which is so readily available these days. (Call this hotline for immediate refuge: 1-800-273-8255)
That said, I feel compelled to note that expressing condolences in this age of social media has become as perfunctory as saying hello to a stranger. Even worse, those who tweet/post condolences seem far more interested in drawing attention to themselves than in comforting the loved ones of the dead.
This is why I decided years ago to limit condolences upon the deaths of famous people to those who were either pioneers in their field or had a profound impact on my life. And, as creative a designer as Spade was and as entertaining a peripatetic cook/storyteller as Bourdain was (I’m a big fan of his Parts Unknown TV series), neither qualify … for me.
But don’t get me started on the manifest absurdity of people taking to social media to express personal condolences upon the deaths of family and friends. And you wonder why the most “connected” kids in the history of mankind feel so disconnected that they are committing suicide at a rate higher than that of any other demographic.