On the internet -and especially and more noticeably in the 'alt lit scene'- we seem to be bound together by the common themes of existential despair, social anxiety, post-ironic irony and bleakness, all brought about by our heightened level of self-awareness.
Philosopher Albert Camus proposes three solutions to the dilemma of searching from meaning in a meaningless world: acceptance of the absurd, becoming religious/spiritual/ and suicide.
I think it is all narrowed down to whether you've killed yourself yet or not. By not killing yourself you are accepting the retardedness of it all and hoping (at best) that something will go right. By killing yourself you are escaping it all very bravely. Sometimes not being seems more appealing than being.
I've came up with a list of the likeliness of alt lit writers killing themselves. I took into consideration personal brand, published work, social media status updates and interactions I've had with them.
- Steve Roggenbuck- Steve is not going to kill himself. Steve lives his life. Steve loves his life. He loves his wife and children. He loves the life he lives. Steve likes to make people happy and it works. Every time I talk to Steve I feel a little or a lot more boosted. Seems like Steve found something he likes to do and will 'keep him going'. Sometimes I wonder if it is tiring to be Steve Roggenbuck, to be boosted/boosting all the time. I know we all have dark times and I wonder if Steve feels like he can't have dark times. It's okay Stevie bb, cry on my shoulder. <3 u.
- Ana Carrete- I have not been exposed to as much work by Ana as I have other writers. I read her newly released poetry collection titled Pinky Promise Me This and I liked it a lot. In it, she talks about moving into a house with a lot of people (she presumably likes) and making romantic porn and being happy. This leads me to think Ana feels alienated from the people with whom she would not want to live and does not feel happy with them. She talks about the difficulty she faces when socializing with other girls. I've read some interviews of her and she seems to share the overall fucked feeling we're all familiar with. She follows me on Twitter and has favorited some of my more depressing tweets. I think there's a 38% chance Ana Carrete will kill herself.
- Tao Lin- I honestly have no idea if Tao Lin would kill himself. It is widely known that Tao is aware of the bleakness of it all (others think he invented it). I have never felt more fucked in my life than when reading Insomnia for a Better Tomorrow from his collection of stories Bed. I have never felt more trapped in a relationship than when reading Richard Yates. It feels as if Tao is so familiar with the bleakness that he can masterfully craft his words to convey such feeling. However, Tao's online presence suggests otherwise. His tweets are the most neutral of things. He narrates his life/thoughts without offering a hint of his attitude towards his own actions/thoughts. He lives an unbiased life. This makes me realize that maybe I am the bleak one for finding such neutral descriptions depressing, but then I realize that they are depressing, life is. So I don't know. I guess I would/wouldn't be surprised if Tao Lin did/didn't kill himself.
- Jordan Castro- I haven't read much of Jordan Castro's work other than some Thought Catalog articles, about social media I think. I read some poems published by him on Shallow. Jordan seems aware of the bleakness but he tweets pretty funny things, not funny in the sad and funny way but as in comical. I've seen some videos of him: the Alt Lit Gossip Awards and his interview with Megan Boyle. Seems like he's on drugs a lot. That seems like a viable way of dealing with reality. I think Jordan Castro will probably not kill himself but if he does it will be an (accidental) drug overdose.
- Megan Boyle- Seems like Megan Boyle is very neutral as well. I remember in her book selected unpublished blogposts of a mexican panda express employee, all her things read with a lot of detachment with occasional details that made it strangely personal. In her interview by Jordan Castro, Megan seems like she is okay. She talks about her relationships in the past and how she expects the other person to 'be each other'. I understand what she means and it feels very fucked because no one can be exactly like you, even though it sounds ideal. She feels condemned but then she laughs so it seems like she's accepting it. I don't know, this is hard to determine, but I think there's a 18% chance that Megan Boyle will kill herself.
- Spencer Madsen- Spencer Madsen is the most depressing person I know on the internet. I've read some of his poetry and it's pretty depressing too. Most of my perception of him comes from his tweets, which I enjoy, because they're so depressing. I saw a video of him eating squid things with a cute Asian girl yesterday and, though awkward, he seemed okay. I feel like even though Spencer is depressed as fuck he's still got some hope or something. But then again we all have hope because we haven't killed ourselves yet, so I don't know. I just don't think Spencer would kill himself.
- Sam Pink- Sam Pink is going to kill himself, it's just a matter of time. He said it himself. Sam Pink is hyper-aware of the fuckedness of it all. I like reading his Formspring advice column. Yesterday somebody asked him "what is life?" and he crafted a beautiful, meaningful response, in the sense that I totally understood what he is saying. He senses the tiredness of everything. Everything feels old and like it's been done. This is incredibly depressing. He lists all the changes he has made in his life and how these haven't reflected at all in his attitude towards people and life in general. Seems like there's a need to change [something] in one to make things better, but even as we change and keep changing everything keeps going to shit. Sam Pink said he'd kill himself when he got tired of making books, music and drawings.
Hopefully when Sam Pink kills himself he'll stream it on the internet so people can watch him die while they play Katawa Shoujo.
ReplyDeletethx pancho
ReplyDeletejesus mate
ReplyDeleteelaine he called u cute. LOL
ReplyDeleteEveryone feels sad, depressed, or angry sometimes — especially when dealing with the pressures of school, friends, and family. But some people may feel sadness or hopelessness that just won't go away, and even small problems may seem like too much to handle.
ReplyDeleteDepression can affect many areas of a person's life and outlook. Someone who has very intense feelings of depression, emotional pain, or irritability may begin to think about suicide.
You may have heard that people who talk about suicide won't actually go through with it. That's not true. People who talk about suicide may be likely to try it.
Other warning signs that someone may be thinking of suicide include:
talking about suicide or death in general
talking about "going away"
talking about feeling hopeless or feeling guilty
pulling away from friends or family and losing the desire to go out
having no desire to take part in favorite activities
having trouble concentrating or thinking clearly
experiencing changes in eating or sleeping habits
engaging in self-destructive behavior (drinking alcohol, taking drugs, or driving too fast, for example)
As a friend, you may also know if the person is going through some tough times. Sometimes, a specific event, stress, or crisis — like a relationship breaking up or a death in the family — can trigger suicidal behavior in someone who is already feeling depressed and showing the warning signs listed above.
If you have a friend who is talking about suicide or showing other warning signs, don't wait to see if he or she starts to feel better. Talk about it. Most of the time, people who are considering suicide are willing to discuss it if someone asks them out of concern and care.
Starting the conversation with someone you think may be considering suicide helps in many ways. First, it allows you to get help for the person. Second, just talking about it may help the person to feel less alone, less isolated, and more cared about and understood — the opposite of the feelings that may have led to suicidal thinking to begin with. Third, talking may provide a chance to consider that there may be another solution.
Asking someone if he or she is having thoughts about suicide can be difficult. Sometimes it helps to let your friend know why you are asking. For instance, you might say, "I've noticed that you've been talking a lot about wanting to be dead. Have you been having thoughts about trying to kill yourself?"
Listen to your friend without judging and offer reassurance that you're there and you care. If you think your friend is in immediate danger, stay close — make sure he or she isn't left alone.