The current situation.

[Chinaski]

That's the thing this place has never done any PR outside this forum as far as I know. And I'm not saying we should fight back even though I know plenty of people here want to, I just want to make people understand the actual situation and our side whereas the public is only getting a one sided biased part of the story. I'm not trying to win hearts and minds or spread the word of assisted/pro choice suicide.

Do you think that no matter what we say even if it was proofed read before submitting won't help the situation at all? If so I can atleast somewhat agree given the fact that I feel most people don't actually care so.

I mean can you give any reasons why not and why it'll be negative?

Yeah I've pretty much stated the negatives above and elsewhere but to summarise:

1) putting out a blogpost in a PR battle with *actual media professionals* and expecting that to be read in good faith is naive.

2) this website is not a political movement for me, it's a forum for people with varying degrees of suicidality and myriad drivers for this. Naturally, some people want it shut down, however if the website follows the path of the former it will lose sight of the latter.

3) the website isn't just for the members with over 1000 posts who like to discuss the politics of suicide and it's wrong to assume all members want greater scrutiny just because some more vocal members want to be seen front and centre.

4) the quality of it, proofread or otherwise, is kind of irrelevant given how it will be received, but even so l suspect it will, sadly, not be very good and will not be representative of the forum as a whole.

5) there's no need to refute the shit about paedos, terrorists,whatever. In fact the more outlandish the smear the more it will alienate those who are curious - I've been involved in left wing politics a very long time, media are never kind to us but there comes a point where the smear is *so* extreme that people stop believing it and begin to give us a fairer hearing.

6) there are facts in that NYT article which do sadly reflect badly on this site, for eg the Mclnnes case. We are going to struggle to put out a mission statement of core aims and values without addressing some of these facts, and we are better off swerving imho

7) they are not going to stop wanting yo shut us down, but the story will die if we let it.

8) there is an enthusiasm for high-drama on this forum, this is probably to be expected given its nature but see for example how quickly Marquis' resignation letter became derailed with shit about murder charges. The forum should not be embarrassed by the actions of a few who perhaps enjoy drama so much it causes them to lose perspective.

9) the new admin has called for calm and made reassuring noises about the future of the site, we should heed them and not act rashly out of fury or need for retaliation - yes the story has some traction and has caused the resignation of the admin but the reality is "Emma Davis" is screenshotting us on twitter for 20 followers and 2 favs. Yes they doxxed and this was dreadful, I'm not sure however that sitting that hornet's nest makes any of us safer.

10) l specifically do not want people saying or writing anything in public without my prior consent in any context, if l want someone to do PR for me, I'll find them myself, and l don't think it's unreasonable to demand that users of this forum refrain from appointing themselves as my mouthpiece.

 

[Myforevercharlie]

I'm so glad to see someone from our own community will be running this place! Good luck @RainAndSadness

 

[StarryStarry]

Thanks everyone. I appreciate all the kind support and affirmation! I'm glad my anouncement is met with such a positive response.

I'd like to address the concern that this website could disappear anytime soon due to ongoing social outrage. I'm confident that's not gonna happen. As I've said previously, we're not going anywhere and the attention will fade down eventually. We're prepared for the worst case and I suggest you follow our Twitter account just in case anything happens. That's where you'll get new information if this website is down for whatever reason.

I NEED this site - not just enjoy this site but NEED this site. It's what is keeping me going at this point in time. I do not have a twitter account nor do I know how to get one. I don't want to be left out in the cold if anything happens. Can anyone help me with a twitter account?

 

[CrossroadsCurious]

Here:
https://sanctioned-suicide.net/threads/suicide-information-compilation-has-it-been-removed.79656/

 

[Circles]

Yeah I've pretty much stated the negatives above and elsewhere but to summarise:

1) putting out a blogpost in a PR battle with *actual media professionals* and expecting that to be read in good faith is naive.

2) this website is not a political movement for me, it's a forum for people with varying degrees of suicidality and myriad drivers for this. Naturally, some people want it shut down, however if the website follows the path of the former it will lose sight of the latter.

3) the website isn't just for the members with over 1000 posts who like to discuss the politics of suicide and it's wrong to assume all members want greater scrutiny just because some more vocal members want to be seen front and centre.

4) the quality of it, proofread or otherwise, is kind of irrelevant given how it will be received, but even so l suspect it will, sadly, not be very good and will not be representative of the forum as a whole.

5) there's no need to refute the shit about paedos, terrorists,whatever. In fact the more outlandish the smear the more it will alienate those who are curious - I've been involved in left wing politics a very long time, media are never kind to us but there comes a point where the smear is *so* extreme that people stop believing it and begin to give us a fairer hearing.

6) there are facts in that NYT article which do sadly reflect badly on this site, for eg the Mclnnes case. We are going to struggle to put out a mission statement of core aims and values without addressing some of these facts, and we are better off swerving imho

7) they are not going to stop wanting yo shut us down, but the story will die if we let it.

8) there is an enthusiasm for high-drama on this forum, this is probably to be expected given its nature but see for example how quickly Marquis' resignation letter became derailed with shit about murder charges. The forum should not be embarrassed by the actions of a few who perhaps enjoy drama so much it causes them to lose perspective.

9) the new admin has called for calm and made reassuring noises about the future of the site, we should heed them and not act rashly out of fury or need for retaliation - yes the story has some traction and has caused the resignation of the admin but the reality is "Emma Davis" is screenshotting us on twitter for 20 followers and 2 favs. Yes they doxxed and this was dreadful, I'm not sure however that sitting that hornet's nest makes any of us safer.

10) l specifically do not want people saying or writing anything in public without my prior consent in any context, if l want someone to do PR for me, I'll find them myself, and l don't think it's unreasonable to demand that users of this forum refrain from appointing themselves as my mouthpiece.

You know you've changed my mind. Fine. I understand sometimes the best move to make is to not to play at all but I hate not doing something when they control the entire narrative, they're falsely accusing us and putting all the blame for other people's suicides on us also.

 

[stellabelle]

You know you've changed my mind. Fine. I understand sometimes the best move to make is to not to play at all but I hate not doing something when they control the entire narrative, they're falsely accusing us and putting all the blame for other people's suicides on us also.

No kidding.

The accusation and blame.

The accusation and blame but no accountability for the people that "drove" us to that point.

The toxic jobs, horrible relatives, and bad peers.

So blame the website?

Blame the circumstances and the lies. Lies about how it gets better when it doesn't.

Searching for "answers"?
There are NONE.

People just IGNORE you and do the same shit repeatedly, act like they didn't, and then do it again and again and again!

GREED. LIES. Wasting your fucking life!
We're you having a good day? How can I DESTROY it? That would be my entire fucking life.

Blink blink. I ignore it and always demand MORE. And say well, too bad I'm not going to STOP when I'm told to STOP.

You would be SHOCKED. The shit people do for evil reasons. Just to be fucking evil. That would be people for you.

No she's not good enough. No you're not good enough. No, you aren't good enough. No. Try to get away from me again, I chase you with my car, I call people and tell them I will physically injure them to keep control over you so I can continue raping you, lying to you, lying about you, invading on you, stealing from you, stealing your joy, your time, your money, your entire life, and pretending to be mister perfect.

I will keep screaming in your face, I will continue slamming you down, ripping your pants off, grabbing your crotch, groping you, humiliating you, dragging you back and saying ha ha I won a trophy, it's my fuck trophy.

I will not help you.

I don't want you to have a life away from my abuse.

Oh. Well. Stuff.
Well. Shit that was supposed to be given away. Stolen and handed to abusers repeatedly. How fucked up. And then. More rotten people and their rotten little fucking game. It's not a game. It's not okay and it won't ever be okay.

Oh what made you think the police would ever "help" you? They don't!

 

[Sakura94]

Thank you for keeping the site going, rain. I know it must be tough for you.
With this said, although attention from the article will die because people have short attention spans. The nature of this site means new content will keep occurring. With each suicide more eyes will become focused on the site and it will become harder to manage. We are probably one of if not the nicest community going online and this is where we are at.

 

[feiganbaums]

I trust Chinaski's take on this to err on the side of caution because the stakes are too high. But I also have this feeling that to be silent is to basically be complicit. Anyway, I don't think we should speak up to simply fight back or react to a story. The speaking up needs to be well thought out and proactive.

This is a community of people who are suffering. Many of us have been suffering silently for so many years, it's become such a habit. That when confronted we'd chose to slink away unnoticed, is predictable but also interesting.

I know there are good reasons for SS to stay under the radar. Just to list reasons out for clarity -
1. This community provides an essential service that is worth preserving at all costs because there are no other comparable alternatives. If there's a non-zero chance that speaking up might result in the site disappearing, then we do not talk about fight club.
2. The purpose of this website is to provide peer support to people who want to CTB, not to change policy on suicide..
3. The stigma around suicide is too strong for any mainstream publication to publish a pro-choice piece without persistent campaigning. That would require money, people and energy that SS community probably does not have.
4. The concern that SS provides information that might fall into the wrong hands at the wrong time is valid and there are no easy answers.

There are good solutions and rebuttals to all 4 points. However point number 2 sticks out. If not SS, are there any other organisations that might have a pro choice stance?

 

[Rabhen]

I'm not quite sure how to start this thread but people have been wondering about the future of this forum. For now I'm taking care of relevant matters. It's necessary considering the circumstances. You don't need to worry about anything - as far as I see, nothing is gonna change with the transfer of leadership and I intend to keep this community exactly the way it exists right now. But there will be temporary adjustments to suit the situation. This isn't the first time we've had to endure this kind of treatment from the public so we know that to expect. The heat will blow over. It's just a matter of time.
You know my opinion about this whole incident. This community has a right to exist, period. We're not ramping down. Nothing stops this train. That's where I stand.

I'd like to thank to everyone that stood with us despite the difficult and uncertain circumstances.

Kind regards,
RainAndSadness

Thanx for being here.

 

[BluesRunTheGame]

Thanks for taking care of things Rain. Much respect.

 

[NatalLiminality]

You're a legend brocel

 

[BluesRunTheGame]

You're a legend brocel

I imagine this is the thread you're after: https://sanctioned-suicide.net/threads/my-resignation-letter.79321/

 

[LDARbeforeROPE]

Shame another blackcel is leaving

You're a legend brocel

That admin is a man?

 

[Futile]

So who pays the bill now?

 

[Iamchickenhat]

I NEED this site - not just enjoy this site but NEED this site. It's what is keeping me going at this point in time. I do not have a twitter account nor do I know how to get one. I don't want to be left out in the cold if anything happens. Can anyone help me with a twitter account?

I agree completely. I felt called to this site from the article that seems to have harmed y'all. It called it to me. But I support whatever will happen to keep going what I've seen this far. I feel more at home here then I have in quite awhile

 

[Grey-zoner]

I rejoined the forum after seeing the NYT article and hearing about Marquis' resignation (and doxing). My old account was inactive so I had to create a new one--I don't know how much time I'll be spending here but I think this place is still essential; just knowing there's somewhere I can vent freely with others is a vital service for us suicidal depressives.
I'm sure others have commented elsewhere but it appears that sanctioned suicide has also been removed from Google searches? Not sure why, aside from the articles on NYT and PBS.

 

[LoBea]

There's a few people clamouring to make some kind of public political movement in the wake of the article and l really do think this needs to be dampened a tad.

There are many layers to this site in my experience. Much of the content is "driven" by the most dominant voices, which is the case for most online forums. Therefore the most visible layer at present is that of the most regular posters, who are often from a similar demographic and a lot of content and output produced is not going to be of interest to every single suicidal person. For many, this site acts as a social media hub - l do not say this as criticism as again, this is the norm for an online forum.

Beneath that layer exist those who contribute less frequently, who dip in an out of topics according to their interests, they are probably not interested in games or anyone's sex life, they may interact in a more discerning way and many do not like to exchange opinions or debate publicly. They often come for the method, and hang around a bit thereafter - they are probably far less interested in being part of a political / PR movement than the very vocal content drivers in the first tranch. This quieter layer is bigger than most would assume, however this site exists for them too.

Then there are those on the brink of despair who come here for what is this site's main attraction - the contact details of an N supplier. Many of these people will join, ask their questions, get their delivery, and disappear, never to be seen again. Many will be very ill yet unable to meet the euthanasia criteria, and for them this website is absolutely vital, and it exists as much for them as it does for anyone who has racked up 7000 posts. It's fair to assume these people, at the brink of despair, aren't interested in being involved in a political scrap either, nor are those who are sick and in pain particularly interested in sticking it to the prolifers.

If this tiny exclusive corner of the Internet which has provided necessary comfort for all those described above is to continue to provide that comfort it is absolutely necessary imo to reign in any compulsion on the part of some of its members to place themselves front and centre in a perceived ideological battle which they mistakenly believe will be a turning point in history for the politics of suicide. Nobody will get their peaceful pill this way, and any further embarrassing media scrutiny for this website would do more harm than good not only for this website, but for many of the people who we don't necessarily see but who absolutely rely on it.

this is one of the most articulate, thoughtful, and intelligent posts i have ever seen on this site. thank you.

 

[Chinaski]

this is one of the most articulate, thoughtful, and intelligent posts i have ever seen on this site. thank you.

Wow, this is very kind of you, thank you.

 

[Sherri]

I was so happy our main page was blank, now it's visible again?

 

[kiuya]

I was so happy our main page was blank, now it's visible again?

It seems that the whole site is visible to non-members right now. Probably a conscious choice?

 

[vitaly]

thank you for staying calm

 

[Sherri]

hope so, thank you

It seems that the whole site is visible to non-members right now. Probably a conscious choice?

 

[color_me_gone]

this is one of the most articulate, thoughtful, and intelligent posts i have ever seen on this site. thank you.

@Chinaski his been with SS almost since it started. He left for a while, I'm glad to see he is back. I consider most of his posts to be as you described.

 

[Chinaski]

@Chinaski his been with SS almost since it started. He left for a while, I'm glad to see he is back. I consider most of his posts to be as you described.

Aw bless you - though I'm pretty sure that's not the majority view tbh (also not sure what being one of the last surviving bastards on here says about me)

 

[color_me_gone]

@Chinaski, you are too humble. It is completely obvious that you are very intelligent by the way you write, and your spot on assessments. And nothing wrong with being a survivor. We honor that. Shows the site also saves lives, something that the detractor's like to ignore.

 

[Blahblahbloop]

This site and it's many users are giving me the courage to try to get better, by giving me non-judgmental advice and perspective. I joined just a few days before the article came out and while this has been a really weird time to join maybe, but I just want to say I really value this site for both its prochoice stance and also the people who are here building and keeping this community.

 

[peacechoice]

I love this website. It has given me support that in my darkest time. And even though I'm not there anymore, I want to support others.

 

[color_me_gone]

This site and it's many users are giving me the courage to try to get better, by giving me non-judgmental advice and perspective.

I love this website. It has given me support that in my darkest time. And even though I'm not there anymore, I want to support others.

I'm with you. This site and the wonderful people helped me too.

 

[princesssaidso]

I'm not quite sure how to start this thread but people have been wondering about the future of this forum. For now I'm taking care of relevant matters. It's necessary considering the circumstances. You don't need to worry about anything - as far as I see, nothing is gonna change with the transfer of leadership and I intend to keep this community exactly the way it exists right now. But there will be temporary adjustments to suit the situation. This isn't the first time we've had to endure this kind of treatment from the public so we know that to expect. The heat will blow over. It's just a matter of time.
You know my opinion about this whole incident. This community has a right to exist, period. We're not ramping down. Nothing stops this train. That's where I stand.

I'd like to thank to everyone that stood with us despite the difficult and uncertain circumstances.

Kind regards,
RainAndSadness

After reading mostly all about the recent drama - - how long has this has been going on? Does it seem for some time now;...eh? Since you are the new moderator and by reading your messages you do feel like there has been a flood of newbies per say? More so than the average January per the last 5-10 years - (?) I am thinking they will eventually poof disappear; and leave those of us alone whom choose to be here? (sry run-on sentence) as it is home to the most people it seems as I have read many many many different people whom feel they receive the intellect that they exactly came here to receive. I hope it does not change for those people. Like many others have said though it does appear that there is a lizard lounging in the forums. Which sucks to that one highest level. Glad that I am new; bad timing per say on how I found this spot and what has / is happening. There is hope for a bright future is my only ... way to perceive things here. Thank you for letting me in; my time is desperate and challenging to say the least.

 

[justsayin]

After reading mostly all about the recent drama - - how long has this has been going on? Does it seem for some time now;...eh? Since you are the new moderator and by reading your messages you do feel like there has been a flood of newbies per say? More so than the average January per the last 5-10 years - (?) I am thinking they will eventually poof disappear; and leave those of us alone whom choose to be here? (sry run-on sentence) as it is home to the most people it seems as I have read many many many different people whom feel they receive the intellect that they exactly came here to receive. I hope it does not change for those people. Like many others have said though it does appear that there is a lizard lounging in the forums. Which sucks to that one highest level. Glad that I am new; bad timing per say on how I found this spot and what has / is happening. There is hope for a bright future is my only ... way to perceive things here. Thank you for letting me in; my time is desperate and challenging to say the least.

I can give you answers to some of the questions. Recent drama started with NYT article, few days before you joined the forum. Previous drama happened about a year ago, and resulted in forum moving from sanctionedsuicide.com to sanctioned-suicide.net.

There are no average values for the last 5-10 years, because forum is nowhere near that old. You can see current number of members on the first page. I haven't paid attention to it, but I think someone mentioned an increased number or registration requests. I certanly got that impression just from reading the forum.