Not a joking matter

Ellie Tanko, Beginning Journalism Writer

I heard the words come slowly out of Coach Lilly’s mouth. I couldn’t believe what he was saying, yet my world started to spin and I felt like I was going to be sick. A Xavier student I was friends with was in medical care because she attempted to take her own life. Later that week, she lost her battle for life.
Not even half a year later, I was standing at a home football game and the freshman weren’t cheering loud enough for the rest of the upperclassmen’s taste. One boy from my grade stood up and shouted “If you’re not going to cheer, you might as well go kill yourself.” I felt just as sick then as the day I heard the news about my friend in critical condition. Where did this boy lose his respect for life? Sadly, it’s not just him who makes remarks like this, even I have made similar comments. I’ve heard all kinds of people say things like “I want to die,” or “just shoot me now.” In high school and on social media, we are constantly surrounded by statements that joke about suicide.
The topic should not be one of joking matter considering how many people are affected by it.
Most everyone knows someone who has attempted or committed suicide. When people joke about it, they seem to forget that someone listening may deal with the topic as a personal issue.
Some may say that it’s okay because they are “just kidding”. They say their words don’t mean anything. According to the World Health Organization, around one million people worldwide commit suicide every year, and many people deal with the effects of it. How does that not mean anything? These are human lives we are talking about. People who have hopes and dreams and in a time of extreme confusion or depression they commit an act that has infinite, severe, and agonizing consequences.
Society deems topics like cancer and terrorist attacks to be serious. Suicide should also be acknowledged as serious enough to not be joked about. Think about what to say before it is said, because it is unknown what other people are going through.