Avatar fans suicidal because planet Pandora is not real

Source: Telegraph

Fans of Avatar have been left feeling blue by the realisation that the utopian planet Pandora is not real, with some saying they are plagued by suicidal thoughts.

The futuristic blockbuster from director James Cameron tells the story of a corporation trying to mine for a rare mineral on the planet Pandora after Earth's resources have been depleted.

The humans clash with the natives – a peaceful race of blue-skinned creatures called the Na'vi who live in harmony with nature.

Fans of the film have flooded the internet to express their distress at realising they will never be able to visit the utopian planet.

On one website, Avatar Forums, the topic "Ways to cope with the depression of the dream of Pandora being intangible" has more than 1,000 posts.

Ivar Hill, a 17-year-old fan from Sweden, wrote on a similar site: “When I woke up this morning after watching Avatar for the first time yesterday, the world seemed grey. It was like my whole life, everything I’ve done and worked for, lost its meaning … It just seems so meaningless. I still don’t really see any reason to keep doing things at all. I live in a dying world.”

On another website, a user known as Mike was even more acutely affected. He wrote: "Ever since I went to see Avatar I have been depressed. Watching the wonderful world of Pandora and all the Na’vi made me want to be one of them.

"I can’t stop thinking about all the things that happened in the film and all of the tears and shivers I got from it. I even contemplate suicide thinking that if I do it I will be rebirthed in a world similar to Pandora and the everything is the same as in Avatar.”

Stacy Kaiser, a psychotherapist, said obsession with the film was masking more serious problems in the fans' lives. "They’re seeing Avatar, they're lonely people, a lot of them don’t have a lot going on in their lives right now," she said. "The movie opened up a portal for them to express their depression.”

Don't really have much to say. I know people get really caught up with stories and movies. Just looks a Star Wars freaks!

Suicide is a bit extreme though!

Alarm over sharp rise in Japan suicides

Source: AsiaOne

Japanese activists sounded the alarm Wednesday over a sharp rise in suicides after a police report said the number of people who killed themselves up to June rose 4.7 percent on last year.

Urgent changes are needed to cope with the intensifying social problem, said Yasuyuki Shimizu of non-profit group Life Link.

In the first six months of the year, amid Japan's worst post-war recession, police recorded 17,076 suicides, up 768 or 4.7 percent from the same period last year, according to the National Police Agency.

Roughly 30 percent of suicides were linked financial problems, it said.

At the current pace, the figure could reach or possibly surpass Japan's worst annual record of 34,427 suicides, recorded in 2003.

For the past decade, Japan has seen more than 30,000 suicides every year.

The recession has taken its toll on many, especially men, said Yukiko Nishihara, founder of Tokyo Suicide Prevention Centre.

"On our suicide hotlines, we are hearing that people - some of them young men in their 30s - are tired of living and working and being laid off and trying to find jobs again," she said.

"We have to do something to help before people become so desperate."

Shimizu cautioned that people "take their lives for a complicated mix of reasons" and criticised fragmented government prevention programmes.

Japan has one of the world's highest suicide rates, behind only a group of former Soviet bloc countries, according to the World Health Organisation.

Very sad. I would guess most suicides are working men who have lost their jobs or young school girls under pressure from their studies. Japan's always been 'tolerant' of suicides but with this spike, they should perhaps come up with some prevention programs. First step would be to outlaw these internet suicide groups that feel suicide alone is too lonely.

Would-be suicide jumper pushed off bridge

Source: CNN

A passerby pushed a would-be suicide jumper off a bridge in southern China because he was angry at the jumper's "selfish activity," Chinese media reported Saturday.

It happened Thursday in the city of Guangzhou as Chen Fuchao threatened to jump off Haizhu Bridge, China's Xinhua news agency reported.

The bridge has gained a "macabre" reputation with 11 jumpers having thrown themselves off the bridge since the start of April, Xinhua said.

Traffic was held up for nearly five hours and a crowd gathered as Chen sat on the bridge, threatening to jump, Xinhua reported.

Chen wanted to kill himself because he had 2 million yuan ($294,000) in debt after a failed construction project, Xinhua reported.

Lian Jiansheng, 66, who was passing by the bridge, offered to talk Chen down, Xinhua said. Police refused, but Lian broke through the police cordon and climbed to where Chen was sitting.

Lian greeted Chen with a handshake, then pushed him off the bridge, Xinhua said.

Chen fell 26 feet (8 meters) onto a partially-inflated emergency air cushion, damaging his spine and elbow in the fall, Xinhua said. He is now recovering in a hospital.

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Humanity is fucked up like this. Someone shouldn't think they're doing good by pushing someone off a bridge. And of course a crowd gathers. Everyone wants a view.
Where's the police? The guy only held up traffic for 5 hours! There was nobody there to help this guy. They all just wanted him to jump.

Related: China Digital Times