I agree, @The-red-centaur . Things haven't gotten any better, but that truth has been masked by a media campaign proclaiming (to the general public) that things are getting better. But we still can't really talk about it, can we? At least, not in any fashion that will accomplish anything.
Not all that long ago, I used to shake my head every time I watched "The Naked Gun" or "Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Pt.1", as both these movies featured non-explicit suicides or suicide attempts that were clumsily edited out of the broadcast; throwing the context of the whole scene into disarray. It's my understanding that the broadcasting rights for these movies have passed over to a different network and, on my last viewing of both of them, I believe the movies were intact.
But what kind of message does that send to the general public? "Suicide is a very delicate, sensitive topic, and we must not acknowledge it at all."? Both of the above are very popular, famous movies, and there are no doubt scores of fans who will immediately notice the conspicuous absence of the respective suicide scenes. Gestures like those make me feel like we're sliding backwards, not forwards. In many ways, suicide seems to have become more taboo now then it ever was before.
Once upon a time, the media (both journalistic and fictional) simply acknowledged suicide as a real phenomenon. The spoke frankly, if with biased perspectives. Now, everything in the media is governed by "official guidelines", and everybody seems afraid to speak about it at all. Very Orwellian, IMHO. The powers-that-be preach the importance of "talking about suicide", while refusing to talk about it. The ministry of openness rigorously inforces silence.
I often wonder what it must be like in Canada, these days, where their MAID laws are now beginning to open up suicide as an option for pretty much anybody who wants to die. In a land where suicide itself is perfectly acceptable and legitimate, surely open dialogue about it must also be permissible?
