What Would You Do?

[dogriver]

Thankfully, this hasn't happened on lists I've owned. But on another list today I saw what amounted to a suicide note. The list wasn't about suicide. If you were the owner of an Internet mailing list and someone was selfish enough to leave a suicide note on that list (it is my personal belief that suicide is the most selfish act in which a person can engage), what would you do?

Comments

[shazza59.livejournal.com]

Well, not to be knit picky with you here, but I don't think there is a lot a list owner or anyone else can do if someone leaves a suicide note on a list.
Most listers don't know a lot about their list mates. I'm on a joke list that I love, but while I consider the listers friends, I don't know what cities they live in, (the states but not the cities), I don't even know some of their last names. And then you have the problem of how long ago the email was sent. What if someone was at work all day and came home to that suicide note in his email? And even if I knew the state, city and last name of the lister, what do I do, call the cops and say hey, I just got this email and this lady named So and So sent an email four hours ago that said she's going to commit suicide? OH yeah and btw I don't have a clue in hell where she lives?
So, you ask, what would you do if you saw an email like that?
Well, if I had the person's phone number I'd call, if I knew the person's family info I'd look up the number and call, but sadly, the only real answer to the question is nothing, except pray of course.
I've been in too many situations where people use the suicide thang as a way to get attention. LIke you I feel it's selfish, and while I would do anything I could if I knew the person at all, you can't do something if you do not know such things as last name, city, state etc.

[masterofmusings.livejournal.com]

I know whereof you speak about the whole attention thing. My ex used to use the threat of suicide to get attention, to scare me and other people who loved her, and to wreck my day if she suspected I was going to have a good day with friends and she wasn't.