Amber Jacobsen- Can Suicide Be Funny?

It is common lately to turn to humor in any negative situation. In fact, many people laugh in awkward and serious situations simply because they don’t know what else to do. But are there other issues that cannot be humorous? The issue of suicide is one that has been around for as long as people can remember, and there seems to be no way to address it properly. Suicide prevention is a very touchy topic, and if we’re being honest, no one really wants to talk about the thoughts that cause people to want to kill themselves.

A website developed recently, mantherapy.org, takes a different look at men’s health and suicide prevention. Using humor to get across to people can be very controversial with sensitive topics, but I feel that in this case it is effective. Of course, I am not a man and this campaign is not designed for people of my demographic, but I still see the many benefits of this idea. Through a series of youtube videos, Dr. Richard Mahogany walks men through steps to reach a better state of mental health, which he calls Man Therapy® Manly Mental Health Tips. What could be more appealing to men than being manly?

This collection of videos looks at suicide in a different light, and takes away the stereotypical "taboo" that is placed around it. Richard Mahogany makes the subject seem normal and as though those who struggle with it are the same as everyone else. This is a different approach than most sources take. If one is to do a Google Search for "suicide prevention" many very sad, very negative websites come up, about what to do if you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts. Although these are good approaches, because suicide is a very sad and negative topic, it may be better looked at through the lens of humor. 

One could argue that websites such as suicideprevention.org place all their emphasis on how suicide is not a joke and this is a very effective strategy. While this is true, there are still hundreds of people who commit suicide each year. The way which is being used is obviously not working for everyone, because there is no one way to fix everyone's problems. Different people respond to different things in different ways, because that is exactly what people are: different. The saying goes "laughter is the best medicine" and I feel that this series of videos demonstrates this perfectly.