Archbishop Warns Email could Lead to Suicide
Archbishop Warns Email could Lead to Suicide
Posted 08/03/2009 at 7:01am
| by Paul Lilly
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Cyber-bullies aren't the only dangers today's teens face when staying connected through social networking sites and other forms of digital communication. According to Vincent Nichols, the Archbishop of Westminster, excessive emailing and text messaging is leading young people to form "transient relationships," putting them at a higher risk of suicide when the friendships break down.
"I think there's a worry that an excessive use, or an almost exclusive use of text and emails means that as a society we're losing some of the ability to build interpersonal communication that's necessary for living together and building a community," said the 63-year-old Archbishop in an interview published on Sunday.
According to Archbishop Nichols, networking sites encourage kids to put a greater importance on the number of friends they have rather than the quality of friendship. When that network collapses, it can be "a key factor in their committing suicide," he said.
Image Credit: Reuters
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gamefanatic26
August 16, 2009 at 5:02pm
im not that much of a social person and i have not shot myself yet and im on every major social site there is out there.
the church needs stop pointing fingers and just worry about what goes on in there small little city/country.
on offence to anyone
glorybe
August 14, 2009 at 8:44am
The Catholic Church is not for losers or weaklings. It is a wonderful organization. Much good is done by the church and as far as churches go their attitude and behavior is excellent.
These days there is a certain resentment when the church points to a moral high ground as some people want a lisence to continue with whatever misbehavior that they are involved in. If the sermon is about "Thou shall not steal." then somehow the thieves want to blame the church for the message. It would be better for everyone if they listened to the church a bit more.
glbarneson
August 13, 2009 at 12:25pm
As soon as my sight gets better and I shave the hair off of my palms I'll write a longer comment.
dhosborne
August 05, 2009 at 12:52pm
This is the typical fear mongering that is perpetrated by the Catholic Church (as well as other religious organizations) on a regular basis. They use psuedo-scientific fear tactics to try and control the lives of the people that have been unfortunate enough to fall under their dogmatic mental control. There have been no studies nor any evidence presented to connect any of these mediums of social networking to suicide. Making these claims of "danger" in relation to the de-evolvement of social network relationships would be like saying that it is "dangerous" to date because these youth could have a falling out and commit suicide.If anything I could concur with a statement that if a youth or young adult was depressed or already suicidal, that the collapse of a relationship of any kind (social networking included) could lead to attempts or success in committing suicide. But it could hardly be said that any one type of relationship breakdown is more of a threat to mental health.These groups need to wake up and start taking responsibility when they make unfounded claims, they are the leaders that may "enlightened" look up too, what they say and do can have a lasting effect on the lives of a multitude of people in this nation and around the world.
nekollx
August 05, 2009 at 1:09pm
is the main reason i'm not a member of any formal religion. I belive, i pray. I don't hever belive i need half informed middle men trying to interpret my god for me. If i have a question i ask the man myself. I do not belive God sens these guys whispers in their dreams or concrete answers the yare interpretingthe same "mysterious ways" i am. Why should i let them interpret my message?
------------------------------
Coming soon to Lulu.com --Tokusatsu Heroes--
Five teenagers, one alien ghost, a robot, and the fate of the world.
dag1992
August 04, 2009 at 6:28am
Oh how I love the smell of superiority complexes in the morning, and I don't mean the guy the article is about.
chocobo
August 03, 2009 at 11:26pm
I don't know... this guy does have a point. I'm one of those people with a lot of "online friends", some of whom I rarely see and some who I've never met, and only a couple of real friends who I see occasionally.
If my life turned to crap and I got depressed, there's no doubt that I'd be closer to considering suicide than if I had a lot of close friends who I see all the time, and who would try to cheer me up and stuff like that. I have no doubt that people are getting depressed more due to not having many irl friends, and that the suicide rate may be very slightly higher.
That being said... LOL RELIGION. I'd probably rather commit suicide than become one of those desperate losers who thinks a magical sky wizard will fix their problems if they promise to donate money and hate gays.
Vegan
August 03, 2009 at 4:36pm
Leave it to religion to try suppressing the flow of communication. It's what they've strived to do for thousands of years, to maintain control. Instantaneous communication across the world with as many people as you'd like scares the crap out of them.
FrancesTheMute
August 03, 2009 at 1:49pm
just goes to show how out of touch with reality the catholic church has become.
nightkiller
August 03, 2009 at 4:07pm
As opposed to who?
If this was a Wiccan Priest, would their observations be more or less acceptable?
You choose a flightless bird as a mascot and wonder why it doesn't take off?
Devo85x
August 03, 2009 at 5:30pm
As opposed to anyone with common sense... if a Wiccan Priest said the same thing, people would find it just as unacceptable... no more... not less... next time, think before posting...
nightkiller
August 04, 2009 at 9:21am
My reply was quite reasoned. I responded to the comment that the Catholic Church was out of touch with reality. My question behind the comment was if some other authority made the comment, would it have more weight? Based on other comments in the thread, there seems to be a pronounced bias against this institution. If the American Psychiatric Association had come up with this, would people be more or less reflective on the message of artificial isolation or anonymity that the web infers? Suicide chat rooms in places like Japan where this is very common (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_pact). There are also people who prey on the emotionally fragile by lurking online and encouraging them to commit suicide because they like to do it (http://www.allbusiness.com/crime-law/criminal-offenses-cybercrime/11969936-1.html).
Some people in this thread assume that Social Darwinism is a good thing. They should be careful what they wish for. Assuming that you are always able to control your destiny as it were a controller or a gaming keyboard is a self deluding fallacy. As some have already mentioned, it has even come down to Die and let die as well as Live and let live.
You choose a flightless bird as a mascot and wonder why it doesn't take off?
nekollx
August 04, 2009 at 9:26am
which is why my comment puts some responibility on the person and their family to keep them um..not...suicidal?
------------------------------
Coming soon to Lulu.com --Tokusatsu Heroes--
Five teenagers, one alien ghost, a robot, and the fate of the world.
nightkiller
August 04, 2009 at 2:54pm
However, with families having so little to do with each other because of other commitments or downright dysfunction, it is sometimes helpful to have someone from outside put the issue on the table from another perspective. This is simply using another means to highlight the issue; in case you weren't paying attention at home perhaps outside media could be useful.
You choose a flightless bird as a mascot and wonder why it doesn't take off?
metafuente
August 03, 2009 at 11:32am
I think he's going to far with the suicide sub-topic but, when it comes to how relationships have changed due to technology, he's correct. I met my wife through the Internet (way back in 1998) and even though we made the transition from cyber-space to "3D", I remember how my emotions were WAY MORE intense and out of control when say her ISP yanked her offline for a couple days or when the possibility of never meeting her "in the flesh" would arise. I'd happily ditch my texting device for a night, face to face (and a brew handy of course) with someone I cared about. Oh, and I still think cyber-sex is ridiculous and incredibly pathetic!
Tekzel
August 03, 2009 at 10:51am
Laugh if you will, but this world is absolutely full to brimming with modern day humans with their hearts in the medieval era. They believe some old guy in the sky, of which there is absolutely zero evidence, with the power to wish anything into existence actually LOVES them. That is no laughing matter, they are scary and dangerous.
votre
August 03, 2009 at 8:10am
Speaking as somebody who was raised in the Roman Catholic faith, and educated in Roman Catholic schools - and with all due respect - I would like to make the following three suggestions to all the Archbishops out there:
1) In the wake of certain documented events involving the Catholic clergy in the United States, it would behoove your organization to put its own house in order before presuming to point the finger at other sources of "risk" to our children. And the ongoing policy of stonewalling and denial when dealing with this subject flies in the face of the doctrine of repentance espoused by the Catholic faith.
2) While unsubstantiated and anecdotal statements may play well in the realm of religious instruction, they make for poor arguments in the real world. Just because something "feels right" or "seems to be correct" does not make it automatically true. And anecdotes, while ofen entertaining and interetsing, still don't prove anything. Please provide specifics and juried studies before you make additional sweeping claims of 'cause and effect.'
3) +1 with an earlier commentor. Stick to theology and religious doctrine. That's what you're good at. Leave the pop psychology to the "motivational moguls." That's what they get paid for.
You have my prayers.
plaskon
August 03, 2009 at 8:06am
As usual, the press finds an easy way to dis Catholicism.
Unacceptable.
Vegan
August 03, 2009 at 4:32pm
Hey, the rest of us have to listen to you guys day in, day out, telling us what we're doing wrong -- dissing US.
Can dish it but can't take it? THAT'S typical.
dag1992
August 03, 2009 at 8:02am
Don't be so quick to strike him down as a technophobe, there have been strings of suicides related to what happens on facebook, myspace, etc. He's really trying to say that we shouldn't make web 2.0 our lives and remember reality exists.
quickone
August 03, 2009 at 8:27am
I agree, I think his delivery is a bit off but the intent is right.
My nephew is 11 and he chats on facebook and myspace more then he calls
his friends or goes to their house to play. They play on-line games
together which in itself isn't bad but since it is replacing face to
face interaction that is where it isn't good.Why is it people
keep isolating themselves more and more? Instead of going to someones
house we made it so we can call them, then we could e-mail them, now we
text message them. We progressively get less and less personal
interactive. Convenient yes, better? enh...
This lack of spell check in the comment section is getting this dyslexic down =(
nekollx
August 03, 2009 at 10:40am
these guys need to teach parents to be open and encouraging to their kids. Take me
i'm nearly 30, and for the most part have no peers in my area to hang with so i'm a net-runner.
But i have a few solid net friends, and family to fall back on
everything in moderation
head in the Cloud
Feet on the ground
------------------------------
Coming soon to Lulu.com --Tokusatsu Heroes--
Five teenagers, one alien ghost, a robot, and the fate of the world.
lunchbox73
August 03, 2009 at 8:07am
Like what? Thing only thing I ever hear of is a few people broadcasting their suicide with a webcam. That's different. Let's have some documentation of this so called string.
dag1992
August 03, 2009 at 8:27am
Sam Lesson committed suicide after being bullied on Bebo, Megan Meier got much more media coverage after hanging herself for cyber bullying, Megan Gillans also committed suicide after being taunted over her dress style on Bebo, the list goes on...
Tekzel
August 03, 2009 at 10:16am
This is going to be an unpopular reply, but that has never stopped me from expressing my opinion on issues before.
As sad as that is, weak people take the weak person's way out. Survival of the fittest perhaps? Their parents failed. I was bullied excessively when I was in school, one because I was white in an 80% black school, and 2 because I was "the poor kid" whos father was raising a family of 6 on minimum wage income, and 3 because I was the nerd. I didn't fit in at all and I can only think of two friends the entirety of my highschool years that I can remember. So, my heart absolutely bleeds for these people. Booo hooo. If their parents had done a better job they would have been able to cope with the, from what I can tell, small amount of "bullying" they were subject to.
PARENTS! Teach your kids that the world isn't full of roses and kittens, and that yes, THEY WILL FAIL. They have to dust their little knees off and get back on the ride. They don't get a trophy or a blue ribbon for participation in the real world, they get.. nothing. If you can't teach them that, then no one else will. In other words, teach them to not be a sissy.
Walnut
August 03, 2009 at 11:24am
Agreed. I'd also like to point out that people, especially kids, who commit suicide have problems far deeper than bullies. Bullies have been around since the dawn of man, and most people deal with it. Depression is due, at least in part, to chemical imbalances in the brain. Bullies don't cause it. It just happens, and it's difficult for a young person to control. This is where parents need to step in, and either get their child medicated, or to a specialist, or whatever.
To the guy complaining about spellcheck: right click the comment field and there should be an option to enable it. It was bothering the crap out of me, too.
lunchbox73
August 03, 2009 at 7:58am
Well that's the dumbest thing I've read all day. Who are all these kids killing themselves because a couple of Facebook friends are mad at them? His logic makes no sense. How does setting a high priority of the number of online friends you have make one more likely to commit suicide?
Nastyman
August 03, 2009 at 7:41am
Is this guy qualified to make a dumb statement like this? What does he know about what goes on in a youngsters head before they decide to quit this world? He should stick to the religion he knows and keep his unqualified yap shut.
Nasty
Nastyman
August 03, 2009 at 7:42am
Is this guy qualified to make a dumb statement like this? What does he know about what goes on in a yougesters head before they decide to quit this world? He should stick to the religion he knows and keep his unqualified yap shut.
Nasty
Delete second post please.
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