Reported suicide on the playa

Neurosis · Post by **Neurosis** » Thu Aug 30, 2007 3:58 pm

From SFGate.com, comes a report of the first on-playa suicide in the history of the event. If true, a very sad occurrence.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfg ... y_id=19890

K-mom · Post by **K-mom** » Thu Aug 30, 2007 4:05 pm

Yeah I saw something on this when I was searching for info on the arson incident:
http://gawker.com/news/suicide-is-painless/-295344.php
Not really anymore info though.

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Thu Aug 30, 2007 4:29 pm

"His friends thought he was doing an art piece"

Damn that sounds like a hoax.

mayavin · Post by **mayavin** » Thu Aug 30, 2007 5:33 pm

immediacy

Philosophy.

a. immediate presence of an object of knowledge to the mind, without any
distortions, inferences, or interpretations, and without involvement of any intermediate agencies.
b. the direct content of the mind as distinguished from representation or
cognition.

the mind skews itself around lack of immediacy at times...

it is what it is... the webpage and type...

Flashfried · Post by **Flashfried** » Thu Aug 30, 2007 10:48 pm

How quickly we forget ...

2001: The man had just collapsed. The rangers had just let people get close to the man's remains, when somebody decided to get really close. We watched this very large, very naked gentleman run up to the burn plaform, jumping barefoot onto the metal. Stunned, we watched him dart around the flames which still hadn't yet begun to die down in earnest.

Moments later, blessedly out of sight for most of us, he dove into the flames. According to a post on the old ePlaya, he had pledged to "sacrifice himself to the man" earlier that day, and was now making good on that troubling pledge. A quickminded and very brave ranger plunged into the flames after him, sustaining serious burns in the process, but it was too late. The disturbed individual, his digits already reduced to blackened stumps, had sustained third degree burns over more than 75 percent of his body.

Emergency medical transport showed up quickly and the poor fool was airlifted to the nearest trauma center, but could not be saved, dying a horrible death that we can only hope he wasn't lucid enough to fully appreciate. Even if he wasn't, though, this act of self-destruction was known to have been premeditated, and so would have to be regarded as a suicide.

wrong trousers · Post by **wrong trousers** » Fri Aug 31, 2007 10:31 am

That sure is a sad story! But yeah, my very 1st thought when I saw the headline about it being the "first suicide" was "What about that dude that dove into the flames years ago?"

But anyway, sucky.

If it's true that his friends left him hanging there for hours because they didn't believe he'd actually DO such a thing.... can you even imagine that moment when someone actually said "Ummmm, he hasn't moved or responded in a really long time......." & the reality hit? UG.

deeohgeeman · Post by **deeohgeeman** » Fri Aug 31, 2007 5:38 pm

He WAS doing an art piece. He DID an art piece. You just don't get it [yet]. Art is supposed to make you think and wonder.

But the best comments of all are after this post:
http://gawker.com/news/suicide-is-painless/-295344.php

JezebelinHell · Post by **JezebelinHell** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 7:47 pm

Just an update from all the news articles I've been through:

Police have identified the man, but are postponing releasing his name until the family has been notified.

The tent he hung himself in was Comfort and Joy. They were going to close the tent down afterwards, but all the other burners convinced them to keep it open.

He hanged there for 90 minutes before anyone realized he was an actual dead body.

There's one thing that really bugs me about this whole thing. I can understand thinking there might be a mannequin hanging from a tent-post (I've definitely seen weirder art pieces), and I can even understand that it was dark and people were probably less than sober in there, but doesn't the human body evacuate the bladder and bowels upon expiration? No one noticed that it smelled worse than the port-o-johns on Sunday night in there? Or that piss and fecal matter were puddling around his feet? I mean, I've been pretty blitzed out there, but I've never been too blitzed to smell fresh shit.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 7:58 pm

I don't know, JiH. I've been assuming that they were giving him his privacy or otherwise not using the space he was in. From the media (who were apparently calling perfect strangers his "friends") I don't expect any clarification. C&J campers might be able to tell us, but I don't know that they will. People claiming to be C&J campers might tell us anything. Anyway, I suspect that the real reason won't get to the boards, or if it does won't necessarily be recognized as such. Expect lots of rumors, and little sense.

JezebelinHell · Post by **JezebelinHell** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 8:08 pm

I'm stopping in BRC to see some friends tonight, so I'm gonna see if anyone knows anything verified. I'm sure that rumors will abound, but I do know a handful of kids at Comfort and Joy so hopefully I can find one of them. They're probably sick to death of talking about it by now though. What a shitty thing to have happen at your camp. Especially since no one in that camp even knew the kid.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 10:13 pm

JezebelinHell wrote: Especially since no one in that camp even knew the kid.

Yeah, it pisses me off a little that they have that "His friends thought he was doing an art piece" when no one there was his friend.

Oh well.

diane o'thirst · Post by **diane o'thirst** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 11:16 pm

Comfort and Joy...the LAST camp that should have something like this happen to them.

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 11:24 pm

Consider the source -- Ron Skinner probably repeating what org rangers heard second or third hand.

dana · Post by **dana** » Sun Sep 02, 2007 3:10 pm

JezebelinHell wrote: He hanged there for 90 minutes before anyone realized he was an actual dead body.

, but doesn't the human body evacuate the bladder and bowels upon expiration?

(I sort of can't believe I'm responding to this.)

Most of the time not. A few people tend to vomit when they die - especially if its a nasty death.

Actually I can kind of imagine people missing the fact he was dead for a little while. you see some many wierd things on the playa.
(kind of glad I missed it this year. sounds like some wierd juju going on.
Is it good though? otherwise?)

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Sun Sep 02, 2007 5:37 pm

Yeah, he could have given himself an enema or been wearing an adult diaper (which seems possible to me in the sence of "not wanting to be any trouble" that many suicidal/depressed people have) and the pee could have evaporated pretty quickly in the heat.
But that's off playa, monday morning quarterbacking type hypothosizing.

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Sun Sep 02, 2007 5:57 pm

From the Black Rock Beacon:

Suicide

an unidentified black rock citizen died, apparently by hanging himself about 7 a.m. Wednesday morning in the front corner tent used as a gynmdasium by the camp..

camp members found a man hanging from a rope he brought and riged..

other contex na

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Sun Sep 02, 2007 7:33 pm

yeah, at 7 to 8:30 it's not hard to imagine being overlooked...

searock420 · Post by **searock420** » Sun Sep 02, 2007 9:35 pm

I heard that his campmates went out for a walkabout and came back to find what he'd done

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Sun Sep 02, 2007 11:11 pm

If someone hanged himself in my camp I'd fucking kill him.

BAS · Post by **BAS** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 1:15 am

That early in the morning, up about two stories (or, at least over a story up), and he might not have had anything to eat and not much to drink-- even if he did void himself, so there might not have been much waste, I could see how he could easily have been missed.

I've been really da--- depressed at times. I feel sorry for him and all who were effected by his suicide.

B.

(Maybe it was a good year to miss, after all...?)

Mollyg · Post by **Mollyg** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 7:26 pm

I think he's a dumbass and deserves to be mocked, not felt sorry for. Don't fucking kill yourself. It's stupid, and people will laugh at you.

alienfry · Post by **alienfry** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 7:43 pm

suicide boiles down to:

pain outweighs coping mechanisms.

and when that happens it can be very difficult to think logically. before you judge someone please follow the link below.

if you have ever considered suicide please follow the link below.

http://www.metanoia.org/suicide/

who knows. maybe he was high. maybe it was a stunt that went wrong. maybe it was only planned out hours before it happened. who knows.

skygod · Post by **skygod** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 8:05 pm

/cry
We will never know about the suicides that each Burn prevents.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 9:21 pm

I think he's a dumbass and deserves to be mocked, not felt sorry for. Don't fucking kill yourself. It's stupid, and people will laugh at you.

Ah, opinions of ignoramai...

Remark · Post by **Remark** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 10:19 pm

yo god, you can't fire me! I quit.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 11:08 pm

[quote="Neurosis"]From SFGate.com, comes a report of the first on-playa suicide in the history of the event. If true, a very sad occurrence.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfg ... y_id=19890[/quote]

Did someone see the suicide note? It said the following:

"I am doing this because I have chosen to die in a place I love. I know many of you are too self conscious to look up and see my rotting corpse. It is just not cool. I might be messing with you heads. I predict no one will notice me for awhile. Which is good. I die with a smile knowing that this cosmic joke has come to and end."

DoriumLux · Post by **DoriumLux** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 12:26 am

I have read several news reports that make it sound like the camp mates actually watched him hang himself and then sat around for two hours until some one decided that he wasn't actually performing an art piece.

It sounds a bit fishy. I could understand the guy hung himself and no one was around to see it. I can understand that no one noticed after that fact for quite some time, but I have a hard time believing that their were actual witnesses to the event.

I feel like it just happily adds to the stigma that everyone at Burning Man is blitzed 24/7, and I'm quite sure that is what the BLM & media want everyone to believe.

schnoidl · Post by **schnoidl** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 4:37 am

mensen wrote: Did someone see the suicide note? It said the following:

"I am doing this because I have chosen to die in a place I love. I know many of you are too self conscious to look up and see my rotting corpse. It is just not cool. I might be messing with you heads. I predict no one will notice me for awhile. Which is good. I die with a smile knowing that this cosmic joke has come to and end."

is this real? I am curious to know what was in his head. I actually do respect people who made the choice to end this cosmic joke, at least for themselves. I have been close many many times. anyone who pisses on that choice is setting themselves up for a fine bit of cosmic pachinko. you have no idea what his headspace was like, and your opinions are just bullshit. sorry though for the people who have to deal with the aftermath.

the thought of disappointing friends has kept me here more than once...

playanakedartisticman420 · Post by **playanakedartisticman420** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 10:57 am

sorry not citing properly but whoever posted the link to the suicide page thank you -- out of all of our comments -- and believe, i have plenty on this one -- truthfully this is the most useful post. i'm not defending him but i've seen a lot of posts and while tragic there are a lot of other negatives besides the obvious loss of life that can be drawn from this if initial reports turn out to be true. that aside, i was shocked that from all the different forums that i saw this discussed on few people thought to address the real issue -- someone felt desperate, selfishi, stupid, confused, whatever enough to end their lives when so many others were celebrating theirs --- common enough but still a bummer and despite mine or your opinion on it or personal experience with suicide -- that was still somebody's son, friend, neighber, co-worker and it sucks they may have not considered all their options until too late.

i'm probably too burnt to remember but are there crisis counselors on hand? i know plenty of people who can't handle their meds wind up in the med tent but are there trained people on site where you could go if you hit a rut like this out there?

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 11:04 am

are there crisis counselors on hand?

Find a ranger with a radio or stop by a medical outpost and a crisis counselor will come to you.

Reported suicide on the playa

Reported suicide on the playa

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Performance art as death

suicide

Re: Reported suicide on the playa

Hmmm....

Re: Reported suicide on the playa