There is a disturbing fad circulating in Facebook – Malaysian Indian teens and even adults faking/attempting suicide by slashing their wrists with blades and then uploading pics of them doing so and the results of slashing on Facebook. It’s pretty ugly.
Apparently, this teen can’t take it when the girl he loves/has eyes on mingles with other boys, hence this blood donation gone wasteful. If the boy is stupid, the person who photographed him cutting his forearm is a special kind of stupid. Well, in his dejection, he managed to edit the picture like a boss.
The reasons these lots give on Facebook for cutting their forearms are trifle – for mom scolding, for fight with girlfriend/boyfriend, heartache for no apparent reasons, etc. Some look like a display of masochism. Mostly, the pics of cut wrists on Facebook are accompanied by mawkish descriptions of their untold anguish which makes the pain of the bloodied limb seem like nothing compared to the maelstrom in their hearts.
The complex behind this mock suicide attempts on Facebook
Let me clarify why I said that these are mock suicide attempts. In order to really commit suicide by slashing wrist, one has to cut deeply where the veins are, not on flesh, to die of excessive blood loss, by letting themselves bleed out. But these teens take photos of their surgical elan and the pattern, depth and the location of cutting themselves and then them uploading such pics on Facebook give off that they are not serious on dying.
Although this girl has cut deeply into her wrist, she doesn’t have the intent to die. She did it because her love is true. Yeah, right.
On the origination of this wrist cutting phenomenon that’s taking over Facebook, I believe this took off when Indian secondary school goers in love would slash their lovers’ name on their wrists or chest. Distorted bloodletting to prove that their love is true only to break up two months later then get into trouble with wife or husband later in life on who’s the Meenachi or Gopal whose name is etched on their wrists or chest.
Similar to the scenario above, it is unlikely for the lovelorn teens to actually end up marrying their high school lover – they are bound to break up sooner or later. What’s gonna be permanent are the scars of the wrist slashes, the love or more accurately, infatuation is transient.
The complex behind such bloody, threatening, emotional and mostly shallow Facebook activity is attention seeking. The teens who do this thrive on the amount of likes and concerned and comforting comments from friends.
I’ve been widely censured for pinpointing the frivolous behaviour of Malaysian Indian teens on Facebook but I am not deterred, hence me writing on the same topic albeit on a different dimension.
The dangers behind such Facebook activity
Capitalizing on the feeble mental state of teens who upload such pics on Facebook, they might become easy prey to advantage seekers who plan to use the teens for their own benefit. Such teens have an insane number of friends and followers – they add random strangers (even I got Facebook friend requests from such teens) and are also very open about their life on Facebook, posting statuses like,”Home alone and loving it,” “I am feeling so lonely,” etc. Sexual predators may lurk in the teen’s Facebook friends list and make their move when the teen is most vulnerable and slashing wrists at a disenchantment is as vulnerable as one can get.
Long term damage will affect the teens’ whole life of the teens once they are looking for employment. The scars on the wrists would incur doubts on the behalf of your could-be employer and will undermine your personality and mental state as a whole. You’ll be seen as unable to manage stress and that petty things affect your work acumen and mental stability. You’ll also be perceived as spineless with no leadership skills who succumbs to excessive self pity.
Notice that there are old slash scars. Attempting suicide openly or hurting yourself are not the ways to get things go the way you want.
Nowadays, employers are turning to Facebook to find out the personality and abilities their potential plebs and employees have. So, such hand cutting and emotional drama on Facebook is not good for your job or even for you, both in the short and long run.
If you want to shed blood willingly, out of frustration, please go donate blood in your distraught state. You will save the lives of others by giving up your sanguine. Post pictures of you donating blood on Facebook – it’s something exemplary and worthwhile.
Facebook is indeed the place for you to connect with people and express yourself but there is a limit on what you share and who sees what you share. Do not upload any pictures/statuses that shows you as a feeble being on Facebook. Not everything is to be shared publicly – use Facebook with discretion. Gaple keda vettura aalungge neraya irukangge on Facebook.
In order to be old and wise, you have to young and stupid. But, when being stupid means you invite danger to yourself, wise up by listening to pinjiliyeh palluthe people like me.
Ithu oru Facebook pothu nala arivippu.
