KIM JONG IL DEAD

[Lenin McCarthy]

"In lieu of flowers, the family of Kim Jong-il asks you to starve a person to death in his memory."

[Sir Squid Diddimus]

It's very sad to hear of the passing of Christopher Hitchens. One of the clearest thinkers and most powerful speakers I've ever seen. He's done so much for atheism, journalism and political commentary in his short time, and despite succumbing to oesophegal cancer he fought a brave fight - Hitchslapping his way through the public conscience until the very end. R.I.P.

It's very sad to hear of the passing of Kim Jonh Il. One of the clearest thinkers and most powerful speakers I've ever seen. He's done so much for communism, journalism and political commentary in his short time, and despite succumbing to pressures of the west he fought a brave fight - Hitchslapping his way through the public conscience until the very end. R.I.P.

I feel bad for those people who are either crying cause they're scared or cause they don't know any better 

[ñͤͣ̄ͦ̌̑͗͊͛͂͗ ̸̨̨̣̺̼̣̜͙͈͕̮̊̈́̈͂͛̽͊ͭ̓͆ͅé ̰̓̓́ͯ́́͞]

"In lieu of flowers, the family of Kim Jong-il asks you to starve a person to death in his memory."

[Hoser McRhizzy]

He's just sleeping.  Legend has it that if Mr Handsome makes out with Jung Il's chin, Dear Leader will wake.

[Cain]

Reports from North Korea suggest nature itself is weeping at the death of Kim Jong-il

[Nephew Twiddleton]

Yeah i saw that too. It makes me wonder if a few centuries from now kimmism will be recognized as a valid religion.

[Freeky]

Just imagine the mass hysteria that would ensue if Justin Bieber died.

I imagine he'll probably inspire a few fans to go with him, since he is this generation's Kurt Cobain and all tat.

[EK WAFFLR]

Just imagine the mass hysteria that would ensue if Justin Bieber died.

I imagine he'll probably inspire a few fans to go with him, since he is this generation's Kurt Cobain and all tat.

We can only hope.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Think John Lennon. Or JFK.

[AFK]

Just imagine the mass hysteria that would ensue if Justin Bieber died.

I imagine he'll probably inspire a few fans to go with him, since he is this generation's Kurt Cobain and all tat.

I dunno.  I think a bunch of kids would get upset but I don't think it would be that big a deal.  And I don't think there were really that many copycat suicides after KC killed himself.  At least I don't recall that happening. 

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

I was thinking about the public weeping.

[Freeky]

Just imagine the mass hysteria that would ensue if Justin Bieber died.

I imagine he'll probably inspire a few fans to go with him, since he is this generation's Kurt Cobain and all tat.

I dunno.  I think a bunch of kids would get upset but I don't think it would be that big a deal.  And I don't think there were really that many copycat suicides after KC killed himself.  At least I don't recall that happening. 

Must have been an urban myth type thing. 

[Bruno]

After Jerry Garcia died, a guy I know started printing t-shirts with Jerry Garcia at the pearly gates, and a bunch of deadheads behind him.

The caption read: "I can't help it. They follow me everywhere."

[Triple Zero]

Just imagine the mass hysteria that would ensue if Justin Bieber died.

I imagine he'll probably inspire a few fans to go with him, since he is this generation's Kurt Cobain and all tat.

I dunno.  I think a bunch of kids would get upset but I don't think it would be that big a deal.  And I don't think there were really that many copycat suicides after KC killed himself.  At least I don't recall that happening. 

Must have been an urban myth type thing. 

Actually, copycat suicides have always been, at least since the beginning of mass media. There's even statistics that show a temporary rise in roadside accidents after a widely published celebrity suicide, in the sense that yeah there are apparently people that are sufficiently depressed and just turning the wheel and driving into that tree is such an easy and split-second decision ...

[AFK]

FWIW:

http://www.springerlink.com/content/f2ev96v5j89tbm46/

Abstract
This study examined the total rate of suicide in Australia for young people (aged 15–19 and 20–24 years) for the 30 day period after the announcement of Kurt Cobain''s suicide in 1994, comparing with the identical period for the previous five years and accounting for unequal variability in weekends, Mondays and public holidays. The 1994 rates for male suicides for both age groups were lower than for 1992 and 1993, and were more similar to the 1990 rates. Female rates showed a steady small decline over the five years, sustained in 1994. Rates overall showed a reduction in all of the first five, ten and fifteen day rates, compared with previous years. There was no evidence of any increase in deaths from gunshot, the method used by Cobain. The conclusion appears to be that this celebrity suicide had little impact on suicide in young persons in Australia. Possible reasons for this are discussed.

Another study in the Seattle area here:  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez/8897665?dopt=Abstract&holding=f1000,f1000m,isrctn

Increase calls to crisis centers but didn't seem to be a bump in suicides linked to Cobain's.  If anything, it seemed to really spark social services agencies to go into overdrive and take some proactive steps to prepare for the worst, which didn't really materialize.  Interesting.