Iconic punk mouthpiece Henry Rollins has always been an outspoken sort, but the former Black Flag’s latest weekly column for the LA Weekly has made him an overnight controversy magnet for his comments on suicide and the recent death of actor/comedian Robin Williams.
Clearly jealous of all the attention that Kiss’ Gene Simmons was getting for telling depression sufferers “fuck you! kill yourself”, Rollins’ piece – titled Fuck Suicide – goes straight for the jugular.
The think piece begins with Rollins acknowledging the greatness of Robin Williams’ career (“his talent as an actor is not in dispute”) and the media obsession and public mourning over his death, “But it’s here where I step off the train,” the writer/actor/radio host continues, warning readers before weighing in with his own opinions on suicide.
“…I also understand that his personal struggles were quite real. I can’t argue with that. But I simply cannot understand how any parent could kill themselves,” Rollins writes, before going on to explain that those who take their own lives are selfishly disregarding the consequences of the impact on those they leave behind.
“How in the hell could you possibly do that to your children? I don’t care how well adjusted your kid might be — choosing to kill yourself, rather than to be there for that child, is every shade of awful, traumatic and confusing. I think as soon as you have children, you waive your right to take your own life. No matter what mistakes you make in life, it should be your utmost goal not to traumatize your kids. So, you don’t kill yourself.”
Rollins then recounts a story about a former housemate who took their own life after struggling with depression; “I get it, but then again, maybe I don’t.”
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The 53-year-old musician continues that “when someone negates their existence, they cancel themselves out in my mind. I have many records, books and films featuring people who have taken their own lives, and I regard them all with a bit of disdain.” Those who have committed suicide have “nullified their existence because they wilfully removed themselves from life,” he adds.
I no longer take this person seriously. I may be able to appreciate what he or she did artistically but it’s impossible to feel bad for them. Their life wasn’t cut short — it was purposely abandoned. It’s hard to feel bad when the person did what they wanted to. It sucks they are gone, of course, but it’s the decision they made. I have to respect it and move on.
Rollins concludes: “Almost 40,000 people a year kill themselves in America, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In my opinion, that is 40,000 people who blew it. Fuck suicide. Life isn’t anything but what you make it.”
To the surprise of no-one, Henry Rollins’ suicide shaming has already drawn a strong backlash online, with Twitter lighting up with reactions from commenters taking him to task for – variously – his ignorance, lack of subtlety, and ignorance of ‘choice vs condition’.
You can read the full 1,000 word article here.
