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Aaron Swartz commits suicide

tech.mit.edu

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Re: Aaron Swartz commits suicide

#121

Post by nanook »

antics wrote: post #34

Better eulogies will follow, to be sure, but in the mean time, much of what can be said about him is captured in a touching talk he gave called "How to Get a Job Like Mine" [1]. What I think is especially touching about this is how he gently deconstructs his success, demystifying his own legend by pulling back the curtain on what would have otherwise appeared to be a string of miraculous accomplishments. In the proce…

> he reveals himself to be a sensitive, seemingly grateful, and thoughtful person.

Definitely. He wrote a bunch of blogposts last year on improving life, called "Raw Nerve": http://www.aaronsw.com/weblog/rawnerve

Wonderful writing.

Re: Aaron Swartz commits suicide

#122

Post by optimiz3 »

w1ntermute wrote: post #18
wedtm wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Context?

He was being charged with the felony of downloading/distributing research done using public funding so that it could be made freely available to the taxpayers who funded it. JSTOR had no interest in prosecuting him, but the US Attorney's Office decided to go ahead anyway.

This would be a perfect opportunity for a White House pardon.

Re: Aaron Swartz commits suicide

#123

Post by jacques_chester »

benesch wrote: post #115
wilfra wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He was more accurately describing bipolar disorder, whether he realized it or not. Are you implying that depression or BPD is 'compatibile with blame'? If so, that's absurd.

I think he meant that there's a stigma associated with depression—that many of us unfortunately view depression as the "fault" of depressed individuals, as if it were some sort of choice they make. No one would ever blame you for a [genetic] heart disorder. In the same way, no one would ever blame you for a [genetic] brain disorder. Phrasing it as such removes some of the stigma.

I used to use the analogy of type I diabetes, but now people are mixing it up with type II.

I think that the way to beat the stigma is talk openly about it.

Re: Aaron Swartz commits suicide

#124

Post by gfunk911 »

jacques_chester wrote: post #117
gfunk911 wrote: post #110

I've thought of suicide. Not "seriously," but it's crossed my mind. Sometimes life just seems so hard. My reaction to this is that he was a brilliant guy, and it was such a waste. Such a pointless waste. It makes the idea of giving up myself seem so wrong. Rest in Peace Aaron. I'm sorry it had to end this way.

> I've thought of suicide. Not "seriously," but it's crossed my mind. If it happens again, get help. I'm quite serious.

I started seeing a therapist recently, to address the issues that lead to my depression. If things go south on me again, I have someone to talk to. Kind of like having a lawyer on retainer.

Thank you for your compassion.

Re: Aaron Swartz commits suicide

#125

Post by natrius »

rdtsc wrote: post #102
abrahamsen wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Knowing the reddit community, do you really think that is a good idea?

Knowing the faces and names deciding to spend our tax money on trying to shove in jail for decades someone who downloaded scientific papers, should be in the interest of every citizen, shouldn't it?

Congress decides the range of punishments for breaking laws, not the Department of Justice. Congress is elected by the people. Instead of trying to identify individuals to indict, consider the role of 300 million Americans who implicitly backed those decisions.

Or you could just take a step back to pause and lament the toll of depression.

Re: Aaron Swartz commits suicide

#126

Post by singingfish »

aneth4 wrote: post #50
bpdthrow wrote: post #45

Aaron suffered from a brain disorder. He had documented periods of extreme withdrawn depression and others of mild manic productivity. Because of that brain disorder, perhaps because it was not attacked with the requisite treatment, he is dead. If you or a loved one are ever feeling suicidal, depressed, or are acting abnormally erratic, contact an expert. It's nothing to be ashamed about. It's just a lottery of genet…

Can you provide more information about which brain disorder?

People with mood disorders (e.g. depression, bipolar, cyclothymia) and psychotic illnesses (e.g. bipolar, schizophrenia, schizoaffective) are at elevated risk of suicide. People with anxiety disorders (e.g. social anxiety, OCD) also tend to be prone to depression.

I'm not a big fan of diagnostic labels. Every individual is a different case. [disclaimer, worked in acute mental health, and brain injury rehab total seven years, before getting sucked into the software and analytics industries]

Re: Aaron Swartz commits suicide

#128

Post by Udo »

krzyk wrote: post #105
ucee054 wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah because it's saner to spend 35 years in a federal pound-me-in-the-ass prison.

If you break a law you have to pay for this. Don't you have lawyers there to protect the innocent?

Holy crap, stop being such an asshole. On the off chance you're "just playing the devil's advocate": it's time to quit, now. You can't possibly believe that Aaron deserved in any way what was coming to him. It also stretches the imagination that you actually think lawyers are in any way protecting the innocent. Your opinion on depression is likewise both immature and disgusting in its callousness. You should really be challenged for these beliefs if they are indeed your own.

Re: Aaron Swartz commits suicide

#130

Post by jacques_chester »

lhnz wrote: post #112
jacques_chester wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Depression is the leading cause of suicide. Almost all suicides are somehow connected to it. It can have many causes. Sometimes it's innate to the person, sometimes it's brought on by circumstances; oftentimes multiple factors are involved. But the bottom line is: If you are thinking about suicide, get help. Right now.

Do you have experience recovering from depression?

Yes. I've been suicidally depressed.

I'm one of the fortunate people for whom first-line SSRIs (in my case, sertraline) are very effective. I no longer rely on the meds, but I have additional comfort knowing that they're there if I need them.

I still have bad patches. And it's weird, being inside yourself, intellectually cognisant that this emotion of pointlessness and worthlessness is an illusion, that it doesn't exist -- yet being, sometimes, unable to beat it.

I know that, left to build gravity, the black spiral is stronger than me because it is me.

But I also know that the treatment is stronger. And that is there, if I ever need it again. If I ever get too many of those days in a row, I won't hesitate to seek help.

And neither should anybody else. The suffering is entirely unnecessary.

Get help. You are not alone. It gets better.

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