Television is pretty ubiquitous these days, and more often than not, is merely a distraction for most, from the mundane. For that reason, I rarely watch it and pursue other pastimes at night. There are a few notable exceptions and last night ABC ‘You Can’t Ask That’ (Series 2 | Episode 3 – iView) absolutely knocked it out of the park on humanising suicide, it’s victims and those who are left behind.
For those who aren’t familiar with the series (Wednesdays @ 9pm), a series of questions are read out and answered by a sub-section of the Australian population. These questions are awkward (often ignorant), address common myths and misconceptions and are just raw in nature. ABC summarises it as “You Can’t Ask That asks groups of misunderstood, judged or marginalised Australians the awkward, inappropriate or uncomfortable questions you’ve always wanted to know the answers to, but have always been too afraid to ask”. Prior to last night’s episode on suicide attempt survivors, it has featured people of Aboriginal descent, people who follow the Muslim faith and other, often misunderstood sections of society.
Last night’s episode featured a cross section of society who have attempted suicide, but for whatever reason, it never eventuated. I would challenge anyone to watch the program and not to empathise with these individuals as humans, it was powerful, raw and above all genuine.
Watching the twitter feed and the trending process which happened in real time the outpouring of emotion, connection and learning was like a bow wave crashing over the audience as each misconception was stripped bare and real humans (not posters) outpoured their story including their emotions, thoughts and reflections.
I’m not going to summarise the program or provide bumper stickers or a call to action, I just want you to watch, and immerse yourself in the pain & hope for the future.
The episode is available for free on iView here – Mandatory viewing
For those who want to talk to someone please see the below
Reframe my Safety Brain 