the nomenclature of “victim”
Ya know, suicide is painless, or so the song says, but njjules pointed out a headline today mentioning that someone was “a suicide victim.”
I don’t want to make light of a tragic situation, since suicide is only painless for the person in question – pretty much sucks for the cleanup crew, you know?
But, the more we thought about it, I have a hard time with the term “suicide victim.” Because really, the person jumping meant to do it. I think the term “suicide victim” is more properly applied to a person on the ground, on whom the jumper has landed. Or to the poor schmuck who has to pee so badly he’s developing a bladder infection because he’s been sitting on the US Capitol Beltway for 4 hours while the cops help some idiot make up his mind on the edge of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. There’s your “suicide victim.”
Not that I’m bitter – or heartless. Just big and ugly!
I’m just sayin’, is all.
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