RIP Robin Williams

[Netkeeper]

I don't see anything wrong with it. I've been wanting to sit down and watch some Robin Williams movies myself, particularly Hook and Mrs. Doubtfire, as well as checking out some of the ones I didn't see.

Some people might think its too soon, but others might find it to be a nice way to deal with it. Everyone reacts to these things differently.

However, I hate the "Genie, you're free" thing. I don't agree with that choice of words.

[DarkLightDragon]

I honestly would've been shocked if Disney didn't respond in some way or do something in memory of him such as re-airing Aladdin. Especially considering how his voice-work in that film essentially made voice-acting the popular thing to do for celebrities since then.

[ObiWanFan4life]

Originally Posted by DarkLightDragon

I honestly would've been shocked if Disney didn't respond in some way or do something in memory of him such as re-airing Aladdin. Especially considering how his voice-work in that film essentially made voice-acting the popular thing to do for celebrities since then.

They aired it on Disney XD yesterday with a message at the end that said : "In memory of Robin Williams, who made us laugh."

[DarkLightDragon]

Originally Posted by ObiWanFan4life

They aired it on Disney XD yesterday with a message at the end that said : "In memory of Robin Williams, who made us laugh."

I know, I even mentioned it in my last post in the "Last movie you watched?" topic.

I was just saying if they didn't do anything.

[ObiWanFan4life]

Originally Posted by DarkLightDragon

I know, I even mentioned it in my last post in the "Last movie you watched?" topic.

I was just saying if they didn't do anything.

Oh, my mistake.

[Storm Eagle]

Originally Posted by Netkeeper

I don't see anything wrong with it. I've been wanting to sit down and watch some Robin Williams movies myself, particularly Hook and Mrs. Doubtfire, as well as checking out some of the ones I didn't see.

Some people might think its too soon, but others might find it to be a nice way to deal with it. Everyone reacts to these things differently.

However, I hate the "Genie, you're free" thing. I don't agree with that choice of words.

Maybe the "Genie, you're free" thing was a little much. Everything else still seems fair game to me though.

Also, there will be a non-playable Robin Williams-tribute character in World of Warcraft. There may also be one in a future Legend of Zelda game.

http://www.toonzone.net/2014/08/nint..._URL_ESC_ESC%%

[Netkeeper]

Oh man, that video at the end of that article is precious.

[Storm Eagle]

Originally Posted by Netkeeper

Oh man, that video at the end of that article is precious.

You know, it might be one of my favorite commercials.

[BubblyShell22]

Yeah, I saw that they aired Aladdin on Disney Channel, too, and saw the bit at the end. So sweet that they did a tribute to him in that way.

[Xav]

Twitter is looking to rethink it's harassment policies after Zelda Williams was driven off the site.
http://vulcanpost.com/17219/twitter-...elda-williams/

[BubblyShell22]

Yes, I read about that, and they should. This thing needs to stop. I feel so sorry for her.

[ObiWanFan4life]

Originally Posted by BubblyShell22

Yes, I read about that, and they should. This thing needs to stop. I feel so sorry for her.

Man, some people are, pardon my french, dicks.

[Metalwolf]

I wonder if they will bury him, or if he will be cremated?

[BubblyShell22]

I'm not sure, but they did say there was already a funeral for him and that he was laid to rest, so my guess is that he was buried.

[Davetello]

RIP. He made me laugh in lots of films and his serious roles were compelling as well.

On one hand, we can go back to the old debate that celebrities should not be idolised, and that their lives aren't more important than those who die and aren't reported on. This is very true, but ultimately a seemingly decent and definitely talented man has still died so he should be shown the appropriate respect.

Some guys over here in Britain thought it was ROBBIE Williams who had died, when this happened. They went on record saying they were relieved when they realised it wasn't. That disgusted me. First, who is relieved that someone else has died just because they like a fellow celebrity who they rarely even know? Second, Robbie Williams is talentless and has contributed far less to entertainment than Robin Williams did, so why would they be relieved in those terms?

I see there's a debate about suicide and mental health in here. Always a debate worth having. Robin obviously suffered from the depression which many people do he could cope no longer. It's a shame that he saw no way out.

If you could bottle 'happiness', it would be the most precious commodity in history.

[pennydreadful]

It would be nice to think that what has happened will bring depression more into the spotlight as a serious illness - the cynical part of me just thinks that as soon as it's "yesterday's news", people will just forget.

The really irritating part is that people act like the only "real" depression is the type where people just don't talk about it - that if you do talk about it, it's obviously just for attention. And then when you do top yourself after years of suffering in silence, it's "oh, why didn't they reach out to someone".

Bottom line - there really needs to be a better understanding of mental illness, and more education about it. It shouldn't be hidden away like some shameful topic that people are too embarrassed to talk about. We need to get it out there and de-stigmatise it, so that people realize that 1 - it's more common than most think, and 2 - help is available.

[Leo656]

It all comes down to Empathy, which is something that we as a society are being conditioned to believe is a weakness. We are taught, point blank, that anyone's problems, failures, or unhappiness is entirely their own fault, that if they don't have the life they want that they obviously "didn't want it bad enough", and thus they deserve to be miserable. There's no such thing as getting screwed over by circumstance, or being legitimately abused or taken advantage of. Just, "Happiness is Right There, and you could have it if you weren't such a whiny bitch." People who understand that the world isn't that simple or fair are obviously frustrated, and some of them go to extreme measures over it.

What I've never understood, and never will, is the assertion that people who kill themselves are "cowards" or "weak". I mean, I kind of get it... "cowards" because they're afraid of the future, "weak" because they didn't have the inner strength to just "push through" their problems... but I don't agree with it. I always looked at it as, it takes a really serious commitment and a certain level of bravery to punch your own ticket. Think about it... there's no guarantee we get an afterlife, a second chance, nothing... for all anyone knows, you could just blink out in a moment and that's it, and everything you ever existed or struggled for will become meaningless. You don't know if it will hurt, you don't know if you'll suffer first, you don't know if you'll screw it up and be kept alive with machines and tubes while essentially brain dead... you don't know anything for certain, and yet, people can still find ways to pull the trigger or kick the chair out from under themselves. I'm not glorifying or justifying it, but... to me, that takes a certain level of bravery in itself.

As I've said before, whenever people say things like, "Well, good, they deserved it, they were weak and cowardly and life is always worth living," it just proves the point the person was making in killing themselves: That nobody really understands or cares about them anyway, or they wouldn't say such horrific things.

I'm ashamed to say, I used to completely misunderstand depression and people who went through it. I had some really dark times when I was really young, and by the time I was a teenager I thought it was all "behind me" and that I'd figured out some "secret" to staying happy and winning at life. I had some friends who were depressed a lot, and while I did my best to help, I still didn't "get it" and often fell into the "It's not so bad, you just need to cheer up" trap of platitudes and nonsense. I'm even ashamed to say, I sometimes pulled the "it's all your own fault, you have a bad attitude" card. I'm really glad none of those people killed themselves, because I would entirely blame myself. It's shameful, because dealing with my own issues over a lifetime, it's stupid that I ever once thought that things like depression and schizophrenia were things people could just "get over". Belittling and demeaning people's problems - which may seem small to you but are Very Real to them - does nothing but push them closer to the edge. I don't know how anyone can't understand that; it's really very simple.

Again, though, I guess it's society. We're taught from birth that life is a competitive sport, that we can have everything we want if we just believe in it hard enough, and that if you fall short in some way, well, you're just a weak person and don't belong among the rest of the enlightened go-getters. Gee, I wonder why some people punch their own ticket after having that kind of message beaten into them for decades?

[Storm Eagle]

Originally Posted by Xav

Twitter is looking to rethink it's harassment policies after Zelda Williams was driven off the site.
http://vulcanpost.com/17219/twitter-...elda-williams/

Well now she's back on Twitter.

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertain...icle-1.1924755

Originally Posted by Metalwolf

I wonder if they will bury him, or if he will be cremated?

Originally Posted by BubblyShell22

I'm not sure, but they did say there was already a funeral for him and that he was laid to rest, so my guess is that he was buried.

He was cremated.

Originally Posted by Leo656

It all comes down to Empathy, which is something that we as a society are being conditioned to believe is a weakness. We are taught, point blank, that anyone's problems, failures, or unhappiness is entirely their own fault, that if they don't have the life they want that they obviously "didn't want it bad enough", and thus they deserve to be miserable. There's no such thing as getting screwed over by circumstance, or being legitimately abused or taken advantage of. Just, "Happiness is Right There, and you could have it if you weren't such a whiny bitch." People who understand that the world isn't that simple or fair are obviously frustrated, and some of them go to extreme measures over it.

Complete bull. Those people don't know enough about the person to judge them.

You'd have to wonder if the people making those claims have never made a mistake in their lives.

[Leo656]

I can't speak for everyone, obviously, but I've seen a lot of it in my own family. There are a few who kind of got a good start on life, had everything kind of easy, and ended up making lots of money to the point where they never struggled or wanted for anything, and I guess if it all comes that easy to you you just can't understand why it doesn't work that way for everyone. My cousin is like that, and make no mistake, he worked his ass off for everything he has and he deserves it, but he took a huge risk in changing careers at one point to start his own business and it happened to pay off huge for him. He gambled his wife and kids' futures on a whim, uprooted them to a different state and didn't have an exit strategy if things didn't pan out; they just as easily could have lost everything, which is statistically what happens far more often. But as it goes, it all turned out perfectly and they all made out just fine, and I'm glad for them. But, the drawback is, whenever they talk about less fortunate people, they always come off like if everyone took the exact same path he/they did, everyone would be successful and happy. They're also pretty religious, and use their success as "proof" that God exists and will reward you with everything you want if only you work for it. They genuinely can't understand how people struggle and fail, and it makes them hard to talk to even though they are fundamentally good people. They want people to do well, but they literally think there's a road map to success and happiness, and if you don't have it, you don't deserve it for one reason or another.

Again, I can't speak for everyone or even most people. In my family, it's just that the people who have had an easy life by comparison to most others don't have that point of empathy; they genuinely don't understand struggle, they've never been depressed or scared or worried about anything because they've never lived the other side. It's always been "what ifs", just too abstract a concept to grasp. It's tough to get the family together for holidays and such, because there's obviously a little resentment from the people who have worked just as hard and taken just as many gambles and just not gotten the breaks, and they don't exactly want to hear they only fell short because they "didn't want it bad enough".

On the flip side, I guess it's just like how poor people can't imagine anyone who was rich or famous as being depressed or suicidal, because from that frame of reference, if you're rich and famous "You officially have no problems". I'm guilty of making that kind of statement, I confess. It's not true, though; people at all ends of the spectrum end up depressed, and there's no amount of money that can make that go away.

It's true what they say, until you've lived through another person's circumstances you can't accurately judge what they're dealing with.

[Davetello]

Great posts by everyone. And I've always said that anyone who calls suicide 'cowardly' is a selfish fvkcer who has no idea what mental suffering is. Like you I think it takes a level of bravery to actually go through with the act - a bravery I lack incidentally, as I would rather not be alive but I am too much of a pussy to kill myself. I hate that comment to such an extent that I've actually stopped talking to people on account of them saying it. Someone finally can't cope any more and they are still being attacked and judged in death? The irony is that the world would be a better place if these cvnts weren't here rather than the person who has taken their own life.

All that other stuff resonates with me as well - the world is a cruel, brutal place, and we're taught that we simply have to suck it up and get on with it in order to achieve. Some of us just don't want to, some of us see life as a sham - as a mirage which essentially has no intrinsic value. The ultimate point of life seems to be to procreate, it's what we are biologically programmed to do. But why? To continue a species which is deeply flawed anyway? Surely it would be better if we were wiped out like the dinosaurs? We've had our go at it and we've royally fvkced things up. Yes man is capable of great things, but it's all overshadowed by war, poverty etc. I can totally relate to that feeling of living in a world which you know is complex and rotten, and not wanting to be part of it. But the only alternative is suicide. I understand why people do it because life is too much of a burden.

I'm ranting somewhat, but some people go through so much and just can't handle it; they can't manage. And/Or they have a serious mental health condition which makes life too difficult to cope with. For them to be judged on that is sickening. There are so many heartless people who'll pass judgement on others, but they don't actually realise that their comments might be having a devastating psychological effect on that person (or maybe they just don't care, which is probably more likely).

I mean I was in the library earlier and got the feeling this overweight guy and the person he was with were laughing at me. At first I wondered if they were laughing at some perceived physical flaw, but this guy was a fat, baldy mess and most certainly not in a position to mock me so maybe it wasn't that. Maybe I am being paranoid but if he was it makes me so angry. it's completetely disrespectful yet I can't do anything about it because A) I don't know for sure so it might not be fair on the guy and B) if he was genuinely mocking me then I'm the one who would be blamed if I reacted for 'causing a scene'. Even though I have every right to stand up for myself due to provocation. These people don't realise what they do to others - when someone you've never met before walks into a public library or a shop, you know nothing about their extensive past. You don't know what they've been through or might be struggling with. This is why I am always polite to strangers in public - if I'm rude then it might send them over the edge if they're already struggling, and being nice to people also has the added benefit of putting a spring in their step. If someone's having a hard time and I am friendly to them, then perhaps they can go home and think "that guy smiled at me and seemed to like me, and he's never even met me - perhaps I'm a worthwhile person after all".

If they give me a reason to be annoyed at them then things are different. But yeah, I get really irritated by the way people behave in public. Some of these idiots have zero manners and were clearly dragged up rather than brought up. I've seen lots of people utterly humiliated and demeaned when out and about, and being part of public life is something which is generally unavoidable - I mean what's the alternative? Don't go and post that letter or buy that newspaper because you don't feel comfortable among strangers? Yeah, some people feel forced to hide away because of that, but it isn't right.

Some of these scumbags are total animals.