There is even a commercial in Japan with Gogo Yubari (Chiaki Kuriyama) urging people not to commit suicide.
Posted on 05/01/2008 8:41:23 AM PDT by stillafreemind
Japan has a population groaning under the threat of suicide. Not only are people committing suicide, but the new Internet fad of mixing detergent and bath lotion is threatening to kill or sicken people around them. Heads up on a new fad of the Internet, a new method of suicide.
On Thurday, at least 350 people were evacuated in Northern Japan because of a suicide using the newest method of detergent and bath lotion. The fumes had escaped and was feared to harm neighbors.
(Excerpt) Read more at associatedcontent.com ...
I call BS on this article. There can’t be any suicides in Japan, they have very strict gun control.
/sarcasm
What is the deal with Japan and suicide? Can it possibly suck that bad there that they all want to kill themselves? I watch Ninja Warrior on G4 TV and they seem like a fun bunch...
“Cleanest body I’ve ever seen Sarge!”
You're bad! I suppose they slide right into the after life with nary a fingerprint on them.
For a productive & smart society, the Japanese are sometimes VERY weird.
Wow..so glad you all took this so seriously. A kid can mix these two very common household ingredients together..wipe him/herself out and anyone else who happens to be too close.
Note to self: this is funny (not)
It's part of the culture, a centuries-old social consensus that death is preferable to humiliation.
Time for more product bans I guess. Pretty soon all that will be left is water. Oh yeah, I forgot - you can use that to kill yourself too.
I doubt bans are the right thing. But I wish there was something to do about how kids and grownups feel about themselves. This story took place in Japan..but I was reading about suicides worldwide and the trend definitely seems to be going up. Very sad statement.
“What is the deal with Japan and suicide?”
In nature, when a species grows in population density, that species is susceptible to illnesses, and irratic behavior. Nature’s way of thinning the herd.
Hydrogen sulfide is some nasty stuff. If you could make a strong enough mix it would be a pretty quick way to go.
Of course if you screw up you could end up just a brain damaged vegetable.
I was being sarcastic about the ban thing, but your post did provide me with the ultimate solution....
Ban liberalism.
Carolyn
Admit it - you just didn’t want to do the dishes ;)
Good to know. I am wondering what the chemical combination was the Japanese are using and if there were comparable brands in the U.S. I wouldn’t want to accidentally combine them.
I guess in some the countries, the good ole days really weren’t...
???
Japan's reproductive rate and population density have decreased significantly over the past 20 years, and suicide only accounts for a small percentage of that decline.
Most of the decline is accounted for by more Japanese never reproducing and the ones who do reproduce having only one child.
Illnesses among the Japanese have decreased dramatically, making them the world's longest-lived nation. As far as "erratic behavior" is concerned, the Japanese have lower rates of institutionalization and incarceration than many countries. These rates declined and longevity increased all the while Japan's population was still becoming denser (1945-1985).
And, of course, the Japanese are not a species.
“And, of course, the Japanese are not a species.”
Valid corrections, except that last one. :P
Actually, might be more like ammonia and scouring powder or bleach, ammonia, and scouring powder.
Whatever the combination, I accidently mixed up the correct formula years ago while cleaning up the kitchen in a base housing unit I was moving out of. Realized from the first whiff of the fumes what had happened, got the windows open and the kitchen fan going (didn’t take long) and got out of there. Several hours of extreme ventilation later, I was able to return and flush the residue down the toilet.
LOL!
Japan needs Jesus. He forgives.
Carolyn
Having lived there 14 years, I believe it is a strong sense of personal responsibility mixed in with the Confucian respect for authority. There is also the strong identity to groups-- family, country, company, cause and religion for the minority who is religious.
This is not always a bad thing. One of the traits I admire most about the Japanese is their extreme loyalty and honesty-- particularly to those inside the group. Of course, this can be a bad thing if the group happens to be whack-jobs like Aum Shinri-Kyo, those who carried out the gas attacks on the Tokyo subway.
Carolyn
I don’t suppose you have any ammonia and Chlorox around your house, do you?
that stuff is bad news - I ended up in the hospital after having gotten a whiff once -
India takes all the stress out of expectations for some people by calling them untouchables. In Japan I imagine the ostracism and depression from failure to achieve is overwhelming. Hence the strange goodbyes.
I LOVE your tag line!
I was at a dinner party where 1/2 of the attendees where chemical engineers. I mentioned the time that the ammonia truck overturned and spilled in Houston a few decades ago...
I was saying I guess ammonia fumes in your lungs could kill you...
One of the Chem. engineers said TOO MUCH WATER IN YOUR LUNGS WILL KILL YOU, TOO!
Touche`
It’s not ammonia and clorox that they are using. The article said it’s a mixture of detergent and body lotion.
Watch out, our own Rat government will want to require ID to purchase these two items in the future.....just like they did with cold medicine.
Its probably HELLO KITTY.
Sunpole™ toilet cleaner (9.5% hydrochloric acid) + MUTOUHAPPU bath salts, which contain calcium sulfide.
There's a reason for those warnings on the bowl cleaner bottles.
Carolyn
Carolyn
I know that, but most homes have both and when mixed, you get chlorine gas.
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