Most disturbing...
Pretty, isn't it? I gotta say, I never get tired of looking at it. And if you've ever visited my lovely city, you've looked at it too. Maybe even walked across it.
Did you know that more people commit suicide here than at any other single location in the world?
I learned that depressing fact during the screening of a documentary, "The Bridge," that's about to get a wider theatrical release next month.
This is far from a popcorn movie. The filmmaker set up his cameras to shoot the bridge for an entire year, and caught on film a number of suicides. So you sit on edge, in the dark, waiting for the first one... because you know it's going to be disturbing. And oh my GOD, it is. And it doesn't get any easier to watch the rest of the jumps. (I can't remember how many are shown; maybe six?)
But the heart of the film is interviews with the loved ones of those who jumped in 2004, and some of the people who witnessed some of the suicides. Oh, there's also a guy who stopped a woman from jumping.
It's heartbreaking. And again makes the case for a suicide barrier on the span.
It's an issue that's been debated here for years, and I was one of those who believed the opponents' argument -- that people who are hell-bent on taking their own lives will find some way to do it. If not on the Golden Gate, then somewhere else. So why spend a lot of money and alter the look of the bridge?
The San Francisco Chronicle published a great series last year or the year before on the issue, and talked to some of those who've jumped AND SURVIVED (!) (one of whom I've met). None of them ever made another suicide attempt. All of them talked about how easy it was to just pull themselves over the railing and go. The guy I met (who appears in this documentary) says as soon as he jumped, he regretted it. So he spent the rest of his 220-fall into the icy water below trying to position his body so that he might live.
That alone changed my mind. And the people who run the bridge are now moving forward -- albeit slowly, in that tedious bureaucratic fashion -- with the process to put some kind of barrier up.
What is my point? I guess I don't have one. Except that it's been almost a week since I saw this film and I can't get those images out of my mind.
(Which is why we -- a co-worker and I -- had to go have a drink afterwards. HAD to. I should have expensed that....)
posted by terry @ 8:12 PM
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At 28 September, 2006 01:45,
The Savage said...
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At 28 September, 2006 16:32,
DZER said...
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At 28 September, 2006 19:06,
terry said...
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At 28 September, 2006 19:33,
JMai said...
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At 28 September, 2006 19:46,
Balloon Pirate said...
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At 28 September, 2006 19:57,
terry said...
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At 28 September, 2006 21:08,
Natalia said...
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At 29 September, 2006 00:26,
Queen of Cheese said...
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At 29 September, 2006 08:23,
Balloon Pirate said...
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At 29 September, 2006 18:00,
terry said...
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At 29 September, 2006 18:54,
Mouthy Girl said...
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At 29 September, 2006 19:13,
terry said...
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That is rather disturbing... I'd have probably had to have had a drink too....
I love that bridge ... and will look forward to the movie ...
savage, i'm not even sure disturbing's the right word. it was... GAH!
jeannette, that's the thing about this film -- the director follows all sorts of people walking across the bridge, stopping, looking over the edge... and you just can't tell who it's going to be. OY.
dz, i love that bridge too. especially when i'm driving south into the city. as i come down the waldo grade... i look at the bridge, and the view around it, and think, "wow, i live here!" every time.
how tragic that it draws so much death.
That documentary sounds like it'll be worth watching. Creepy, for sure... but interesting.
I can't wait for the opportunity to see that bridge in person. It's so pretty.
Somewhere, there's a line between protecting people from their own idiocy, and not padding and restructuring every piece of public property in order to keep the idiots safe. I have no idea where it is.
There shouldn't have to be a law that says people must wear seatbelts. There shouldn't have to be a law that says people must wear helmets when riding bikes and motorcycles.
Yet, people continue to not do these basic things to allow themselves a better chance at living.
One thing's for certain: there is not nearly enough being done about mental illness in this country, other than to stigmatize those who seek it. I wonder how many of those people on that bridge just needed to be heard--just needed someone to talk to?
Hey, let's go bomb another country! USA! USA!
yeharr
pirate, you're right. we can't protect people from EVERYTHING.
but the point of the barrier advocates is that if you make it just a little harder for people to take that jump, it just might save some lives.
the people who work on the bridge are trained to spot the signs of despondency, and how to talk to someone who appears to be on the verge... and there are phones on the bridge that are hooked up to the suicide hotline.
still... it happens. all the time.
the guy who jumped tells the story of how he was bawling his eyes out for the longest time while on the bridge, and the only person who talked to him was a tourist who asked him to take her picture. she didn't seem to notice the tears streaming down his face.
i could not agree with you more about the way we deal with -- or don't, really -- mental illness. it's criminal.
Nevertheless it is interesting, isn't it? I love that city. And I think some people need that beauty as the last place. Does that make sense?
-N
(Natalia)
Makes sense to me. Granted, I havent' seen this film and perhaps I'll change my mind. But, if I wanted to make that kind of decision, this is where I'd do it. So ... do I want to take the ability to do what I want to do where I want away from other people?? maybe ... maybe not. Perhaps I really can't weigh in on this ... because actually, I like having the option. sorry.
I'm not advocating against the suicide barriers. I'm howling against living in the sort of society that makes suicide barriers necessary. In Washington, they just passed a law in the Senate allowing us to torture, allowig our government the right to lock up anyone, anywhere--including you and me--without us having the right to know why. One of the Senators who wanted this bill passed (I think it was Lott) said that he'd "be able to sleep well at night" knowing he helped pass this unAmerican bill.
Argh. Sorry for ranting. Suicide barriers are probably a good thing. Especially for me right now.
Yeharr
nat, that absolutely makes sense. and as this movie points out, that's part of the attraction for so many.
cheese, i'll bet that even WITH a barrier, there will still be a way to make that jump. it will just take more effort.
lil'sis, that's an amazing story. and shows how easy it can be to reach out to someone.
pirate, i hear you. and yes, that bill? heinous. horrifying. vomitous.
and rant away! i enjoy it.
Jaysus.
I'm going to be on the lookout for that documentary.
Your post brought back the day when I received the chilling news that my good friend's father pulled his car over on the way to work...rush hour traffic into Manhatten, calmly removed his jewelry, left the car running, and jumped to his death from the George Washington Bridge. Hundreds of people saw him. His body was found weeks later, bloated and hung up on branches near the water's edge.
buddha girl, i'm sitting here with my mouth open in shock over that story.
holy crap. did anyone have any idea that he was depressed/upset/ whatever?
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