YouTube sensation Logan Paul has recently come under fire for an insensitive video he posted on YouTube. In the offending video Paul, whose YouTube channel has over 15 million followers, visited Japan’s Aokigahara forest, also known as the “suicide forest.” During their visit, Paul and his friends came across the body of someone who recently committed suicide and made jokes about the suicide victim. Their insensitivity led to him to delete the video and issue an apology.
The backlash to the insensitivity of Paul and his friends has been swift and strong, and rightly so. What’s interesting is the notable silence of the Hemlock Society, rebranded as Compassion and Choices. Its advocacy for legalizing doctor-prescribed suicide (and ultimately euthanasia) hinges on an assumption that suicide is no big deal and should be treated as cavalierly as Paul and his friends did. The fact that the organization has not come out in full-throated defense of Paul is indicative of its hypocrisy.
Paul has stated he posted the video “to raise awareness for suicide and suicide prevention” but admits he doesn’t expect to be forgiven. He has even apologized to the family of the person who committed suicide. Similarly, Compassion and Choices, and other advocates of doctor-prescribed suicide should apologize to all who commit suicide for the cavalier attitude they display toward suicide and should refocus their attention on reminding people considering suicide they can always choose life.