Alt.suicide.holiday
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- The correct title of this article is alt.suicide.holiday. The initial letter is shown capitalized due to technical restrictions.
alt.suicide.holiday (or a.s.h or ash) is a Usenet newsgroup. Its original purpose was to discuss the relationship between suicide rates and holiday seasons. However, it has since evolved into a discussion forum for people contemplating suicide. According to its FAQ, its purpose is neither to encourage nor discourage suicide.
Participants who share the core values that have developed around the group are "ashers", and "ashspace" is a broader term for online communities historically associated with but distinct from the newsgroup, including the alt.suicide.methods newsgroup, other discussion and chat groups, and web pages.
The newsgroup has become the target of a growing number of news reports alleging a direct relationship between "avoidable" suicides and the suicide-facilitating nature of the newsgroup and web site. According to many ashers the existence of ashspace actually prevented many deaths by allowing people considering suicide to connect with others who have the same feelings and giving them a place where they don't have to hide their true feelings.
The newsgroup is unmoderated and subject to a high level of trolling. This has caused some members to leave the newsgroup, for instance to moderated, troll-free mailing lists or forums.
ash is infamous for the publication, on the newsgroup, of the ash Methods File, a list of possible methods for suicide, ranging from the serious (e.g., lists of poisons and their effects) to the absurd (e.g., starting World War 3).
The community has developed its own unique terminology. "Catch the bus" refers to the act of suicide, and the group is described as:
- a bus stop where several people have decided to stop and chat before deciding on whether or not to get on the bus. [1]
Newcomers are traditionally greeted with:
- Welcome to ASH, sorry you're here.[2]
In addition, related Internet Relay Chat channels exist on several networks.
In 2003, ash was the topic of a series of Wired articles under the pretext of examining the group's role in the deaths of several depressed individuals. The accuracy and integrity of the articles was widely disputed by ashers [3] [4] [5] [6] and internet media critics, e.g. Ken Hagler's Radio Weblog: No One Asked Why He Wanted to Die
[edit] External links
- The "old" Ash website
- CNN.com: "Parents: Online newsgroup helped daughter commit suicide"
- alt.suicideholiday.net - a film about suicide newsgroups
