mclumber1 Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 A Yale Professor Suggested Mass Suicide for Old People in Japan. What Did He Mean? - The New York Times WWW.NYTIMES.COM Yusuke Narita says he is mainly addressing a growing effort to revamp Japan’s age-based hierarchies. Still, he has pushed the country’s hottest button. Before they attempt to solve their problems through mass seppuku, I would suggest relaxing their strict immigration rules and encouraging the young adults to actually have babies. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b_m_b_m_b_m Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 Anyone with those glasses is instantly suspect 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperSpreader Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 Good idea tho Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firewithin Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 Can we apply that to America 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CayceG Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 Idiot professor: “I feel like the only solution is pretty clear. In the end, isn’t it mass suicide and mass ‘seppuku’ of the elderly?” The New York Goddamn Times: "What did he mean by this?" Fucking garbage newspaper. 3 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaladinSolo Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 One of the downfalls to modern medicine is keeping people alive well past when they should expire, like great you made it to 95, but those last 10 years sucked pretty hard. Going around offing people just cause their old isn't a well thought out idea though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mclumber1 Posted February 12, 2023 Author Share Posted February 12, 2023 Just now, PaladinSolo said: One of the downfalls to modern medicine is keeping people alive well past when they should expire, like great you made it to 95, but those last 10 years sucked pretty hard. My grandpa suffered a few heart attacks and a stroke in his mid-60s. As a result of modern medicine, doctors were able to save his life, and he survived for another 18 years. But those 18 years were absolute hell for him and my grandma who had to care for him. Between the physical pain he endured for almost 2 more decades and the strain put on the entire family, I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have wished that on himself or the family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkStar189 Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 3 minutes ago, mclumber1 said: My grandpa suffered a few heart attacks and a stroke in his mid-60s. As a result of modern medicine, doctors were able to save his life, and he survived for another 18 years. But those 18 years were absolute hell for him and my grandma who had to care for him. Between the physical pain he endured for almost 2 more decades and the strain put on the entire family, I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have wished that on himself or the family. That’s probably my biggest fear in life. If I get messed up big enough I don’t want my existence to be a job for others. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CayceG Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 22 minutes ago, PaladinSolo said: One of the downfalls to modern medicine is keeping people alive well past when they should expire, like great you made it to 95, but those last 10 years sucked pretty hard. Going around offing people just cause their old isn't a well thought out idea though. "Should" here puts you in the position to decide who dies and when. It's fucked. It is not a downfall that modern science allows people to live past when they would have previously died. Longer lifespans on average come with new challenges. That doesn't mean the challenges are big enough to warrant deciding what someone's upper limit on life is. Again, that's fucked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaladinSolo Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 4 minutes ago, CayceG said: "Should" here puts you in the position to decide who dies and when. It's fucked. It is not a downfall that modern science allows people to live past when they would have previously died. Longer lifespans on average come with new challenges. That doesn't mean the challenges are big enough to warrant deciding what someone's upper limit on life is. Again, that's fucked. I don't really disagree with the notion of letting people expire, its often others that are choosing to extend their lives for them as it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThreePi Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 23 minutes ago, mclumber1 said: My grandpa suffered a few heart attacks and a stroke in his mid-60s. As a result of modern medicine, doctors were able to save his life, and he survived for another 18 years. But those 18 years were absolute hell for him and my grandma who had to care for him. Between the physical pain he endured for almost 2 more decades and the strain put on the entire family, I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have wished that on himself or the family. I believe I mentioned it on this board around when it happened, but my grandpa passed away back in 2019 of his own volition. He stopped eating and drinking (VSED, Terminal Dehydration, couple other terms for it). He was diagnosed in his 40s with MS, was told he probably wouldn't live past 65, and ended up living until his early 80s. But he had seen his two siblings go through an unpleasant end-of-life situation and didn't want that himself. He had been obviously dealing with the symptoms of MS, he had started to developer serious shoulder pain and weakness (which led to more frequent falls) from decades of having to lift his body out of his chair to get in/out of bed or use the toilet, plus youngest of the grandkids had just graduated college and now everyone was kind of an adult and on their own, he decided it was a good time to just go out on his own terms. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperSpreader Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 2 hours ago, PaladinSolo said: One of the downfalls to modern medicine is keeping people alive well past when they should expire, like great you made it to 95, but those last 10 years sucked pretty hard. Going around offing people just cause their old isn't a well thought out idea though. Let's no rush to judge here, let's hear him out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 This really gets to the issue that modern medicine has become excellent at prolonging life, but really cannot address the quality of that life which is perhaps rightfully beyond the purview of the medical establiahment. It's entirely possible -- if not probable -- that more people would opt to decline life-extending care if they were sufficiently informed of what the quality of that life would entail, but that discussion shouldn't involve the doctor. The existence of a robust system (beyond hospice care) that ensures that people who decline life-extending treatment would spend their remaining time in comort and dignity could convince people to seriously consider that option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jwheel86 Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 3 hours ago, mclumber1 said: My grandpa suffered a few heart attacks and a stroke in his mid-60s. As a result of modern medicine, doctors were able to save his life, and he survived for another 18 years. But those 18 years were absolute hell for him and my grandma who had to care for him. Between the physical pain he endured for almost 2 more decades and the strain put on the entire family, I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have wished that on himself or the family. If only we had a robust system of Home and Community Based Services to take care of people with activities of daily living needs. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jwheel86 Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 2 hours ago, ThreePi said: I believe I mentioned it on this board around when it happened, but my grandpa passed away back in 2019 of his own volition. He stopped eating and drinking (VSED, Terminal Dehydration, couple other terms for it). He was diagnosed in his 40s with MS, was told he probably wouldn't live past 65, and ended up living until his early 80s. But he had seen his two siblings go through an unpleasant end-of-life situation and didn't want that himself. He had been obviously dealing with the symptoms of MS, he had started to developer serious shoulder pain and weakness (which led to more frequent falls) from decades of having to lift his body out of his chair to get in/out of bed or use the toilet, plus youngest of the grandkids had just graduated college and now everyone was kind of an adult and on their own, he decided it was a good time to just go out on his own terms. Again, a failure of our disability support system. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CitizenVectron Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 My thoughts on this overall issue, in no particular order: Extending human life without increasing its quality shouldn't be the end-goal, but it is still a good thing Something I often hear from younger people is "who would even want to be 100?!" Well...someone who is 99 We can't judge the life of others, especially their internal lives, even if they have chronic issues/disability We do have a higher quality of life in elder-age compared to the past. Or, at least, we have the ability, if people treat themselves well This obviously won't apply to all people and situations, based on many more factors than just people's actions/choices But a person who is 80 today has a very good chance of being much healthier than someone 80-years-old in 1923 Quality of life hasn't kept up with overall length of life, but it has gotten better (or, at least, it has for those with the means/chance/etc to make it happen) Would I want to live to 150 but have the quality of life be "very bad" after age 90? My answer today might be no, but that's because I am not currently 90. If my 18-year-old self could experience the general aches and pains of being 38 then they might also be horrified, but I'd certainly like to live to be 39. I'm not about to judge someone who has a poor quality of life but wants to keep living. Having said that, we should always be open to those who wish to end their life, provided the options have been properly be explained, etc. But the goal should be increasing quality of life as we extend it. Obviously someone who is 120 isn't going to have the same quality (physically) as someone who is 20, on average, but that doesn't mean their life isn't worth something, especially to them and their loved ones. To base societal decisions only on perceived quality is an insult to those who are disabled, etc. Having said all that, I do think one area where we perhaps expend too much energy/resources is temporarily extending life at great cost to quality. There are definitely situations where incredible effort/cost/pain is expended to extend a life by a few days, and where the person may have personally chosen to end it. My own wishes are to not go through that, should I receive a terminal diagnosis. But, that choice should still be left up to the person in that situation. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unogueen Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 Creeping up age expectations so we may ONE day achieve this so called 'retirement' thingamajig. Also. mass death is the absolute opposite of good population management. Any scarcity or inequality IS the purview of the government, and it they would rather twiddle fingers while shouting 4head solutions to each other deserve what's coming, or expect it willingly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricofoley Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remarkableriots Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 My friends kid will need 24/7 care for his entire life. He just recently went through 8 hrs of surgeries having rod/spinal infusion. I couldn't imagine going through that kind of situation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jwheel86 Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 2 minutes ago, Remarkableriots said: My friends kid will need 24/7 care for his entire life. He just recently went through 8 hrs of surgeries having rod/spinal infusion. I couldn't imagine going through that kind of situation. Hi. That's me. Mine was 12 hours though, they're getting good at it I guess. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TUFKAK Posted February 13, 2023 Share Posted February 13, 2023 Take it from an ER nurse, extended lifespan isn’t always a good thing. The shit I’ve seen is such I’ve learned to adjust to it as it’s a constant occurrence to care for people who are suffering and who should be gone. Stage 4 bed sores, open untreated cancer (that’s a smell you don’t forget),infested wounds (the fact that this no longer turns my stomach should speak to how common it is). Those people are out of site and out of mind for most of the population, tossed in a bed into some shitty snf. If they’re lucky, they’re seen my loved ones once a month. Let every ER and ICU caregiver I know either intends to, or already is, a DNR. Which is a great transition to the next, family overruling someone’s dnr when they do code. I want to physically harm them, the moral injuries I’ve sustained assisting in a code where family decides to pull the dnr on a terminally ill patient and then they rosc is a driving force on my decision to leave critical care. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remarkableriots Posted April 7, 2023 Share Posted April 7, 2023 Would you do it to your Grandma? #healthcarereform #STEM #Ethics #medi... | TikTok WWW.TIKTOK.COM Would you do it to your Grandma? #healthcarereform #STEM #Ethics #medicalethics If I were in this situation, I would want someone to just pull the plug because, imo, that wouldn't be worth surviving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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