Another tragic suicide

Last Sunday, 15-year-old (some media write 14-year-old) Onur Cucu from the Dutch town Enschede committed suicide. He jumped off a high building after nude pictures of him circulated on the Internet. He is not the first person to kill him- or herself because nude pictures circulate on-line. The Mayor of Enschede, Onno van Veldhuizen, reacted on this tragedy like most people reacted: we must stop sharing intimate pictures without consent of the people involved. I agree with this, but it's not the whole solution because pictures are being shared everyday without consent. Thinking this will come to an end is an illusion and maybe when everyone's pictures are shared, the shame will also be not that much anymore... Some people also warn against making such pictures and videos because of the dangers when for instance an ex-girlfriend or ex-boyfriend wants to revenge someone. Such reactions are mostly censorship in the name of so called protection.

I think the solution is to make sexuality and nudity far less problematic. So when someone places a nude picture of you on the Internet, that you don't think your life has ended. So at schools children must learn that nudity and sexual acts are not something to feel ashamed of. The sex taboo killed millions already throughout the history of humanity.

Besides lessons about nudity, respect for each other, not to bully each other et cetera, we can also introduce nudity at our education. Why not change the school swimming lessons from swimming clothes to no clothes at all? In The Netherlands, nudity is becoming more and more of a problem. Especially people from an Moroccan and Turkish background - I read that Onur Cucu had a Turkish background - are afraid of nudity. At football clubs for instance almost no one dares to douche naked anymore.

Shame for being naked is something learned. When there is no shame anymore, then a nude picture is almost the same as a picture where someone wears clothes. A sex video then, is like a video where someone does other things like let's say playing on the Playstation. Special laws regarding nudity and sexual acts on pictures and video's are no longer required too.

I think it's a real tragedy that so many people - like Onur - are unnecessarily hurt. Sometimes with this kind of tragic results.