I'm probably a few days late in posting this, but I've been in two minds about whether I should or not. This is a relatively new blog & I don't want to alienate readers and potential readers with my opinion.
The news of Robin Williams' death has hit the news this week & the academy was pretty quick in posting this.
Later the academy was criticised for the post by the guardian who said using the quote "genie, you're free" in the situation encourages fans to also commit suicide in a pop-culture sort of way.
Well, I'm sorry but I find that absolutely ridiculous. I do see the idea that it is putting a good spin on his suicide & some crazy-ass die-hard fans might think it's a good idea to copy but it's exactly that - they're crazy die hard fans.
To me, using that quote in reference to his suicide is no different than saying "they're in a better place" or "at least they're not in pain anymore" after someone with a terminal illness dies and personally I think it's quite naive of the times to think otherwise.
This quote wasn't aimed to say that suicide is a good option, nor does it tell other people who live with depression that it's a good solution. It merely points out that Robin Williams was clearly in a pretty bad place to even consider suicide let alone commit suicide.
The quote points out that a man who dedicated his life to making other people happy & bring laughter to the world was suffering & that although it's a very hard time for people close to him and it's hard to believe for his fans but it would have been a difficult decision to make & that for Robin Williams' situation this was clearly what he felt was the only way he could be "freed" from suffering.
So yes - genie, you're free.
Rest in peace Robin Williams.
My friend makes jewelry by hand & she's made a beautiful necklace in memory of Robin Williams & is also selling them, see her work here.
disclaimer: I take no credit for any of the photos in this post- they were all sourced elsewhere (google images!)
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