Editor, Tetsuya Kitahata, will commit suicide in a few days. | Hacker News Reader

Editor, Tetsuya Kitahata, will commit suicide in a few days.

apachenews.org

72 pointsjcapote40 comments

From http://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/a74li/he_will_c...

-Dude posts (spams) Apache community mailing list with his scheme of fund-raising for apache http://jakarta.jp/en.pdf which is some sort of lottery scam.

-Dude gets shut down for spamming the list and trying to get acknowledgment on the thanks.xml page.

-Dude tries to argue using language technicalities.

-Dude gets shut down again, ie. he learns that donations do not equal ownership.

-Dude threatens suicide.

Yes, that more or less sums it up. In the past, he was also a sponsor of the ASF as well as a committer, so he has done good things, it just seems that he's going through some difficulties.

Can someone please clarify what the hell this means? Thanks.

google brought up this news story about it: http://www.itwire.com/content/view/29546/1141/

which links to this Tetsuya post from a few days ago: http://www.apachenews.org/archives/001299.html

His difficulties are real, apparently.

"Tetsuya, you have show the utmost lack of respect on this forum to the chairman of the organization, who in the most friendly and forgiving way attempted to nudge you away from inappropriate directions. No one else in this organization is so flexible. So your complaint falls on deaf ears."

http://mail-archives.apache.org/mod_mbox/www-community/20091...

There is also this:

"Re: Inappropriate use of announce@ - Tetsuya Kitahata - org.apache.community - MarkMail"

http://markmail.org/message/qifwabx7e62jb6sx#query:Tetsuya%2...

http://mail-archives.apache.org/mod_mbox/www-community/20091...

Sounds like he got into a tiff with some other contributors over mis-using the Apache name and brand and had his commit access taken away?

When this happened on the joelonsoftware forums, Joel Spolsky took it down and pointed me to this study: http://aepo-xdv-www.epo.cdc.gov/wonder/prevguid/m0031539/M00...

Threads like this should not stay online because they risk encouraging copycats.

That recommendation is based on some published case reports of suicide clusters, a phenomenon that has been recorded at least as far back as the Western record. The concern is directed more at repetitive, sensationalist reporting (their words). By comparison, I would say most of the comments on this thread are novel, considered, and skeptical. The more juvenile comments are identified and the posters are duly penalized. Of all the forums on the internet, the dynamics of this forum are probably most disposed toward good thinking coming out of a thread on suicide.

[edit]: a different view on suicide contagion: http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=lFklgI9qb...

Ok, I won't post it to Google Wave then ...

Deleted comment

The police will take suicidal people into protective custody, so no: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_in_Japan

By the way, Lithuania is the most suicidal country: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_suicide_ra...

Does anyone know enough Japanese to call one of these numbers? They're suicide hotlines in Japan. Any threat like this should be taken seriously!

http://www.suicide.org/hotlines/international/japan-suicide-...

+81 (0) 3 5286 9090 +81 (0) 6 4395 4343

You people all suck.

This thread exemplifies what's wrong with hacker news and why your start-ups fail, and will continue to fail.

You're discussing this man's LIFE as he cries out for help and you do nothing.

You take no initiative, only perform cynical analysis.

You're happier talking than doing.

You miss the point and get caught up in details.

You know what? I did my best here, and called an English speaking suicide hotline in Japan, but they're unable to contact people, they only can take anonymous calls. I gave all their information and information on Japanese language lines to Tetsuya via email. If anyone can speak Japanese, please try to contact someone who can reach out to Tetsuya in person, and leave a message here to coordinate. Restore my faith that the hacker news community is more than a collection of professional bullshitters. Help Tetsuya.

What the hell are you talking about? These people are trying to get information in order to do something, jackass.

Let's email him with positive thoughts...? I feel like there's not much else we can do. Maybe we can find a phone number?

kitahata@99.alumni.u-tokyo.ac.jp

I just did. I wrote, "There are many things to see and enjoy in life. Do not be discouraged by something small." I hope it helps.

Or you just called the biggest thing in his life small. I don't think it's a good idea for people without a background in psychology to do anything other than to say "Don't do it".

Your comment implies that Tetsuya might somehow get offended or discouraged by a friendly note that tries to put things in perspective. Please. I'd take real human contact over a swarm of psychologists any day in his situation.

Exactly. What if?

Don't do it Tetsuya Kitahata

Dear Mr. Kitahata, Please don't kill yourself. I have no idea what you're going through right now, but I can imagine that you feel a great weight on your shoulders and you might perceive a certain hopelessness in your circumstances. Someone very close to me has at times expressed suicidal thoughts and it pangs my heart to think of a world without him. In the end, all I can do is show him love and hope he reaches out to embrace that love. I would ask that you do the same. Please read the pleas from the dozens of people writing you and know there are hundreds more out there rooting for you to take the first step in helping yourself.

I agree, and I just sent him a note myself. I don't know about the rest of you but I've certainly experienced shit myself (http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=69097), and it helped me when people empathized.

I sent an email, I hope it helps.

If this is serious, it is truly sad (in the sense of "pathetic", not "tragic"). Taking your life because of political reasons, not because there is something truly irreconcilable like bad health? What a waste...

Many people have beaten health ills. I know many young adults who beat cancer. Twelve months on chemotherapy and simultaneous months on radiation therapy. Does this really mean nothing to you? It's so different from what you feel. Alienation is a far more common feeling than the disintegration of your personal embodiment because of health...

This is an interesting post but I would suggest that comments about suicide in general are on a different discussion post. When talking about a specific individual compassion and respect is called for.

Please do not.

Perhaps he can be reached via twitter: http://twitter.com/tetsuya_k

Does it reveal anything? I can't read Japanese.

Google translate: http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?hl=en&...

"The destructive character lives from the feeling, not that life is worth living, but that suicide is not worth the trouble."

Here he is on twitter - http://twitter.com/Tetsuya_K

Hopefully this is not real, otherwise I hope he chooses to do something better and less drastic.

Looks like vandalism to me.

wtf?

the people who threaten to commit suicide never go through it, especially the ones who threaten to do so publically and leave their email address. The whole "I'll take poison" and "I'll overdose on medicine" are the sure signs of a drama queen.

It's the ones who never talk about it, that usually man up to pull the trigger.

My guess is that either he is attention whoring, or he just got hacked(none of his other sites/profiles say this)

Middle-aged men are the most likely to give advance warning, are the most likely to carry through with that plan, and have the highest completion rate, after doctors.

Also, suicide is more common in Japan, and viewed differently by Japanese society:

"Suicide has never been criminalized in Japan. Japanese society's attitude toward suicide has been termed "tolerant", and on many occasions a suicide is seen as a morally responsible action."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_in_Japan

citation? [edit]: Thanks!

yeah, I kind of knew this crowd would want that. I'm looking . . .

Males more likely to complete http://www.afsp.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.viewPage&p...

Males much more likely to complete, and docs most likely: http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/352/24/2473

males more likely (also, unemployed, ill, and single more likely) http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/177/6/484

middle-aged more likely http://www.afsp.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.viewPage&p...

however, predicting suicide is still difficult: http://archpsyc.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/48/5/418

Basically, middle-aged guy says he's going to commit suicide, that's one where you have to prove he won't. If he walked into the ER while I'm on, he's getting admitted.

I guess I don't see the point of your comment. What's the upside of you discouraging people from taking this seriously? The potential downside is rather obvious ...

I had a friend who always used to say he was going to kill himself. I too thought he was asking for attention until he drove his truck up the curb and took out two light polls right outside my window. vaksel, you are wrong.

Ps: he survived but I can assure you it was not an attention stunt. You would have had to see the accident scene to believe me

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