To be fair, that would have been the proper course of action even before all of this kicked off.
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NYPD on Twitter: "We regret to inform that Desmond Amofah aka Etika has been found deceased." (See guidelines before posting)
- Thread starter JB2448
- Start date
To be fair, that would have been the proper course of action even before all of this kicked off.
Dedicated threads are much more understanding
And much less tolerant about bullshit
Not everybody has access to professionals, and the stigma around mental health that was only reinforced by the bullshit surrounding this and the earlier threads (you know, that "drama" and "entertainment") only makes it more difficult for people to openly seek help.
Is this harassment, though? Or a reasonable demand for a forum that presents itself as an inclusive space?
This hits hard. I feel so bad for what this man has had to endure. He did some mistakes, but he really needed help.
I'm really ashamed by how some people (even on here!) reacted when he posted his last video. Some people need to take a hard look at themselves.
Also, mods should think about not letting people belittle mental illness and its effects.
Rip Etika.
I'm really ashamed by how some people (even on here!) reacted when he posted his last video. Some people need to take a hard look at themselves.
Also, mods should think about not letting people belittle mental illness and its effects.
Rip Etika.
I've been down that path, this is accurate af.
Everyone treats it like it's nothing until it actually happens.
Users like Ketkat have been doing a hell of a job helping and supporting other users with Mental Health issues in the OT since day 1, they don't deserve to be put with some bad apples.
The difference is that THIS place prides itself on progressive values and constantly wants to pretend to be champions of mental health awareness. What was allowed in the previous Etika threads was appalling and was allowed because of his recent problematic behavior. His illness was DISMISSED because he was "cancelled". The growing signs of his mental instability be damned and not to be taken into consideration.
Now he's dead. There is no coming back from that. What message does that send to us that suffer from mental illness? People want to be sorrowful AFTER the fact.
R.I.P. I was worried this would happen ever since the first hints.
I have a feeling that the way people on the internet piled on to him after he made bad comments or mistakes may have contributed to this. So I hope people realize that anyone that made insensitive comments about him still have a chance to feel remorse and grow from this experience.
I used to be an alcoholic and became suicidal at one point. During that time I did a lot of things I regret. Now that I'm sober and act up to my morals again, I feel emotionally stable and happy. One major thing that helped was people not holding all my past mistakes over me and letting me prove myself again. Had people went after me constantly reminding me of my past mistakes, I may have never come out of it.
I just wanted to say this to hopefully spread some compassion for others at this time.
I have a feeling that the way people on the internet piled on to him after he made bad comments or mistakes may have contributed to this. So I hope people realize that anyone that made insensitive comments about him still have a chance to feel remorse and grow from this experience.
I used to be an alcoholic and became suicidal at one point. During that time I did a lot of things I regret. Now that I'm sober and act up to my morals again, I feel emotionally stable and happy. One major thing that helped was people not holding all my past mistakes over me and letting me prove myself again. Had people went after me constantly reminding me of my past mistakes, I may have never come out of it.
I just wanted to say this to hopefully spread some compassion for others at this time.
Heartbreaking to see someone with their whole life in front of them to feel so trapped that they cant see another way out.
Its extremely important that we take our time to support people suffering from depression and suicidal thoughts, it could happen to anyone under certain circumstances.
Its extremely important that we take our time to support people suffering from depression and suicidal thoughts, it could happen to anyone under certain circumstances.
Two threads independent of this one were started on that subject. Both were locked.
What does that say to those who want to discuss these other issues, other than "don't bother"?
Yes, we do. We're not a very large community, but we're always doing our best to help others through difficult times. My PM's are always open as well if you would feel more comfortable that way as well
That's why I said "alone". These are issues that are too complex to deal with in a text online forum. Obviously, not everyone has access to these services, but there are also free hotlines as a good way to get started. And these are trained workers on these hotlines.
So I am part of the team that runs the YouTube channel SiIvaGunner. If you don't know what that is, it's a really odd niche sort of channel that requires a lot of explanation so I'm not going to go into the details. Suffice it to say, last year we had a fun channel event presented under the guise of a fake fighting game, and this year we are doing it again.
Last year, Etika was one of the "fighters" in this "fighting game". EDIT: Here's something really fun and wholesome, related to that: https://twitter.com/PinkieOats/status/1143591493946544128
This year, we made the decision to remove Etika out of respect for his ongoing mental health issues and a want to avoid calling further attention to him and contributing to the way his fanbase has enabled his behavior. I remember that when we announced the decision and our rationale behind it, there was a distinct group of responses that were, like...
"wtf he's doing fine now lmao taking him out is dumb".
That made me mad two weeks ago. It makes me double mad today. That isn't how mental health FUCKING works.
I'm despondent over the frivolity with which people treat mental health issues like this. Such a wide swath of the internet enabled and exacerbated his issues for """entertainment""". Social media culture is fucking sick. It's sick! And Etika will not be the last "influencer" that loses their battle with mental illness. As long as the culture surrounding these people doesn't change to treat them more as real people than as spectacle, this will keep happening.
I didn't know Etika, and, I have to mention here that as a queer person, I was obviously incredibly uncomfortable with his use of a certain homophobic slur. Still, from the people I knew that knew him -- which includes other queer people -- I get a sense that he was a fundamentally decent dude with an infectious and vibrant spirit, and my heart aches that he didn't get the chance to get better.
This is on our society and our damned internet culture for trivializing bipolar disorder and mental illness in general.
A final note: there was an image of a moderator making a callous, nasty response to a previous thread about Etika's mental health. It had been posted earlier in this thread, but has been removed by mods for being "a personal callout". Regardless of that, that mod should be removed from duty immediately and given whatever punishment a normal user would get for making that post. Mental illness should not be trivialized. If ResetERA wants to not be part of the problem, that action should be taken immediately. And, if ResetERA does NOT want to not be part of the problem, consider me out of this community for good.
Last year, Etika was one of the "fighters" in this "fighting game". EDIT: Here's something really fun and wholesome, related to that: https://twitter.com/PinkieOats/status/1143591493946544128
This year, we made the decision to remove Etika out of respect for his ongoing mental health issues and a want to avoid calling further attention to him and contributing to the way his fanbase has enabled his behavior. I remember that when we announced the decision and our rationale behind it, there was a distinct group of responses that were, like...
"wtf he's doing fine now lmao taking him out is dumb".
That made me mad two weeks ago. It makes me double mad today. That isn't how mental health FUCKING works.
I'm despondent over the frivolity with which people treat mental health issues like this. Such a wide swath of the internet enabled and exacerbated his issues for """entertainment""". Social media culture is fucking sick. It's sick! And Etika will not be the last "influencer" that loses their battle with mental illness. As long as the culture surrounding these people doesn't change to treat them more as real people than as spectacle, this will keep happening.
I didn't know Etika, and, I have to mention here that as a queer person, I was obviously incredibly uncomfortable with his use of a certain homophobic slur. Still, from the people I knew that knew him -- which includes other queer people -- I get a sense that he was a fundamentally decent dude with an infectious and vibrant spirit, and my heart aches that he didn't get the chance to get better.
This is on our society and our damned internet culture for trivializing bipolar disorder and mental illness in general.
A final note: there was an image of a moderator making a callous, nasty response to a previous thread about Etika's mental health. It had been posted earlier in this thread, but has been removed by mods for being "a personal callout". Regardless of that, that mod should be removed from duty immediately and given whatever punishment a normal user would get for making that post. Mental illness should not be trivialized. If ResetERA wants to not be part of the problem, that action should be taken immediately. And, if ResetERA does NOT want to not be part of the problem, consider me out of this community for good.
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I take heavy doses of three different medications to ensure I can even get out of bed in the morning. I know what mental illness feels like. I hope everyone in that thread is finding a supportive experience, but I am not slighting them when I say that airing out your grievances on ResetEra is now a much less appealing option in the face of numerous people condemning a man making a call for help and the worst punishment they're going to get it "well I'm sure they feel bad enough about it."
The thing is that social media has been shown to exacerbate depression in people. I think we are entering a new age in psychology in which a form of prescription for it would be a total ban on any forms of social media for those afflicted with chronic and acute episodes of depressive episodes.
It was too late for Etika though, sadly.
It was too late for Etika though, sadly.
RIP
I don't know anything about this person, but I have had friends who took their lives and there were no signs at all that they wanted to die.
It's not always obvious to those around them so nobody needs to blame anyone for their decision. Sometimes the only control one may think they have is the control of them living or dying. )=
I don't know anything about this person, but I have had friends who took their lives and there were no signs at all that they wanted to die.
It's not always obvious to those around them so nobody needs to blame anyone for their decision. Sometimes the only control one may think they have is the control of them living or dying. )=
It's astounding that a community founded by a lack of transparency regarding the administration is........ shying away from transparency regarding it's administration.
You would've thought if any lesson was learned, it was that one.
You would've thought if any lesson was learned, it was that one.
there is no avenue for metacommentary on this forum it seems unless you want to be banned for derailing other threads. im not sure how thats okay
The reason they were locked was because it was the same poster just shitting on people and the community and that was when this thread was locked for moderation. You may be pissed but that doesn't mean the whole community is shit.
I mean, my first reaction was sadness, and then anger. Sadness because another person on this planet ended in this horrible way, anger for the obvious reasons. People in forums and social media seem always too eager to take on sides and spurt overreactions because they are rewarded with more attention - it's how these platforms are built. I don't know what kind of thread this - but if Etika's untimely death leads some people in here to do some self-reflection, that's more useful IMO than just focusing on his youtube or twich legacy.
Right, I'm sure there are quite a good number of great people who understand, but what I and many others saw in threads prior to Etika's unfortunate passing was not comforting in any way. Regardless, rest in peace.
There will always be people who are assholes. And sadly, this isn't unique to ResetEra, but it is common to the world at large.
This is a terrible response that would drive people away from seeking the help that they often desperately need. Shame on you.
Preach it.
As the community manager during my tenure at ResetEra, I worked behind the scenes helping a lot with suicidal members. I can say proudly there are members still alive today because of the good work that the team has done to help combat mental health issues in the community. It is something we always took very seriously, and there was a rigorous policy in place to help users when they show signs of suicide. I'm not going to comment on moderation policies because that isn't my place, but the staff takes mental health issues and awareness seriously, regardless of if you think they do or not. There's an incredible community here for mental health support that I know Ketkat and The Woods have worked hard to build and support.
Even making that phone call can be difficult. No, nobody on this forum should be diagnosing mental disorders, but sometimes speaking with likeminded people in what some consider a comfort zone is a good way to start.
Thank you for your perspective. The amount of people who were writing him off for using a slur is what helped contribute to this. Even though if you could read between the lines and see what he was suffering with, you knew it wasn't really who he was.
Just such a sad story for such a fun guy. So upset at this :(
That poster hasnt been a mod for a few days iirc. They got demoded on that very same thread before we found out Eitka's fate
You should always seek professional help. ERA is not a place you should seek help for any mental health issues you have. I never understood why people act like ERA is that place for medial, mental health or anything that is extremely important? This is a forum with strangers and any advice should be with a grain of salt.
ERA should never be that much of an importance in you life. People, seek professional help in finance, mental health, medial, real state, etc.
Curiouser and curiouser. My thoughts go out to his family and friends . Mental illness is real and always eating at a person.
There are alot of people on this board that should be damned ashamed of themselves though certain threads will no doubt not be found anymore and the looming "transparent" banhammer will keep people quiet.
If nothing else I hope someone learns from this.
There are alot of people on this board that should be damned ashamed of themselves though certain threads will no doubt not be found anymore and the looming "transparent" banhammer will keep people quiet.
If nothing else I hope someone learns from this.
Fuck. I knew this was coming once they found that bag with his switch in it because there was no way he'd risk losing that, but I still wanted to believe he was okay. I found him from CND's videos of waiting in line for the switch and his videos/streams brought me so much joy and he quickly became my favorite youtuber. Really loved his Xenoblade 2 streams and how he really appreciated good music in games. I'm gonna miss him.
RIP to Etika, I enjoyed your reactions and they hype.
Someone should at least try and find out, tastefully. Then you would know.
The moderator in question lost his mod status within an hour of people mass-flagging the post.
they "voluntarily" stepped down and no action was taken against the post.
I loved how hype he always got during Nintendo directs. He had an infectious on-screen personality and I'll miss watching those moments.
Can we talk about the treatment of mental health here on ResetEra? Or is that drama/entertainment? If there's something to take away from all of this, it's that no one struggling with suicide should ever post here. This thread began with support and sympathy, but was preceded by vitriol and skepticism towards someone who had clear mental health struggles, vitriol and skepticism that for all intents and purposes was left un-moderated. If now is not a time or place to have an open discussion about the treatment of mental health perception on Resetera, when or where is? A single dedicated thread seems counter-intuitive. Should we bottleneck all discussions of racism to a single thread too? Are obituary threads meant exclusively for walls of condolences, or should we actually start some self reflection? Are we just to ignore what the climate around this subject was less than a week ago?
He did. But perhaps you forget about a certain 20 something page thread about Etika
Some communities in Era have been great. Like I said, I dont want this forum to fail because it's a self professed safe place and Ive heard plenty who were dependent on support given on the previous mental health OT at GAF. Every bit of that helps.
But there really needs to be better moderation in a lot of threads. A lot of decisions making have left a lot of us scratching our heads.