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Is it a tragedy when someone overdoses?
Am I a complete jerk for thinking that using the word "tragic" to describe a drug overdose is completely overused?

Much like the words "the ultimate sacrifice" have been overused to the point of numbness by politicians (and citizens) seeking a sound bite to describe the pain of war and its' attendant losses, our much-beloved media has turned the term "tragedy" into a farce and removed it of its' potency, true meaning - and in doing so, has marginalized those who die by overdose.

Look, let's be honest here; I smoked up a couple of times, coughed so hard I thought I would die, and promptly quit. However, I drink (a LOT less than I used to) so I'm fully aware that the pot and the kettle are both black. I'm not sympathetic to addicts who don't do what it takes to never take drugs again - maybe, since I've never been an addict, I'm not to one to voice these thoughts.
However, as a former street kid, and through my travels through the world (and its' attendant, yes, tragedies) I've stood over the bodies of people who have lost their battles with drugs.

There's some really emotionally violent anger within me on this subject. On one side, I want to scream, "HOW COULD YOU NOT BE AFRAID TO PUT THAT CRAP IN YOUR ARM?!?" On the other, I just want to cry. Here's another young life - WASTED.

When it comes to the demise of Cory Monteith, I'm doubly angry, because all I see is a mainstream media that wants to paint this as a tragedy to sell more commercials. We get the media we deserve, so that sort of treatment reflects badly on ALL of us - we're asking for it, we crave it, so we get a young man, made into a spectacle, instead of using his death to call for a REAL conversation with REAL solutions.

The war on drugs has FAILED. That means that we as a society have FAILED - and to simply label this death - much less the thousands of others that go unmentioned every single day - as tragedies is to bring out the broom and sweep it under the rug.
If you're tired of this endless cycle, if you're tired of drug ODs simply being entertainment, if you're tired of...well. You know. If you are, then talk about it. Speak well, speak loudly, and make sure that people understand why - because otherwise, we're just part of the cycle.


By the way...if they ever catch the son of a bitch that SOLD him the drugs, I say he should be charged with manslaughter...but only because you can't prove capital murder. There's one step in the right direction.




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