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In reply to the discussion: boy, 12, kills himself after 'he was bullied [View all]Posteritatis
(18,807 posts)A schoolmate - didn't know him beyond a name, since the town's elementary school was unusually large - died abruptly one evening, followed by what I remember were some pretty awkward, vague, embarrassed-sounding sometimes conflicting talk from the adults about what happened. It didn't touch the news. Small, private funeral. A couple of days later at the grownups' level it was as though nothing had happened.
At the time I didn't find anything weird about it, being that I was ten or so and not exactly full of perspective and a good grasp of the nuances of my elders, but with a bit more hindsight I sometimes wonder if something like that had happened and got the standard "quietly swept under the rug lest it reflect on the family" treatment that suicides often get even today.
Even then I do agree that this kid was incredibly young for that sort of thing, though. Everything about it sucks.