[Perturbed]

[QUOTE BY= KevinGagnon] <br /> What makes United Kingdom the lowest suicide rate amongst all OECD countries in 2001. ???<br /> <br /> Not to mention Canada show's higher suicide rate then the U.S. That could make for a interesting discussion.<br /> <br /> Kevin[/QUOTE]<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Mad cow got them first. <img align=absmiddle src='images/smilies/eek.gif' alt='Eek!'>

[KevinGagnon]

I guess we can never have any good real answers to why Canada is higher then the U.S in suicide rates. And why United Kingdom can keep its suicide rate low.

Kevin

[gaulois]

You have to be quite careful about these statistics are counted. Many cultures will not report them. Suicide is quite a taboo subject and am not sure that you can infere much out of these figures. If the figures were acurate, I would expect them to be a good indicator of dislocation or individual disenfranchisement (with everything else being the same).

[KevinGagnon]

My theory which is probably shared with many others, is that all suicide can be linked to social problems in society. The route of crime problems, health problems, and suicide problems can all be linked to social problems in society.<br /> <br /> Then again if Finland is the worst in suicide rate. How could that be? Don't they have a high degree of social justice in that country? Don't they have one of the highest standard of living? correct me if I'm wrong?<br /> <br /> Kevin

[lesouris]

Don't the Aboriginal Peoples of Canada have one of the worst suicide rates in the world? That's probably why we've got a high rate. That's the same reason we're no longer the best country in the world to live in. How do we fix this problem? No one knows for sure, and I'm not going to pretend I do.

[gaulois]

[QUOTE BY= KevinGagnon] Then again if Finland is the worst in suicide rate. How could that be? Don't they have a high degree of social justice in that country? Don't they have one of the highest standard of living? correct me if I'm wrong?<br /> Kevin[/QUOTE]<br /> Living in northern latitudes also mean minimum light exposure (or SAD seasonal affective disorder). This is known to cause depression. Finn culture also exacerbate this; Finns are very intense people. That is why I qualified the indicator with "everything else being equal".

[KevinGagnon]

lesouris,<br /> <br /> Are you saying what I think your saying. are you discriminating against Aboriginal people in Canada. If anything Aboriginal people are an important part of Canada. Your blame on the Aboriginal blame is just ridiculous.<br /> <br /> Politically we lack native values, ways to govern, and ways to create a better society. There was nothing with the Native society before all this. That same Native Society which still exist on some reserves. <br /> <br /> Kevin

[lesouris]

[QUOTE BY= KevinGagnon] lesouris,<br /> <br /> Are you saying what I think your saying. are you discriminating against Aboriginal people in Canada. If anything Aboriginal people are an important part of Canada. Your blame on the Aboriginal blame is just ridiculous.<br /> <br /> Politically we lack native values, ways to govern, and ways to create a better society. There was nothing with the Native society before all this. That same Native Society which still exist on some reserves. <br /> <br /> Kevin [/QUOTE]<br /> <br /> I think you misunderstand me. I did not mean Aboriginals should be assimilated or wiped out or what have you, I simply met Aboriginal people have an extremely high suicide rate because of the horrible conditions some groups (like the Innu for example) live in. <br /> <br /> I think you are also guilty yourself of assuming all Aborignals are "noble savages" - a view some Europeans espoused in the late 19th century which held that indigenous peoples possessed secret and mystical knowledge that guided them to make responsible choices. I'm not saying that Aboriginals aren't more culturally responsible to the environment, et cetera, but they are still humans, and all humans are governed by the same needs and desires.<br /> <br /> The whole issue of aboriginal relations confuses me a bit, but as far as I can see, there are many problems in Aboriginal societies (poverty, drug and alcohol abuse, suicide, et cetera) that can only be attributed to the harm the Canadian government and Christian churches caused during the attempted assimilation of the Aboriginal People. I think it is the responsibility of these organizations (especially the Federal government) to try and fix the damage they have done. Like with a serious wound, there will always be a scar, but the body's ability to function properly can return if cared for.<br /> <br /> I am not blaming Aboriginals, I'm blaming the people who stripped Aboriginals of their rights (or made sure that when other Canadians were granted rights, Aboriginal Peoples were not). I'm blaming the people who made it possible for groups like the Innu to have suicide rates twelve times the Canadian average.

[KevinGagnon]

understood