On Love and Moving Forward

Question 1

Belcourt and suicide prevention

Answer 1

True suicide prevention cannot be attained without a radical remaking of the world. Depression is a social and cultural phenomenon which many people, especially marginalized ones, suffer from. In this world, being alive is dulled by many ailments in Western society. We must give better options than suicide.

Question 2

How is suicide a political response to injustice?

Answer 2

It can be an act of resistance. It signifies that oppressive structures such as government policies, cultural erasures, and economic marginalization, have become unbearable and that one is refusing to participate in these systems any longer. Colonialism, racism, and cultural genocide make the lives of Indigenous people feel unsustainable.