Friday, November 18, 2011

F'd Ad Fridays: The suicide hotline site that seems to want you to do it

There's nothing funny about depression and self-harm. Nothing, that is, except the official web site of the United States' National Suicide Hotlines.


This was featured today on Cracked's list of 5 Official Websites You Won't Believe Are This Bad. Most were just poorly designed. This one, well...


It is very, very strange. And amazingly dark and depressing, considering people visiting it must be a heartbeat away from their last hope.

It also has well-meaning, but tragically misplaced, rhetorical questions throughout it.


Who on earth was responsible for approving this design and content? I won't ask "who designed it?" because if there's one thing the internet has taught us is that human weirdness is deeper and more diverse than any individual could ever fathom.


Believe me. I do not want to make fun of a suicide hotline. But maybe if a little constructive mockery can get through to the right people and get them to do something... anything... to put this site out of its...


You see what this site has done to me? I did not want to make that joke. 




No! Make it stop!!! I take it all back. This site does not look like it was designed by a teenage girl in 1996. It is a sensitive and appropriate handling of a very delicate topic that it no way should provoke ironic thoughts from cynical bloggers. Okay?


GAHHHH!


I thought I just did. Although I'd love to know where I could get one of those cool vintage phones.

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