Man who created Euthanasia rollercoaster you can ‘only ride once’ hit back at one huge issue
Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing.
Death is still something of a taboo topic for a lot of us, certainly when it comes to laughing in the face of our own mortality.
Many struggle to come to terms with the fact that we won't live forever, with Bryan Johnson determined to be the first to cheat death, whereas others sadly feel that the time is right to end their own lives.
The right to choose how and when we die is a topic that has been heavily discussed in the UK in recent years, with many hoping that the assisted dying bill will be passed to allow mentally competent, terminally ill adults with six months or less to live to end their lives on their own terms.
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Although euthanasia is a controversial subject for many, the existence of 'suicide pods' in Switzerland and other similar procedures suggest that there will always be those who want to be able to make that decision.
For some, the idea of ending your life at the hands of a drug or in a pod isn't all that attractive, and this led Lithuanian artist Julijonas Urbonas to design a 'fun' alternative, which he named the 'Euthanasia Coaster'.
The idea shocked many as it was designed to kill everyone on board a rollercoaster, with each passenger on the 1,600ft coaster experiencing a series of looping tracks, which get smaller and smaller as the rollercoaster progresses, eventually leading to death.
Simulations have shown off exactly how that might work and although it is very much a concept rather than something that is likely to happen, but Urbonas has now explained his reasoning for wanting to design such a horrifying concept.
He had been criticised for showing off his idea for the coaster back in 2010 with many unclear if it was a dark joke, especially after he suggested that the euthanasia coaster could help with problems such as 'overopulation' and 'living too long'.
He responded: “When I talk about it as a means of dealing with overpopulation, I am referring to sci-fi, or specifically to Kurt Vonnegut’s Welcome to the Monkey House, where euthanasia is depicted as a citizen’s patriotic duty. Here, the coaster could be seen as a tangible design interpretation. Unfortunately, this insight was cut in the video by the editor.
“First, regarding my view on euthanasia. I want to stress that I do not encourage assisted suicide, nor do I discourage. I just state the fact that euthanasia is legal in some countries and it is executed in an extremely boring fashion. Proposing ‘humane’ voluntary death could be more meaningful, personal, ritualistic.
“Second, pleasure. I use the term referring to physiological, semantic and aesthetic definitions of pleasure. GLOK, aka G-force-induced Loss Of Consciousness as well as cerebral hypoxia, are often accompanied with euphoria. Even though nausea and discomfort may take part as well, they would be very momentary. It is also quite possible the rider would barely be aware of all of it, being already deprived of sensorial awareness or unconscious.”
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, please don’t suffer alone. Call Samaritans for free on their anonymous 24-hour phone line on 116 123 or contact Harmless by visiting their website https://harmless.org.uk.
Topics: Mental Health
James Moorhouse