Dear Straight Talk: I’m responding to “El Dorado Hills Uncle” who asked why anyone would cut themselves. As a former cutter, here is my theory.
Adults in their forties and fifties today were teenagers in the 60’s and 70’s. As we know, those were times of drug exploration and exploitation. I believe cutting is one of the “things” for teens today, just as drug use was the “thing” for teens back then. It’s our new, unexplored, underground thing.
With the consequences you face for drug use nowadays, troubled teens look for another way out. Cutting is this way. It’s easy to hide, it gives you a burst of happiness, and relieves that pain you feel inside. But, like drugs, cutting is addicting, the relief is short-term, and the body builds tolerance. It’s another self-destructive “thing” that tricks the brain into thinking everything is okay.
I hope this is helpful to your understanding. Cutting is not justified, but teens accept that it works. It is a growing epidemic, the dark side of 21st century teen culture.—Bryan, 18
Dear Bryan: Thank you for your theory on the latest teen “thing”. The parallels between the subculture of drugs and the subculture of cutting are thought-provoking.
As a child of the 60’s and 70’s, it seemed that many of my generation did drugs purely for recreation. Certainly many of us were troubled, but I think of cutting as something only troubled teens do. Are you saying there is a recreational aspect to cutting? Is this what “S.L.” meant when she wrote, “Young people these days think cutting is fun.”?
Gosh, I feel as confused as my parents were. Feedback on this topic is appreciated.
——-
