Logic brings awareness to suicide hotline

Georgia Witt, Reporter

On April 28, 2017, Logic released an inspirational song titled “1-800-273-8255”. This was the third song off of his studio album Everybody. He wrote it to bring awareness to not only the hotline, but to the act of suicide itself and to remind everyone that things get better.

The song itself has two different viewpoints. One being from the person calling into the hotline to say that he/she doesn’t want to be alive anymore. The other one is the voice of the hotline, where the hotline worker convinces the person not to kill themselves. The original caller comes back in the third verse to tell everyone how they do not want to die anymore and how life becomes better if you give it time. The whole meaning behind this song and its music video is very touching. What makes it particularly touching is watching the main character go from almost committing suicide to being really happy. It brings into perspective what people go through and gives you a bird’s eye view of it.

“I think that it [the song] sends a good message to people and that Logic used his popularity to be able to reach out to people,” junior Alex Lee said.

Following his Video Music Awards performance, Logic brought out suicide survivors on stage after his performance to talk about equality, and thanked fans for giving him a platform to bring awareness to these issues.

The number of calls to the Suicide Prevention Hotline have risen by 33 percent since 2016. This could correlate to to the song being released. This song has truly helped people and will hopefully continue to help people for years to come.

The “1-800-273-8255” music video comes from the viewpoint of an African American kid who is shown running for his school’s track team. Outside of practice, he develops a crush on his caucasian guy friend and they end up starting a relationship. Once news breaks out that they are gay, the track runner starts getting harassed by his track teammates and ultimately wants to end his pain. It then shows him making a call to the suicide hotline where workers convince him not to kill himself. The end of the video shows the two boys getting married and having kids. This video speaks to not only the LGBTQ community, but also those struggling with suicidal thoughts and depression.

“I think it’s positive for people because it comes out to be a positive song even though it starts out negative,” junior Madison Schlotfeldt said.

Although some may think that this song is just bringing out negativity, others view it as positive awareness of an important issue. The people who view this song as positive from the very beginning are the ones who are making the calls and saving their own lives. Logic is a true hero for writing this song and saving so many people from killing themselves.

“It’s depressing, but then it’s good because it’s real life. It puts life into perspective,” junior Reagan Honts said.

This song does not sugarcoat suicide. It puts the listener into the shoes of the person suffering and shows everything they go through that leads them to wanting to commit suicide. It is a very informative song for those who do not know much about suicide itself.

Some people might find the song and music video triggering because of the actions it shows the people making. These actions are real and show you the true story behind a suicide attempt. The song itself just reflects the idea of suicide, but the video shows you what actually goes through someone’s mind as they are contemplating suicide.

This is a relevant song to listen to because it brings awareness and assurance to all who listen to it. The song title itself is the number for hotline, which helps to encourage listeners to call the hotline when they are struggling.

“The part where he [Logic] is talking about how he wants to die [speaks to me the most]. I think it’s [suicide awareness] important, like really important, because kids who don’t express their feelings as much could be hiding it and then it could just be an unexpected tragedy for everyone,” freshman Kileigh Wiebel said.

Schools and public places should bring more awareness to suicide. If there are more people like Logic out there who bring awareness to suicide, it’s more likely that the numbers of people that commit suicide would go down.

Suicide is a subject which needs more awareness, because those who are suicidal tend to not speak out out of fear or feelings of isolation. Celebrities such as Logic help bring awareness to these people, and let them know that they are not alone. That is why bringing awareness is so essential to preventing suicide.