Wow. Apparently one particular bridge in Guangzhou is so popular for suicides that officials got sick of the traffic jams they constantly caused. They tried everything to deter the despairing, but nothing worked. Until someone came up with the ingenious idea of smearing the bridge with butter so no one could climb up.
This article raises more questions than it answers. Does the butter melt off on a hot day? How often do they have to reapply it? Does anyone complain about the rancid smell? When suicide-seekers slip off, do they land buttered side down?
I suppose I should be appalled by the callousness of the government spokesman, who dismisses the jumpers as attention-seekers, but to be honest I just think it is funny.
You know, in a strange way, that sounds like a decent idea. I might use some sort of grease that doesn't attract every bird and insect within miles, but yeah, that works! I remember a recent debate in San Francisco about what to do about suicides on another popular death leap, the Golden Gate. They thought about installing a net – this sounds much cheaper!
Yeah, sometimes the best solutions are the simplest solutions. On a related note, have any of you seen the film 'The Bridge"? It's a documentary about people who leap to their deaths from the Golden Gate Bridge. Pretty depressing, but it's an amazing flick.
I'll Netflix it, but I'm still trying to work up the courage to watch "White Light, Black Rain".