In the online profile of an acquaintance of mine, whom we will call H, I stumbled across the following quotation:
"Drugs, alcohol, cigarettes-- it's my body.
I can do whatever the hell I want...so f*** off."
Really...? Other than the obvious implications of this statement, a more profound assertion is being brought to light:
"What's wrong? How many silly things can you find in this picture?" the back cover of children's magazine Highlights queries innocently, referring to drawings in which, perhaps a tree is upside down, or shoes placed upon the hands of an ingenuous youth with a baffled expression. Designed for young minds, the nonsensical discrepancies in the pictures are often quite obvious.
The problems in my friend's profile registered just as blatantly, but with a far more sinister undercurrent. Drugs, alcohol, tobacco-- what links them? They hint at a life lived on the edge, yes. They communicate a thrilling vein of subversiveness; after all, society dictates drug use as taboo, alcoholism is an issue that is rampant but suppressed, and tobacco smoking is a practice much frowned upon. Unfortunately, there is a valid supporting explanation concerning their illicit nature--each practice shatters the body, bringing it to crumbling ruin.
Yet in her profile H conveys an understanding that narcotics can lead to disastrous effects; that she is willing to take the risk--because it is her own body, and presumably is excited by the promise of a fleeting frisson of stimulation. She maintains that the responsibilities of any crushing consequences will be borne by herself only.
However, in thinking such, H displays a naivete comparable to that of the cartoon-child on the back cover of Highlights. Her actions would affect those close to her--friends, desensitized to its danger, might rush to experience the jolt of drugs or alcohol. Family and loved ones would inexorably be hurt by her decision of self-abuse--those who have supported her throughout her life, horrified and devastated by her choice.
So, in thinking that 1. it was acceptable to damage her health and self-worth and 2. that any harm would be shouldered by herself only, H is no different from the wide-eyed child who fails to realize nothing is askew with the picture.
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