Today, at JP Morgan headquarters in central Hong Kong, a banker jumped from the 30 story headquarter building, taking his own life. The jumper, a 33-year-old junior-level bank employee, took his life shortly after lunch, at a time when suicide emergency vehicles and crews were at their slowest, causing their delay and the man's death. Upon further investigation, a colleague stated that the man was suffering from high amounts of work and investment caused stress. However, no suicide note or other significant cause for the death was found. The police in Hong Kong, out of respect for the family, has not released further information besides their sympathy towards the jumper's beloved ones. JP Morgan, as a result, canceled all meetings and asked all workers to take the remainder of the day off.
Due to China's regular suicides in sweat shop dense areas, many nets have been put out around the edges of the occupied buildings. Maybe there is a cultural difference separating myself from the beliefs of the people of China, but the fact that suicide preventing nets must line brutal sweatshops crosses a moral line. Suicide seems to be an illegal, yet relatively popular way out of the heavily stressed work life that the people of china experience. Although China has undeniably become one of if not the largest super power country today, the fact that the people of china experience this caliber of daily stress makes me appreciate the liberties of America.
To read more, see: http://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/1430296/man-leaps-death-jp-morgans-headquarters-central
Putting nets around sweat shops kind of reminds me of how they would put nets around the slave ships to prevent slaves from killing themselves. It takes literally all control one has over themselves away.
ReplyDeleteThis makes me appreciate the fact that we are not worked as hard as people in China and at least get some say in what we want to specialize in. It's unfortunate people are condemned to one thing for the rest of their lives that they hate so much they'd rather die to break the monotony of daily life.
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