What Color Do We Want (do You Want) The Whale To Be: “blue Or Pink “?

Nobody wants to commit suicide, in fact most of the people who take this step act out of the conviction that they have no other acceptable way out. It is your last option, your last resort to escape a life that hurts. It is quite possible that the macabre game of “blue whale” fills most of us with misunderstanding, but there is something that we cannot lose sight of. Today, hundreds of children and adolescents navigate the oceans of loneliness, sadness and vulnerability. They are people who need help.

Maylen was 13 years old and lived in a small town in Colombia. His life, apparently, was normal, not unlike that of any teenager his age. A few days before she committed suicide by hanging herself with a ribbon, the girl asked her mother if blue whales existed. “They do exist, yes, and there must be few left. They are on the way to extinction, ” Mrs. Villamizar replied, unable to imagine what her daughter had in mind.

Maylen is not the only one who has taken the step. It has been about 130 young people around the world who have completed the 50 degrading tests of this “game”. A game that is won with a “last move”, that of taking one’s own life (in case of not doing so, and here another crime appears , the game warns that by having proof of the user’s IP, third parties may murder your friends and family).

Many may say that the world of social networks, forums and these groups constituted in the intangible network of new technologies only has negative consequences. However, behind all this there is a reflection that and imposes: the world, believe it or not, is full of blue whales. Precious beings, while vulnerable, represent those atavistic universes that we are unconsciously or deliberately neglecting: loneliness, fear, insecurity, the sensation of talking to a wall …

It is time to choose. The opposite of the “blue whale” is the  “pink whale”, a wonderful initiative that emerged in reaction to this game that is leading very young lives in a regrettable way.

The blue whale seeks to get out of a life that hurts

Interestingly, the name of this game has very little to do with the precious animal from which it has taken its name. The blue whale is the largest animal on our planet. They are graceful swimmers and travel the ocean at high speed. In turn, they are one of the loudest animals on the planet. They are capable of emitting different pulses, grunts and groans that can be heard more than 1,500 kilometers away. They are possibly one of the most fascinating creatures in nature.

However, our “blue whales”, those that swim on asphalt floors and in the world of social networks, are silent creatures, of which they go unnoticed. Furthermore, they are characterized by psychological vulnerability and by a lack of firm reference figures. Faced with the repeated question of how a young person of 12, 13 or 18 years old decides to take the step to start this game, where things as humiliating as they are painful are asked of them, we have to take into account several aspects that will help us to understand this a little better. phenomenon.

Why does a young man decide to play the game?

The blue whale game allows children and adolescents to personalize themselves in a world where they feel invisible, where many do not find their place, where nothing seems to identify them . Each self-injury, each disconcerting test passed is an achievement, it is a sign of their courage because they have faced pain, fear, indecision … All of this are “triumphs” that they publish with “pride”, in order to obtain psychological reinforcement. and a motivation. The one to continue.

In turn, the fact of starting this type of game makes them feel that they are part of a project, from which a commitment is born. We cannot forget that adolescence is that time of search where if the young person does not have a group of solid friends or a family that acts as a firm bond and as a safe reference, that boy or that girl will only seek to defend themselves from the loneliness of the Anyway (and sometimes, the least successful).

After all, the Blue Whale game offers these children and adolescents a whole journey of cruel challenges. Challenges to  try to regain self-esteem, without knowing that they are at the mercy of the sadists and cruel whims of the people behind it. 

Prevention and supervision

On the other hand, the work of families is vital in these cases and therefore, it is necessary that we keep these simple guidelines in mind every day:

• Parents must show absolute emotional availability when listening to their children.

• The current economic crisis is causing families in many countries of the world to not have as much time as they would like to care for their children. However, the little time available must be of quality, always building an adequate complicity and closeness with the little ones.
• Children must be provided with opportunities and tools to build meaningful relationships with their peers, avoiding isolation at all times.
• We must remember the need to value our children, to offer them positive reinforcements so that they have a strong self-esteem.

Last but not least, it is necessary to attend to the mood and behavior changes of our adolescents. In turn, regularly monitoring  what they do and share on their social networks is key to avoiding situations like those that are occurring today, and very close to us.