Bernie Madoff Will Spend Son's Funeral in Jail
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Mark Madoff was 46 when he died. I'm just guessing, but I bet he never cleaned a public restroom, he never lay awake at night dreading going to work the next day for minimum wage because he hated his job, probably never got turned down for a date because he was rich, never wondered whether he could make the rent or would be homeless.
He had more good days at 46 than I'll ever have if I live to be a 100. So no sympathy here. He couldn't handle the relatively easy future before him. He could have moved to Omaha and gotten a job delivering pizza, but he folded.
It's clear that what wrecked Mark was not his sudden loss of wealth or prestige but the cut of his father's deep and shameless betrayal. Mark's decision to turn in his own father also probably haunted him throughout the two ensuing zombie-like years. That strange cocktail of father-son double-betrayal is suffice to make anyone mental.
Madoff not going is a no-brainer. It would be more of a circus with cameras on him to see if he cries. Anyway, re: karma being a bitch: Does anybody else feel awful about this whole story? I follow links to the Post or the News and the commenters are all "ha ha greedy Jew rot in hell" etc. I don't think anyone deserves the pain of a child's suicide. And I feel sick when I think about any child whose parent commits suicide.
@Edward Lionheart: Yeah, I do. I felt bad about my first comment and felt compelled to add something about this. Suicides create a permanent loss those they leave behind. Family members and friends often spend the rest of their lives wondering why and lamenting their own real or imagined role in the suicide. It's doubly sad not only to lose a friend or family member, but to constantly ask, "could I have done something differently?"
It must be even worse knowing that your own actions were the cause of your son's suicide.
@Edward Lionheart: I agree with you. There's this belief apparently that sympathy is a balancing act and must be carefully and judiciously measured. There's also this bizarre belief that he sat down, totally sane, made a pros and cons list, and picked "hanging self with dog's leash" over "2 year old son", or that's it's EASY or possible to start one's entire life over. This "he had his health" and "he had a college degree" is so TRITE. None of that matters when you're in DESPAIR.
I count three suicides directly associated with Bernie's deeds.
I suspect more will follow.
Condolences to all friends and family.
Also, a small PSA:
Feeling suicidal? In the U.S., call 1-800-273-8255
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
@VickCheney: Good to list that number. I have the greatest sympathy for people who commit suicide. And I often think of an article I read about the 500th person to jump off the Golden Gate bridge. (The story was partly about how they didn't want to publicize that the next jumper would be the 500th.) Anyway, they talked to two people who survived the jump. One guy said something like, "The minute my hands left the railing I realized that all the problems I thought were unsolvable were completely solvable except for the part where my hands had just left the railing." The other guy said that he walked crying to the bridge and thought, "If one person stops to ask if I'm okay, I won't jump." It must be awful to feel so desperate. On that note, enjoy your day and it's good to be alive!
@kristeninathens: The fact that most suicide attempts fail, and that the folks who survive them most often go on to live quality lives is compelling evidence that suicide is most often a rash, momentary, impulsive decision that if forestalled, does save lives (and the suffering of friends and family.)
Yes, drink deep from this cup of life. It's not an endless one but it's pretty good overall, especially when you consider the reverse!
He seems happy.
