“No Simp September” distracts from what September is all about: mental health awareness (Opinion)
As September comes to a close, it’s important we talk about how the trend “No Simp September” has caused a crisis for suicide awareness
Mental health is just as important as physical health — without both there’s no balance.
September is “Suicide Prevention & Awareness month”. It encourages individuals struggling with suicidal thoughts and self harm practices to speak up to family and friends in order to get the support they need. However, some are wanting to overshadow the important message of this month and instead call it “No Simp September”.
This is highly offensive.
Simp is a new slang term used by teenagers that means men will do anything they can to “get it” with a woman. Not only is “simping” sexist and misogynistic to begin with (it’s treating women like objects that a man can gain) but it’s even more immature to make a whole month surrounding the topic. It’s using this month to focus on the concept of being disrespectful and derogatory towards women, even if “no simping” is encouraged.
Mental health awareness is still stigmatized. It’s a hard conversation to start, but it’s an extremely important one. All ages struggle and sometimes it’s nearly impossible to get the help you need by yourself. That is why this month is so crucial. According to the CDC, mental health controls our emotional, psychological, and social well being. It affects our thoughts surrounding how we handle stress, relate to others, and can stop us in making healthy decisions.
Having a month dedicated to mental health is a great way for people to start opening the difficult conversation and getting the help they need if they’re nervous or scared. Some people feel like they’re alone, but in September people can share their stories. This helps unite people so they don’t feel like they’re dealing with their battle exclusively.
It saddens me that a trend is closing those doors for people just to push an outdated joke from 2020. It makes mental wellbeing seem unimportant and closes a conversation that needs to happen.
National Suicide Prevention Day is September 10th. Though the 2021 Suicide Prevention Day has passed, it provides a dedicated time for people to remember those who lost the fight against suicide, as well as to focus more efforts on bringing more help to those who are in desperate need.
There shouldn’t be offensive distractions during the month of September that take away from this crucial message.
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