Bridge over troubled discourse: the influence of the Golden Gate Bridge on community discourse and suicide
| Published date | 12 January 2015 |
| Date | 12 January 2015 |
| Pages | 47-56 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JACPR-03-2014-0115 |
| Author | Chris Gerald Caulkins |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Criminology & forensic psychology,Aggression, conflict & peace |
Bridge over troubled discourse: the
influence of the Golden Gate Bridge
on community discourse and suicide
Chris Gerald Caulkins
Chris Gerald Caulkins is an
Independent Researcher,
based at Sumrith Solutions,
LLC, Woodbury, Minnesota,
USA.
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the Golden Gate Bridge (GGB) as a work of art and
the role of the bridge in shaping community identity and discourse. Particular attention is focussed on the
discourse surrounding mental illness and suicide, which perpetuate the problem of suicides involving
the bridge as a means and mechanism of death. An analysis of the person who attempts or completes
suicide is also performed.
Design/methodology/approach – Multiple research articles, writings, and a cinematic production are
drawn on to frame the argument in terms of Michel Foucault’s adaption of Pantopticism Theory and Jacques
Lacan’s Mirror Theory, which includes the conceptso fthe Real, t he Imaginary, and the Symbolic.
Findings – The GGB is a major factor in shaping the discourse on mental illness and suicide in the San
Francisco community. The influences the GGB exerts combines with and exacerbates a culture of stigma,
which perpetuates negative discourse and increases the risk of suicides in those already vulnerable.
Research limitations/implications – The research for this paper was performed at a distance and was
conducted, with the exception of one personal communication, by literature search and application to
theory. Ethnographic research would be a logical next step to study the phenomenon further.
Practical implications – Theory developed from this paper could be used in determining a relevant course
of action for adding to existing suicide prevention efforts in the San FranciscoArea and any other community
with a prominent icon, such as the GGB, that may be exerting a negative influence on the suicide rates
of that area.
Social implications – An awareness of how art, culture, and psychology interact would increase
awareness of the creation of a stigmatized environment and perhaps precipitate a change in the underlying
negative discourse.
Originality/value – This paper takes a fresh look at the phenomenon of violent death by suicide where
a physical object/icon (the GGB) is used as a means to die. The particular theories and approach used to
explain the interactions that intensify the suicide death rate have never been combined and interwoven in
such an interdisciplinary way to seek an explanation.
Keywords Stigma, Community discourse, Golden Gate Bridge, Mirror theory, Panopticon, Suicide
Paper type Conceptual paper
The Golden Gate Bridge (GGB) is much more than a means of transit across a body of water.
It is an architectural marvel, a piece of the cultural fabric of the San Francisco area, and an
enormous work of art (Billington, 1990). The bridge continues to influence the discourse of the
community in which it resides. The span has become a powerful icon representing prosperity,
achievement, and technological advancement. It has also become a symbol of desperation,
depression, and suicide with over 2,000 people having jumped to their death since completion
of the bridge in 1937 (Blaustein and Fleming, 2009). The GGB is the number one suicide site in
the world (Bateson, 2012) and has been described as a “suicide magnet” that lends itself to the
impulsivity of suicide and lethality of the fall (Whitmer and Woods, 2013). The resultant discourse
The author would like to thank
the faculty of the Liberal Studies
Graduate Program at Metropolitan
State University for their invaluable
guidance and instruction on
interdisciplinary research and
writing.
DOI 10.1108/JACPR-03-2014-0115 VOL. 7 NO. 1 2015, pp. 47-56, CEmerald Group PublishingLimited, ISSN 1759-6599
j
JOURNAL OF AGGRESSION, CONFLICT AND PEACE RESEARCH
j
PAGE 47
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