this post was submitted on 11 Oct 2024
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I'm really torn on this one. They were a great comic that reached a lot of people and then the creator went on all these rants about not really being depressed and it was all a show(and I swear they then retracted that but Wikipedia doesn't seem to have that part listed). Then they burned their books and swore off creating and wanted everything removed. But then the book burning was even staged.....
For someone who claimed it was all an act, it sure seemed like coming clean was a mental breakdown in itself to me. Like they had imposter syndrome, but then the irony was yeah, you are as dysfunctional as you "pretended" to be and just demonstrated it to everyone. There was no imposter.
That's all to say I wish they'd kept creating and hadn't left like that. Hadn't basically said "this all sucks and shouldn't exist". But oddly, it is fitting. I'll give them that. Viewed as a whole, it's almost poetic.
ETA: I found a summary of the drama that included a mention of them retracting their claim of being depressed. I swear it was blog post called something like "I lied about lying about having depression", a follow up to "I lied about having depression". In the second post they claimed coming out as not depressed was in itself fake and I believe part of some art piece/experiment. The OP of the linked post adds a few details I'd missed. I don't disagree with their posit that it was all an art project and Campbell isn't a real person. I've certainly considered something similar in the past.
https://www.reddit.com/r/comics/comments/a4t8s0/pictures_for_sad_children_a_summary_and_thoughts/
ETA2: Found an even better writeup with some more current details. There's this gem tho:
Two days later, Veil posted again: “I’VE BEEN PRETENDING TO BE PRETENDING TO HAVE DEPRESSION FOR PROFIT AND I’M SORRY.” A day later: “IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PRETEND TO DO OR SAY ANYTHING AND MY COMICS HAVE NEVER BEEN ABOUT DEPRESSION.”
https://www.inverse.com/input/culture/pictures-for-sad-children-webcomic-simone-veil-interview
This sort of thing is so... annoying.
An art exhibition of a fake person having a breakdown who has imposter syndrome that itself proves the depression isn't art to me. It doesn't make me consider the world, or my place in it. It doesn't evoke nihilism or humility or philosophy. It's just... annoying. Marketing depression. Dishonestly.
I say this as someone with treatment resistant chronic major depressive disease. As someone who was first hospitalized for suicide in middle school.
Compare this garbage with hyperbole and a half and their honesty and their struggles and their openness and it's...
Burning a copy of a book you sold to someone when they dare to email you asking for it? Fuck that.
Thank you for your comment. I thought of Hyperbole when I was writing mine. I have the same feeling about how they handled their struggles in a much healthier and constructive way. I've sent people their post on depression before to help explain my own feelings. I'm glad to know it resonated with others as well.
Campbell left a really bad taste in my mouth. It's one of the few times I've been successfully able to completely sever the art and artist. I love the work, but kinda deplore Campbell. I don't really want to give them any credit because they don't even want it themselves.