“Glee” star Mark Salling committed suicide late last month. In October, Salling pleaded guilty to storing child pornography on his computer. People magazine said that Salling would have faced four to seven years in prison for pornography depicting a “prepubescent minor.”
Federal investigators say they found more than 25,000 images and 600 videos depicting child pornography on Salling’s computers and thumb drives. The content shows children as young as 3-years-old being abused, according to court documents.
I remember how I first found out about the accusations. I was on Buzzfeed when I saw a few articles talking about his guilt. I was surprised and sad.
I didn’t know him personally, but have been a fan of “Glee” for years. I felt that I knew his character, Noah, and for some reason I thought that’s who he truly was. It’s interesting when people watch their favorite TV shows and movies, or even follow them on social media and associate character personalities with actors.
Since I am a fan of “Glee,” Salling’s death brought up feelings about fellow cast members Cory Monteith’s fatal overdose. These were two actors who played a big role on this show. The day that Salling passed away, I saw a photo on Instagram posted by another “Glee” actor, Matthew Morrison, with both Salling and Monteith. This photo made me feel mad and even more sad.
Suicide has always been a sensitive topic for me. My senior year of high school was mostly positive, but also emotionally draining. Two boys committed suicide within a day of each other. That was the first time I truly had to deal with death. I didn’t really know these boys, but hearing they had passed away was still impactful. I was pretty emotional that whole week. I constantly cried to the point it eventually worried my teachers, who thought I would get sick. I just felt so bad for them. They died at such a young age and had given up on life.
If I didn’t watch “Glee” and heard about this, then I would still have been sad and angry. I wish no one would ever commit suicide, even if they’re going through hell. I wish people knew that if they’re going through hard times, they will get better no matter how they feel at that moment.
This being said, I still think porn is bad under any circumstance. It doesn’t matter if adults, teenagers, or kids are shown. It shouldn’t exist. The fact that Salling watched kids perform sexual acts and enjoyed it is sickening.
Child porn, or any porn, should not exist. It is the duty of parents and/or legal guardians to make sure children in their care are safe. The fact that any kid being in this type of entertainment while under the care of a parent or legal guardian is beyond me.
I feel bad for Salling’s parents, family and friends who are dealing with this death. I can’t even begin to imagine how all of them are feeling right now, but hope everyone will give them space and let them know that they are there for them. I read comments on social media about how Salling deserved to die and it’s so sad. No one ever deserves to die; no matter how evil they are. Imprisonment is far better than death. Being in prison is harder than dying and causes criminals to think about how much they messed up and learn from their mistakes.
Farah Haidari
fahaidari@vwu.edu
