| | "autopsy results inconclusive, more tests ordered"
"so and so speaks out about death"
"listen to the 911 call"
All have been headlines when a celebrity dies. Most notable in my mind are Anna Nicole Smith... then Heath Ledger, and now, Michael Jackson.
Ok I'll admit right now, I am curious about death. I'm morbid ok? I enjoy visiting cemeteries to check out how old the graves are. I'm kind of preoccupied about what's going to happen after I die. I'd even like to see a cadaver someday, just to learn how death affects the body. I'm interested in our mortality and how invincible we seem while alive, but how easily we crumble to dust. That kind of stuff holds my interest.
Autopsy results - while I think it's unecessary to disclose the WHOLE THING, if I stretch real hard, I can think of maybe an iota of public benefit of partial disclosure IF and ONLY IF the autopsy results can prevent more fatalities (for example, talking about the med cocktail that killed heath ledger, and possibly michael jackson).
The celeb's so-called friends and family grabbing their 15 minutes speaking out about the death - to some extent it may be emotionally therapeutic for the fans and for those who know the celeb, but it boils down to tabloid trash in the end anyway. Sincere grief doesn't seek public manifestation - at least not like this. When the pope died, people stood quietly for hours at the Vatican to mourn his passing, but none of them pulled on a reporters' sleeve to "tell their story". But, for the most part, the post-mortem prattle is benign if it doesn't get too much attention.
How sick do we have to be to want to hear the 911 call?? Unless the public is made of forensics experts trying to solve a case, there is no reason, none at all, to publicize a 911 call detailing the emergency surrounding someone's death. I don't even want to think about how the family must feel having that link available to millions of people. They've probably heard it played over and over on the news. I myself heard the grainy playback at least twice at work today as I passed by the breakroom. And if the family approved the call's release,WHY? WHY would anyone make something so grotesque for public consumption, and why does the public continue to consume it??? Are we that isolated and alone in our souls, that the only way we can evoke empathy and a human connection is to make people feel sorry for us by sharing too much?
Truthfully, I don't mind the AMOUNT of coverage, and I especially don't mind the musical tributes. Michael Jackson was a huge, huge star and his talent will probably remain unmatched. What I do mind is the complete lack of discretion for the deceased. Fine, maybe the family WANTS everything to be public. But why is it that the gorier the details, the greedier we gobble it up?
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| | Posted 6/27/2009 12:13 AM - 9 Views - 2 eProps - 1 Comment
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