Posted on by Toren

Rest In Publicity

I don’t get death as big news. I mean, when a guy dies in Iraq or falling from a building or something – that’s news, and it’s reported, we absorb it and then we look to other stories. That works for me. When Ronald Reagan dies, or Ray Charles dies, why the fanfare? When Edward Gorey died, that was sad, but I didn’t expect the story to eclipse any other real news (and it didn’t). Reagan and Charles accomplished things – and absolutely we can list them off and remember them, but don’t go overboard. Keep it in perspective, for Yog’s sake. It was their time, they were old. If it’s tragic, it’s tragic in a perfectly natural way, not a young-artist-shockingly-commits-suicide way. It’s not big news. It’s the end of a story, not a beginning. Don’t drown my paper sailboats of information with this tsunami of reflections. I can reflect on my own time. Shoving it down my throat doesn’t emphasize the profound meaning their lives had, it just triggers my gag reflex.

4 Replies to “Rest In Publicity”

  1. Pioneers and leaders do get a lot of coverage when they die. Newspapers actually have obits sitting around, waiting for the person to die. It’s one person’s job to make sure the file is up to date.
    I think that some people deserve the fanfare and I think other deserve it and never receive it and I think others get too much coverage.

    Ray Charles – a lot of music in the last forty years can be traced back to him hybridizing styles, so it’s a big deal when he dies.
    Ronald Reagon – a controversial and beloved of all Republican presidents, so yes, fanfare.

    NOW…

    The news today actually made a weak-ass segue to link Reagan’s passing to JFK’s passing. No no no. Too much.

    But then, mass media sucks, so what can you expect.

    I’m going to go watch the Blues Brothers now.

  3. American celebrities get lots of press from American press. A two term president and a famous, talented, popular musician that both had a big impact on American culture. So they get covered to death. pun intended.

    of course the whole Reagan issue was WAY out of proportion from my Canadian viewpoint but Americans love their dead presidents.

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