Inspired by the RIP thread for David Bowie, and the reaction to it from all sides concerned, it got me wondering about how we treat the deaths of people we do not personally know but who have impacted on us ?
Now I have no axe to grind with anybody who was upset by the death of Bowie. Personally I never bought any of his music but enjoyed singing along to his songs when they came on the wireless and can see why people admired him.
But what is is about our society that makes us have such strong feelings about those we only know at the distance of adulation ?
My interest is this is not to slate people who get upset at the death of anybody. I struggle to understand most public outpourings of grief but am self-aware enough to realise that this might be more of a negative on my part than those who do empathise with them but even I am not immune. For example when Spike Milligan died, I went out and had double egg and chips, along with a bottle of Chianti, in honour of a man whose work I admired and whose war memoirs had a profound impact on my life. Ditto with Frank Sinatra. Me and TAK even went up to the Savoy American bar and swigged down some large Vodka martini's in his honour. But I struggle with the mass public displays that occur.
Now I have no axe to grind with anybody who was upset by the death of Bowie. Personally I never bought any of his music but enjoyed singing along to his songs when they came on the wireless and can see why people admired him.
But what is is about our society that makes us have such strong feelings about those we only know at the distance of adulation ?
My interest is this is not to slate people who get upset at the death of anybody. I struggle to understand most public outpourings of grief but am self-aware enough to realise that this might be more of a negative on my part than those who do empathise with them but even I am not immune. For example when Spike Milligan died, I went out and had double egg and chips, along with a bottle of Chianti, in honour of a man whose work I admired and whose war memoirs had a profound impact on my life. Ditto with Frank Sinatra. Me and TAK even went up to the Savoy American bar and swigged down some large Vodka martini's in his honour. But I struggle with the mass public displays that occur.
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