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The No-Win Argument
Jan. 23rd, 2008 04:21 amDeath is just one of those things. You have no idea how much time is left on the clock. We assume it's at least... some fairly robust number - maybe 82, certainly not 28. And we assume that in the span of a lifetime, we will get to have the experiences that we all know life to hold: to have a childhood with a loving family, make friends, learn some things, develop some hobbies, choose a career, find love and maybe have a family, perhaps travel a bit, and perhaps pass along the things we've learned to help the next group of earth dwellers before we move on to what's next.
There was one of those surprise deaths yesterday, and you know all about it because it's been all over everything, and it will continue to be today, because an autopsy will be performed, funeral arrangements will be made and there's an eventual Hollywood blockbuster film due this summer, so we'll have to rehash this sad tale when the Warner Bros. PR machine gears up this July.
In the![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
newyorkers community, there was a fellow who posted, then deleted his post about how he didn't want to be insensitive but who cares that some actor is dead. And, in a way, I understand that reading hundreds of posts about some actor, whose work you might not have even liked or seen, could be annoying if you just want to view the usual on your friendslist. But it certainly doesn't merit a rant about it, especially in a community post!
1. If LJ is about anything, it's about celebrity talk and people's personal feelings. This story sat right at the intersection of both.
2. It just happened. It's barely been twelve hours since the news broke, so it's no surprise that there has been a flurry of comments as more and more info comes out.
3. It was unexpected. And unexpected things require more discussion. We need to talk about issues to help them make sense.
4. What really happened? We still don't know. And it's possible we may never. More posts ahead.
This isn't new for Hollywood. James Dean and River Phoenix, just to name two previous examples. So, in that sense, this probably shouldn't be that big a deal, right? But the Hollywood machine makes us think we know these actors personally. We see a bit of their lives, view photos of their homes in Architectural Digest, see them behaving "just like us" at coffee shops, gas stations and supermarkets. We hear them talk about their lives, and read articles... look at photo shoots, until we think we "know" them. We follow their careers, we like their performances and buy the DVDs of their movies.
The irony here is that personally, I felt like I knew almost nothing about this particular person. I had seen him on the red carpet with various escorts. I have viewed some of his films. And I have even seen him in interviews, but I have to say, next to River Phoenix, this was one of the actors I know the very least about, and I have to wonder if that was by design.
It's a No-Win Argument to complain about the reaction of people to a celebrity death, especially one that is far younger than anyone would expect. Yes, it's tragic when anyone dies, but when they have a career on the upswing and far more importantly, when they have a young daughter that now probably won't have any conscious memories of her father, it seems just that much more saddening. She will now only be able to get to know him like the rest of us... through his acting roles. That's the saddest part of all.
There was one of those surprise deaths yesterday, and you know all about it because it's been all over everything, and it will continue to be today, because an autopsy will be performed, funeral arrangements will be made and there's an eventual Hollywood blockbuster film due this summer, so we'll have to rehash this sad tale when the Warner Bros. PR machine gears up this July.
In the
newyorkers community, there was a fellow who posted, then deleted his post about how he didn't want to be insensitive but who cares that some actor is dead. And, in a way, I understand that reading hundreds of posts about some actor, whose work you might not have even liked or seen, could be annoying if you just want to view the usual on your friendslist. But it certainly doesn't merit a rant about it, especially in a community post!1. If LJ is about anything, it's about celebrity talk and people's personal feelings. This story sat right at the intersection of both.
2. It just happened. It's barely been twelve hours since the news broke, so it's no surprise that there has been a flurry of comments as more and more info comes out.
3. It was unexpected. And unexpected things require more discussion. We need to talk about issues to help them make sense.
4. What really happened? We still don't know. And it's possible we may never. More posts ahead.
This isn't new for Hollywood. James Dean and River Phoenix, just to name two previous examples. So, in that sense, this probably shouldn't be that big a deal, right? But the Hollywood machine makes us think we know these actors personally. We see a bit of their lives, view photos of their homes in Architectural Digest, see them behaving "just like us" at coffee shops, gas stations and supermarkets. We hear them talk about their lives, and read articles... look at photo shoots, until we think we "know" them. We follow their careers, we like their performances and buy the DVDs of their movies.
The irony here is that personally, I felt like I knew almost nothing about this particular person. I had seen him on the red carpet with various escorts. I have viewed some of his films. And I have even seen him in interviews, but I have to say, next to River Phoenix, this was one of the actors I know the very least about, and I have to wonder if that was by design.
It's a No-Win Argument to complain about the reaction of people to a celebrity death, especially one that is far younger than anyone would expect. Yes, it's tragic when anyone dies, but when they have a career on the upswing and far more importantly, when they have a young daughter that now probably won't have any conscious memories of her father, it seems just that much more saddening. She will now only be able to get to know him like the rest of us... through his acting roles. That's the saddest part of all.
