(no subject)

[tinyjo]

When famous people die, particularly, it seems, members of the royal family, there is a great deal made of it in the media. All too often we are told that the whole nation is mourning. I remember it in the case of the Queen Mother, Jill Dando and Diana in particular. It's actually something I find deeply alienating. I was pretty much untouched by all three of those deaths. I didn't know them and wasn't interested in them. That feels to me like a perfectly normal reaction, but there's a constant barrage of coverage surrounding these events telling me that it ought to mean something - that there is some kind of national coming together over these deaths that everyone else is a part of. It's even more pervasive than sports - I have similar but less strong feelings about things like the world cup and the Olympics. I think the reason that they're less strong there though is that I'm aware of being part of a larger group of people who's just not interested whereas I'm not concious of a vocal community of disinterest in these cases. So, is that community there but silent? The only way to find out is a poll :)

[Poll #1048051]

TBH, if I could figure it out clearly enough, I could write a very long rambling post about my lack of sense of any national belonging of any kind (and my inability to comprend it in others) but it's still to up in the air in my mind, so you're spared :)

Comments

[erin.livejournal.com]

I'm kind of upset/saddened AND annoyed by the constant coverage. I'm generally easily emotional when it comes to deaths. Some deaths, I'm ashamed to say, I'm pleased with. But most do make me sad.

[tinyjo.livejournal.com]

In general, when I hear about a violent death of someone I don't know, I'm more likely to react with indignation at the person who caused the death than with saddness for the victim personally - I guess it partly depends on how strongly you empathise/identify with the victim or the family.

[coffeechica.livejournal.com]

I agree with this -- I was really annoyed by all the coverage, but I thought she was a decent person and shouldn't have died so young.

[asciident]

I agree, but the reason I'm annoyed with all the coverage is that all this publicity is arguably the largest contributor to her death...

But hi, I'm a royal history nerd. That's why I'm paying attention to it.