(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

[tortipede.livejournal.com]

I do remember distinctly when and where I heard the news of her death. And I remember being kind of shocked and sad -- for ooh, about a minute and a half. Then I thought what an absolute media-fest it was going to turn into, and got instant blasé-ness. Since when it's exceeded the worst of my worst expectations, of course...

I remember saying pretty much exactly this when I got interviewed by the Express or something like that (just asked for a vox-pop soundbite, you understand) on Waterloo International Station on an anniversary -- probably the first -- of her death. I fully expected that if they printed it I would return from France to public lynching :) They didn't and I didn't, needless to say.

[tinyjo.livejournal.com]

They didn't and I didn't, needless to say.

Probably for the best :)