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 :)
[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 :)
no subject
Date: August 31st, 2007 08:41 pm (UTC)From:The stupid programs on TV were a bit annoying too. It's like people craning out their car windows when driving past a crash. I don't really like that fascination with how she died. It's weird, it's like they have an urge to prolong her perfect image at the same time as they have an urge to dig deeper into 'what happened' and tear her apart.
Another thing that's annoying is that to an extent the family sanction it all with the concert etc. I understand why they did that, because she was the people's princess (though god that's a tired phrase now) and all, but it just makes so much of it that I wish they hadn't. Surely at one point the boys will, not want to forget, but to grieve more privately? To claim their mother back from the grabby hordes? I really would hate to be in their position as it stands now. Being royalty must suck at times.