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DAVID BENTLEY'S WEEKLY COLUMN |
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WHEN A CELEBRITY DIES
Celebrities come in many varieties from famous to infamous and renowned to notorious. Yet whenever a celebrity dies, the whole world takes note. Saint or sinner, leader or follower, philanthropist, thief, musician, artist, scientist, theologian, actor, politician, soldier, or spy -- both the media and the public at large love celebrities, dead or alive. When celebrities die, no detail escapes public scrutiny. Suddenly we all become experts on the life of someone we've never even met. Mini documentaries show up on news programs. We hear from family and friends, colleagues and critics, and just about everyone who ever knew that particular celebrity. Opinions are treated as facts. Teachers and former neighbors suddenly have vivid recollections of the celebrity's early years. Pundits have commentary to share. Reporters have person-on-the-street interviews to go along with footage of tearful mourners. Autopsy and forensic reports are made public. Regular media schedules are interrupted for the latest developments and tributes. Even after the funerals and memorial services are over, our fascination with celebrities continues. Legal wranglings and probate ambiguities dominate headlines. Conspiracy theories spring up. Even years or decades after a celebrity death, the craving for more information persists as various biographers take turns churning out new accounts of the person's life. Meanwhile, in third world countries, rural communities, large cities, and even neighborhoods just like our own, thousands of people, whose names we've never heard mentioned anywhere, die. We have no idea what these people accomplished or were not able to achieve, who they loved or hated, whether they had enough to eat or money to spare, whether they left behind someone who will miss them terribly, or if they died all alone and lonely. Worst of all, it might have been the neighbor down the street that we always intended to meet, but never actually met, because we were so busy becoming experts on more important celebrities.
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SAN JUAN ISLANDER © 2008 |
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