I do NOT want to get back into the death of the guy, but I just read the thread (out of curiosity as to why it was closed) and I have to say how saddening it is to read some of the puerile comments some people wrote. Whether they are attempts at humour or said with real malice I do not know, but I honestly thought that this was a grown up forum, not a mouthpiece for narrow-minded bigots.

Some of you really should be ashamed of yourselves 🙁

Here here.

michael jackson was dissapointed in heaven, he thought god said theres one coming up from the boys home

+1 for MF

I think it was mainly puerile malice-free schoolboy humour rather than "narrow minded bigotry".

Aren't childish jokes about famous dead people something of a British tradition?

Homophobia's OK if somebody's died then is it?

WGAF

I think someone was a boyzone fan 🙄

Aren't childish jokes about famous dead people something of a British tradition?

Well, I hope somebody makes jokes about me when I snuff it!

When does a person stop being public property. At what point? Imagine his Uncle, Brother or other family member reads stuff like this? What has he done wrong exactly? Hes not in the over-familiar school of Jade Goodie.

Another thing, it is borderline homophobia. I dont agree with it.

TBF I don't mind the jokes and I usually join in with that kind of humour when someone in the public eye karks it. It just seemed that on that thread there was more hatred and also assumptions that he must have died in some auto-erotic death or something purely because he was gay.

I'm not normally one to be bothered about something like this, but the comments on the thread itself at times did smack of "ooh, I wonder if I can be the first to get a sardonic comment on STW, teehee, how funny am I? I look cool cos I'm mocking something that isn't regarded as cool"

And it was all just a bit sad to read really.

I'm not normally one to be bothered about something like this

I agree – there was something particularly tasteless and unpleasant about many of the comments in that thread imo.

Where is the other thread. Sounds like a laugh 🙂

I tend to read and chuckle at the jokes then think about how sad it is that such a thing has happened to a nice person. He wasnt in the same league as Jacko and Jade in terms of getting whats coming.

Maybe these type of conversations, as well as being funny also bring about private thought which is a bit more tastefull. I personally would say just lighten up and have a laugh about it.

I bet you lot write in to Points of View complaining about swearing before the watershed and pish like that.

Yours truly

Disgruntled from Chipping Norton

Nothing against the fella as he seemed like a decent and harmless enough chap and 33 is no age to pop your clogs.

But why did his death justify a thread in the first place? He was a member of a pretty average pop group and although his death is mildly news worthy, peoples' loved ones all around the world die every day.

RIP SG, but dying ain't nothing new.

But why did his death justify a thread in the first place?

Well that's the thing – it seems it was posted purely to take the piss.

Well that's the thing – it seems it was posted purely to take the piss.

Very good point – it just smacked, from the outset, to be a 'haha – look the poofter is dead' sort of thread.

I bet you lot write in to Points of View complaining about swearing before the watershed and pish like that.

Yours truly

Disgruntled from Chipping Norton

Dunno. I received a STW warning for being abused by French Juan. There are some wierd thinking/people here.

i went to school with his partner and was in the same year as his partners brother whom i'd consider a friend. obviousley i won't be pointing them in the direction of stw in a hurry.

When does a person stop being public property. At what point?

When a person of little talent gets to live a life of fame and luxury from milking tabloid-style hype, then the answer is "never". If he didn't want his life – and death – to be public property, he should have hopped off his stool and gone back to the farm.

Okay clearly some were upset about the other thread, which to my mind was fairly harmless.

So as one who made a passing reference to young Mr Gately's sexuality on that thread, I'd like to apologise for any offence I caused.

I did ask myself what is the point of starting a thread purely to mock the person who has died. I have no feelings towards Stephen Gately good or bad, but as he was famous and relatively young I am intrigued by his death and do judge it newsworthy.

He is no more or less important to me than any other random person who dies but as Mrs M said it reminds you of your own mortality.

Shame on those that started that thread and those that made fools of themselves by posting stupid comments. I hope they are ashamed.

But why did his death justify a thread in the first place?

Probably for the same reason that it's the news, ie, he was quite famous.

…….but that's only a guess.

I don't understand why folk are getting upset with the posts

It's Only Words!

😉

I think someone was a boyzone fan

No mate, just disappointed in this site tbh.

And it's odd how anyone who's saying the homophobic crap was out of order is almost apologetic that they're defending somebody who was in a naff boy band.

Why did it justify a thread? FFS, since when did threads on here have to be justified?

Shame on those that started that thread and those that made fools of themselves by posting stupid comments. I hope they are ashamed.

LOL

You aren't serious with that sort of comment are you? Really? Bloody hell? It's like listening to your outraged septagenarian aunty.

Irrelevant thread in the first place full of irreverant comments.

The STW sanctimonious and histrionic crowd doing their best to make more of something than it's worth bothering with. IMO if MF hadn't bothered voicing his "outrage" then that would have been best. But like someone said, some folks liked righting in to PoV too. Life a get, rearrange into a well known phrase 😉

Give over and get on with something worth spending the time and energy on.

And why do people bother posting "lots of people die" sort of things?

It's not like there was an outpouring of embarrassingly inappropriate grief over Stephen Gately. Quite the opposite in fact.

Wonder if we'd have read the same childish comments if Stephen Fry had kicked the bucket? Somehow I doubt it.

Aren't childish jokes about famous dead people something of a British tradition?

They are but look at this thread and reflect. I doubt many of us would laugh on the day of their death on being told a joke about their passing. In very bad taste

druidh – Member

BoardinBob – Member

> cynic-al – Member
>
> Why?

Because we'd get banned if we posted up the pictures we have of your mum

Poor taste man. Als mum died a couple of weeks ago.

Posted 10 hours ago # Report-Post
theboatman – Member
It would be poor taste if bb had known, sounds more like an unfortunate comment. Deepest sympathy to al, I've been there and it's really bad, but seems a bit harsh to pile the guilt on bb.

Posted 9 hours ago # Report-Post
cynic-al – Member
My mum's still about but getting ever shakier – I do find mum jokes pretty offensive though, generally the last resort of the low IQ types. Have a go at my dad if you must – he carked it when I was 2, and I've yet to laugh at that.

Posted 3 hours ago # Report-Post

Boarding Bob has not apologised for that so I hope he can post up when someone close to him dies and we can share his grief by insensitively taking the pi55 out of his loss. They will only be words apparently 🙄

Why do we do this as with Jade. Yes the loss has not affected me greatly but what kind of person would not just show respect to anyone who has just died (especially when so young)and those that are grieving their loss?

Irrelevant thread in the first place full of irreverant comments.

How can a thread on a chat forum covering a news item be described as "irrelevant" ?

What do you consider to be a "relevant thread" on a chat forum ?

.

Have you got something against your aunty btw Cheeky Monkey ?

And just out of interest ……… did your aunty ever call you a 'cheeky monkey' ? I think mine did.

LOL

You aren't serious with that sort of comment are you? Really? Bloody hell? It's like listening to your outraged septagenarian aunty.

Irrelevant thread in the first place full of irreverant comments.

I thought mine was quit appertaining, actually. Missed the rest.Sounds a bit puerile. Probably.

Boarding Bob has not apologised for that so I hope he can post up when someone close to him dies and we can share his grief by insensitively taking the pi55 out of his loss. They will only be words apparently

😆

You're a throbber

The "It's Only Words" comment was a pun based on a track Boyzone did called "Words"

Imagine trawling stuff up from another thread to post here. 😳

By all accounts he was a very nice guy who when in a position where he was a poster boy for lots of teenage girls, was "forced" out by The Sun. Couple that with growing up gay in a country where attitudes towards his sexuality weren't all that liberal not so long ago would be why I don't feel the need to take the piss out of him now. Some dead celebs deserve it, some don't. I'd say he falls into the second category.

I have no idea who the guy was. There's a mild whiff of traditional homophobic bollocks coming off the closed thread, and a strong whiff of sanctimonious bollocks coming off this one. 😐

Can we sum up by saying that you've been whiffing a lot of bollocks BigDummy ?

Wonder if we'd have read the same childish comments if Stephen Fry had kicked the bucket? Somehow I doubt it.

Being as Stephen Fry frequently makes jokes about his own sexuality in a similarly puerile manner then I suspect if we did start making "Fry's Turkish Delight" jokes or whatever when he dies then he'd find it suitably appropriate.

start making "Fry's Turkish Delight" jokes

I don't get it.

TBH this whole forum could quite easily be classed as irrelevant. Distracting, entertaining, occasionally useful sure but generally irrelevant.

Some dead celebs deserve it,

Oh FFS, how would you know?

Personally I think I might have felt differently if any of the stuff in that thread was actually funny.

It all just seemed very childish and not amusing. See Frankie Boyle for how to be offensive and funny.