Thread for people who want to debate the reaction to someone's death

That Mitchell and Webb clip should be a trailer for the Jeremy Vine Show

edlong

Who put you in charge of the whole world’s emotions? What if that one song was your wedding dance, or the one on the radio when your parent dropped dead, or was playing when you heard that your parent dropped dead, or the film you used to watch with your family every Christmas as a kid. People make connections where they are – you don’t have to pass an exam in order to be qualified to be touched by someone’s departure.

Then your connection to that person is tenuous to say the least, and to say that you’re devastated, grief stricken, shocked or any other hyperbolic statement you choose to make is in my opinion shallow and fatuous at best and shows a complete lack of perspective.

If people have that kind of reaction to the death of someone they’ve never met, who they didn’t know, who merely sang their wedding song or whatever, then how do they cope with the death of someone they actually know and love? It’s bullshit. It’s media generated, superficial shit.

If you’re a genuine lifelong Bowie fan then of course you would be saddened by his death. Saddened. As in “that’s a bit sad” as opposed to an inability to stop crying, needing to take a week off work to deal with it…..

your mum’s bullshit

Er, your post to which I was responding (and which I quoted) said

have an emotional connection

As self-appointed police of the world’s emotions, where did that become

devastated, grief stricken, shocked or any other hyperbolic statement

?

Enough hypotheticals, here’s mine:

John Peel, the Radio DJ. Yes, I know, I wasn’t aware of that aspect of his personal life history when he was every indie kid’s favourite hairy uncle on the radio. I did used to listen to him on the radio, a lot, over a lot of years. His broadcasts were part of my life. Then he died. I wasn’t

devastated

or

grief stricken

but I might have been a bit

shocked

and I was certainly sad.

Then, a while later I had a moment like that one where someone reannounced the 7/7 bombings on here after hearing a re-broadcast of the news from the day out of context.

I turned on the radio and, as had been the case maybe hundreds of times in my life, the voice of John Peel came over the airways.

It was so normal that I completely forgot the guy was dead until, at the end of the excerpt from what I think was his final show, it went back to whoever was hosting the tribute and I re-experienced the experience of “oh bugger, yeah, Peel’s dead!” but this time, it actually hit me a bit harder, probably because I’d just allowed myself to briefly get back into the groove of listening to Peel on the radio, and then it was immediately ripped away from me again.

I didn’t know the guy personally, I never met him, and from what I’ve read, i may well not have liked him if I had, but because of what he did, and the investment I had in that at a formative stage of my life, his voice on the radio meant something to me, and, yes, there was an emotional connection. No hyperbole, no devastation, and no need for permission from random people on the internet to feel whatever I damn well want about something.

perhaps there should be a grief thread and a relief thread for those who liked him and those who didn’t?

I too like to belittle others’ emotional connections on the internet. Particularly, by likening them to the eejits laying flowers after Diana’s death. I dunno, it makes me feel manly and cold inside and gives me a sense of getting back to Victorian values where a stiff upper lip was still a valued facial feature.

John Peel was one of those great examples of people that you would never meet but sure you would get along with if you did. When he went it was a truly sad day again, somebody I had spent so many evenings listening to, or for most teenagers in a pre internet world he was there chatting with us, somebody who’s passion was always worn proud and shared around. Like your cool uncle who takes you to the pub.

In a John Peel theme I’m sat listening to the last Bowie album in bed wearing headphones (midnight here) just like we used to do when we were kids. Hard to place the fact that you feel somebody could have been around and making music throughout your life, if they did a film then they would get on the soundtrack. Looking at the weeks news it’s one of the more significant cultural events of the week.

Indeed- though I did mention Diana in my post 😳

The OP’s comical foot-stamping passive aggressive tantrum is (partially) based on my post which was:

konabunny – Member
It’s sad. But it’s mental that this is the “main news” on R4 Today and they’re reading out Joel Madden and Russell Crowe’s RIP tweets ffs.

I don’t know about others but that’s not telling people how or what to feel or say.

If anywhere is the right place to talk about Syrian children’s faces and other serious news stories, it’s the Today programme. True, it’s always had light-hearted/spiritual inserts (TFTD, which reminds me I should have left home by then), and obviously they were going to mention it, but the main news should be – you know – today’s main news in the world, or at least the country. If it was the breakfast show on R6, then obviously it’s going to be all Bowie, all the time, which is fine.

And there is never an excuse for reading out celeb reaction tweets.

deadlydarcy

you alright, hun?

I hope we get helicopter footage following Bowie’s funeral cortege around, streamed live 24/7 ala Cilla Black. It’s the only fitting way to honour a #nationaltreasure.

but the main news should be – you know – today’s main news in the world, or at least the country

Looking at the other news there ain’t that much going on

PM pledges extra mental health support
Foster to become new NI first minister
Labour’s McKinnell quits shadow cabinet
Music legend David Bowie dies
Britons jailed over firearms charges
RAF uses Brimstone missiles against IS
VIDEO: Welby warns on split over homosexuality
HMRC chief executive to quit post
England coach Sampson signs new deal
Injury rules Steyn out of third Test

No doubt the middle east will be back where it belongs tomorrow, front and center. As it has been for the last fifty years.

I done sex with David Bowie once..
Warm Gruyere cheese came out of his pores and went into my mouth at my point of climax.. It was one of the most intense sexual experiences of my life

I was repulsed, ashamed and elated in equal measure.. It was truly magnificent

You strange man…

I think chewkw should always be allowed to say he’s only heard 2 (exactly 2, no more, no less) of the dead person’s songs.
It’s like a tradition.

I done sex with David Bowie once..

You just reminded me – I had sex to the instrumental side of Low once (not with Bowie, with my girlfriend). We had my dad’s disco lights going too. It was good.
(no cheese though)

(no cheese though)

Not till you put Chris de Burgh on afterwards.

Well, you’ve got to have a come-down.

I think it’s well established that all news should only be about the single most important thing to have happened today, in the same vein as nobody’s allowed to complain about anything if anyone in the world is worse off.

wwaswas – Member

“My son tells me 57000 other people have also died this morning. I like to imagine them all in a room whispering, “that’s David Bowie”.”

That’s genius, cheers!