What a contrast we have here. Pavarotti was the son of a baker who through grit, talent, hard work and determination became famous as one of the world’s greatest tenors whose singing gave pleasure to millions. The other person in the photo was a slightly dim hurray Henrietta targeted by the royal family as a brood mare because they thought she would be no trouble, therefore married into fame, became a media darling because she had big photogenic doleful eyes and who, despite her great works for charity, still managed to shuffle off this mortal coil leaving a twenty-one million inheritance. I know which one deserves flowers and public mourning, it’s a shame so many don’t.
6 comments:
I can remember being told that Diana was dead over the phone 10 years ago. I can clearly remember thinking "so what? I didn't know her why should I be upset?". And then spending the next month cringing at the public outpouring of conceited, media hyped grief.
If I don't know you and have no connection to you I'm not really going to bother that you are dead. People die all the time, it's normal. And now 10 years later it starts again.
I've been heartened that some columnists have properly ignored the anniversary of the death of a philandering blue blooded, born into money, self righteous tart and have instead commented on the death of a proper inspiration heroine - Jane Tomlinson. Someone who fought and clawed to stay alive for 7 years and raised money for cancer research through constant pain. Ran a marathon during chemothrapy, cycled across America in agony and still brought up her kids.
Anyone going to build her a fountain from public money?
I served three years in the Princess of Wales Own Regiment (a tiny militia unit in Kingston, Ontario.) So rather than speak ill of the dead directly, I'll just say that I've always liked Mojo Nixon's take on her, in his song Drunk Divorced Floozie.
I have to admit I never really understood that saying about not speaking ill of the dead. I don't see how death can elevate a person in the estimation of others, and if you speak ill of them it doesn't hurt them at all. Heh - 'drunk divorced floozy' ... funny none of those are particularly reprehensible. What pisses me off is the public and media reaction to her demonstrating just how many mugs there are out there.
I remember finding the sheer mass outpouring of emotion ten years ago rather scary. I know you'll rubbish it, but I was really disturbed to find that we were capable of that kind of mass hysteria. It was as if the collective will had decided to write the final scenes of the movie of Diana's life and nothing was going to stop it, not the Royal Family, not common sense.
Of course, the media were complicit. Tony Blair called Diana `the People's Princess,' but really she was the Media's Princess, and they have to shoulder some of the responsibility for the hysteria surrounding her funeral. Even today, putting a picture of Diana on the front page of your paper will increase your circulation. They made her, and they wanted a say in the final scenes. All the while, of course, saying they were reflecting `public opinion.'
And Olaf's right about Jane Tomlinson. I'm not sure I could have faced her situation like that.
Lest we forget the "public grief" for Jill Dando: hang on, tragic yes, but she was a news anchor. *rolls eyes*
It's nice to find people that share my view on this.
I can clearly remember thinking "so what? I didn't know her why should I be upset?". And then spending the next month cringing at the public outpouring of conceited, media hyped grief.
My thoughts precisely and Dave Hutchinson I also found it disturbing that people could get so worked up over this.
Mark Steyn had a really good take on the cult of Diana. Unfortunately I can't find a link to the article anymore.
LT
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