It Is Not About You
...the death of actor Paul Walker lit up Facebook with a barrage of status updates. Like oftentimes happens for a celebrity passing, most people offered up simple condolences. Then, there were a few that decided to use the opportunity to berate everyone else and insert their own dialogue. The attempt wanted the receiver to think that the sender was commenting on a celebrity-obsessed culture and how it continues to mark our collection decline. Rather, updates denouncing those who offered up a simple R.I.P. actually found a way to make it about the individual doing said complaining.
Maybe that was the intent all along. A random person sees Paul Walker getting mountains of attention on his unexpected & tragic passing and somewhere deep inside, they feel a lack of importance. So, rather than just let it go, random person has to let everyone else know that all of the attention bestowed upon the recently deceased speaks volumes about how we choose to worship the famed and ignore real problems in the world. What this says to me is that random person took the opportunity to use the occasion to go "Hey! Look at me! My opinions matter!".
Facebook is, in its very essence, a tool for everyone logged on to perform that very action of attention garnering. Whether you opine about world events, share a joke, speak honestly about something personal or let your friend universe know that you just ate dog food on accident, the status update is a means to grab the spotlight for a fleeting moment. In the wake of Paul Walker's tragic passing, it caused no harm and expelled very little energy for his fans and admirers to say goodbye. While some people made the tragedy about themselves by marrying the event to something upsetting them, Paul Walker's death was real and it means something to those who care about him, no matter how big or small.
Read: Brother Lono by Brian Azzarello
Watch: Parks & Recreation
Listen: The Ocean Anthropocentric
Maybe that was the intent all along. A random person sees Paul Walker getting mountains of attention on his unexpected & tragic passing and somewhere deep inside, they feel a lack of importance. So, rather than just let it go, random person has to let everyone else know that all of the attention bestowed upon the recently deceased speaks volumes about how we choose to worship the famed and ignore real problems in the world. What this says to me is that random person took the opportunity to use the occasion to go "Hey! Look at me! My opinions matter!".
Facebook is, in its very essence, a tool for everyone logged on to perform that very action of attention garnering. Whether you opine about world events, share a joke, speak honestly about something personal or let your friend universe know that you just ate dog food on accident, the status update is a means to grab the spotlight for a fleeting moment. In the wake of Paul Walker's tragic passing, it caused no harm and expelled very little energy for his fans and admirers to say goodbye. While some people made the tragedy about themselves by marrying the event to something upsetting them, Paul Walker's death was real and it means something to those who care about him, no matter how big or small.
Read: Brother Lono by Brian Azzarello
Watch: Parks & Recreation
Listen: The Ocean Anthropocentric
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