When Robin Williams committed suicide on August 11th this year, posts about him on my Facebook and Instagram were one after the other. My friends were shocked that he would do such a thing as take his own life. He was Mrs. Doubtfire, he was Alan Parrish, he was Peter Pan, he was Genie. Overall he seemed like a happy man, a guy whose main goal was to make people, especially children, laugh. His role in some of my favorite movies was funny and witty so it was hard to picture that this man could have been so miserable. When I found out he had passed away I couldn't believe it, especially the way it happened: suicide. But then it made me realize how little I knew about celebrities outside of their roles in movies. It's so easy to get absorbed in an actor or actresses' role in a movie or television show that we think that's who they really are when in reality it could be the complete opposite.
This picture of Robin Williams and the quote "You're only given a little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it," was a favorite among Facebookers, Instagrammers, and Tweeters. I saw this post probably a hundred times in the first week following his death. People would follow this picture with their condolences and say how sad they were that he died and that he was one of their favorite actors, but did they really care that much about him before he died? That's the point I'm trying to make. People could care less about a celebrity or know absolutely nothing about them other than their participation in popular movies but as soon as they die everyone seems to feel obligated to pay their respects.
It's almost as if they are afraid that if they don't say something nice or act like they are deeply saddened by the passing, that the deceased will haunt them. Like Robin Williams would be offended if there weren't hundreds of posts in social media after his death. I'm pretty sure that wherever Paul Walker, Joan Rivers, and Robin Williams are, they couldn’t care less about their popularity in the media anymore.
Because of the frequency of the Robin Williams posts during the week of August 11th, I became annoyed. Yes, I was sad too that such a seemingly happy man took his own life but I didn’t need the constant reminder! It had been 3 or 4 days and I’d be scrolling through my Facebook newsfeed and still every other post would be of that picture of Robin Williams and the quote that went along with it. I chose not to post when Mr. Williams died, I was shocked when I heard the news but didn’t feel the need to use the tragedy as an excuse to post something, nor did I want everyone who read my post to be instantly saddened and depressed by the news as I was when I would see the posts. If I were one of Robin Williams’ family members and I had to continue to be reminded, although it’s not like you can ever forget, I wouldn’t like the frequent posts either. A little over a year ago my little brother who was 11 at the time passed away unexpectedly due to an allergic reaction to some peanut butter he had accidentally eaten while at a friend’s house. It was devastating. Once all the funeral craziness was over, and all our family went back home then it was time for the real grieving to take place. I remember scrolling through Facebook in my down time and I would randomly come across a post by one of my family members about donating to the expenses or they’d be changing their profile picture to a picture of them with my little brother. When I would see these posts my heart felt like it fell into my stomach and immediately tears would fill my eyes. I can only imagine what family members of celebrities feel when they have to see their deceased loved one plastered on the front of every magazine or the topic of every news production or the subject of numerous people’s social media posts. This is something a lot of people don’t consider.
Another recent celebrity death was that of Paul Walker who died in a car accident at the beginning of the summer. Posts about him also blew up social media.
Most of these posts, unlike Robin Williams, were of girls that were heartbroken because he was so hot and that’s why they were sad that he had died because now they could no longer fantasize about him without feeling that weird. What a lack of sensitivity. When I was looking for the picture that most people posted when he passed away which I’ve posted above, I found a disturbing picture posted by numerous websites. It’s a picture of what’s supposed to be Walker’s face although it’s hard to tell because there is a huge gash right in the middle of his face. The photo is extremely gruesome and disturbing. How did these websites get the permission to post such a sensitive picture if it is in fact deceased Paul Walker. All I could think after seeing the picture was what if his young daughter saw it? And the chances are that she probably will. It breaks my heart that reporters and news stations and other websites could be so insensitive. It’s no one’s business to see those kinds of things except the family.
I understand that everyone has an opinion and wants to voice it and social media is a perfect way for them to do so, I am guilty as well. However, when posting our latest post we don’t tend to think much about the impact it will have on everyone who sees it, unless it’s a selfie in which case what you want people to think is all that is considered. Whether it’s a celebrity or a close family member, death is nothing to be taken lightly. Celebrities have families too who also have things like Facebook and Twitter where they see the posts, respectful or not, and have to be constantly reminded.
