Public/media mourning

[duke63]

The death of cricketer Phil Hughes was very tragic but why do we have to have such public mourning over these things these days? There are lots of tragic deaths every single day that do not make the news.

I'm just a bit bemused by it all.

[Kwacky]

I'm a bit mixed about it. It is tragic. He was in the media spotlight before his accident. His family invited large numbers of people to the funeral, including the press. Modern times I suppose.

I guess if they had asked for some privacy that would have been different.

[D41]

Spotlight in life, spotlight in death....simple as that.

[kiwikrasher]

I'm with you Duke,and had the same convo with the wife last night. we are well immersed in it over here.

The one story I did read and was very impressed with thou' was how well the young bowler who made the delivery was being supported, especially by Hughes family.

[duke63]

I guess there is nothing wrong with it if that's your bag but I have found death is tough enough to cope with in immediate family without wanting to grieve for someone i don't know or have never even met or seen.

[D41]

I dunno mate....I stayed up late to watch the Malaysian GP when Simo died....2.00am or sommit.....never met the guy...wasn't a particular fan....and they gave us no info, although to me it was obvious the lad was dead before his body came to a standstill.
We as a motorcycling community certainly made much of his passing, as did the Italian public in general....all this in a sport that is inherently more dangerous than cricket......I don't think it was wrong though, and I think if I were an enthusiastic cricket fan I'd probably feel the same way about Hughes
Cricket is a popular sport in the UK, which I think is the main reason his death is getting so much publicity over there....it hasn't even had a mention over here, which TBH is as I would expect it....just as if a baseball player had died on the field here, it wouldn't garner a mention in the UK.

So I guess if the publicity does anything, maybe the rules will be changed at youth level cricket to increase safety or at least some small measure of good will come from it.....but as it was said initially, it was a freak accident, and therefore is going to attract a certain level of attention no matter what.

[Kwacky]

I do think attitudes have changed a lot. Once we hit the watershed after the death of Process Di it seemed ok to publicly mourn.

What I cant' understand is why people want to go to the site of the death and lay flowers. What's that about? Dealing with grief?

[duke63]

No i always think the laying of flowers at the place where someone died is very weird.

Surely you would want to remember the good things about someone's life, not the place where it all ended?

[D41]

No i always think the laying of flowers at the place where someone died is very weird.

Surely you would want to remember the good things about someone's life, not the place where it all ended?

Yeah, I don't get that either....there's a curve up on Katella where someone laid flowers every week for about 20 years.....it's a f*ckiin' curve FFS, and not a difficult one by any stretch.....but the City and the PD have gone to extreme measures ever since to make it "safer".
I can't fault the parents for their method of mourning, but I do question it to an extent. My sister died when she was two....my dad dealt with it well, but it destroyed my mother...she was never the same....all before my time....I can still see her grave in my mind's eye......Jeez, that's got me thinking....I wonder how long it's been since dad visited it.

I don't know the answer, I don't think there is one.