Prince and 140,000 Others Died on April 21st.

Posted on by under Global Issues, Random, Social commentary

This is just a sampling of the headlines in this week’s news from the Washington Post World and U.S. sections, and the New York Times:

  1. 500 Migrants May Have Died in Sinking of Boat in Mediterranean, U.N. Says
  2. Israel Names Palestinian as Bomber in Jerusalem Bus Attack
  3. Toll in Blast at Pemex Plant in Mexico Rises to 13; Workers Missing
  4. Earthquake Leaves a Trail of Destruction in Ecuador
  5. Abducted Nigerian Girls Have Not Been Abandoned, U.S. Says
  6. Burundi Is Torturing Prisoners in Crackdown on Dissent, United Nations Says
  7. Deadly Attacks in Ethiopia Leave Victims Wondering Why
  8. Prince, an Artist Who Defied Genre, Is Dead at 57
  9. 7 Police Officers Guarding Vaccination Team in Pakistan Are Shot Dead
  10. 15 Ambulances and Hundreds of Victims: Kabul Attack Gives Service Grim Test

 

eiffelTwo days ago, a musician named “Prince” died.  I had heard of Prince, of course, as I had children during the ‘70s and ‘80s who listened to his music.  I was not a fan, because his style did not match my taste in music.  It has been years since I have so much as heard his name, and yet, for the past two days there has been an outpouring of grief, reminiscing, and the like for this musician.  The last pop star whose death caused as much commotion was Elvis Presley, or possibly Michael Jackson.  Across the globe, monuments were lit in purple for this entertainer, from the Superdome in New Orleans to the Eiffel Tower in Paris.  Quite a tribute for an entertainer.  Better than any that I can recall.  Many of his fans are grieving his untimely death.  But …

… where is the grief for the 500 refugees who drowned when their boat sank in the Mediterranean last week?  Where is the grief for the 646 who died in the earthquake in Ecuador on April 16th?  Do we really care more about an entertainment icon than we do common people who are just simply trying to survive and raise their families in safety?

In fact, I do not think we care more about one musician than hundreds of victims of natural disasters, war and famine.  But I do think, and I have made this point before, that the media directs our interest, tells us what to care about, what is important.  And in so doing, they are doing us a great disservice.  I watched CNN for exactly 40 minutes yesterday morning, during which time I saw precisely two news stories, each with about 60-90 seconds of coverage.  One of those stories happened to be about 8 people murdered in a town near my home on Friday, and the other about North Korea firing a missile from a submarine. Both stories, I think, deserved more coverage than they received. The rest of the 40 minutes?  Coverage of various tributes and memorials to Prince, interviews with people who knew (and some who didn’t) Prince, who had worked with him over the years.  They even interviewed Beyoncé’s father.  Repeatedly we saw the various monuments aglow in purple.  Many Facebook icons were changed to reflect Prince.  All of which is well and fine, but I think it is overdone to the point that it becomes shallow and meaningless.

I did not know Prince and neither did 99.9% of the people who pretend his death is the end of an era. Over 140,000 other people died that day. Their lives were just as important as Prince’s.  They just aren’t in your iPod. Yes, Prince was obviously a talented entertainer, but he also lived life on the edge, from what I have read.  Entertainers tend to die young … think Elvis, Michael Jackson, Whitney Huston, Karen Carpenter and so many more. So be sad that he is dead at such a young age.  Be sad that there will be no more new music from him.  Listen to his music and savor the memories it brings.  Then move on.

14 thoughts on “Prince and 140,000 Others Died on April 21st.”

  1. I have been to many Prince Concerts. We were born 4 days apart. I really enjoyed his music . I did feel sad after I heard of his passing . A good point was made I never knew the man , I just enjoyed is guitar .

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  2. I am not a fan either, but I guess a lot of people really think they have a “connection” with celebrities. So when someone of this selected few (may it be musicians, actors, etc.) dies, they feel that someone has died they really know. So it touches them much more as the death of, for example, 500 refugees. – And of course the media make a hype out of it, as usual. – I have to admit I was really sad when Terry Pratchett (British author) died, because it meant I would never be able to read a new book written by him.

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    • Oh I know … I was sad when Vince Flynn (American author) died, too, especially since he was in the middle of the next book in a series I was eagerly anticipating 🙂 But still … the media hype, especially, over Prince was just beyond ridiculous. Still is … no sign of it letting up … sigh.

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  3. One of those 140000 deaths was Dr. Peter S. Ruckman, who led countless souls to Christ, and authored many books, preached all over the world and on the streets of the United States, Yet, not one word on any of the big 3 networks, nor any cable station, and, other than a short biography in his area’s newspaper, not one line in any newspaper. Yes, Thumbup, it is interesting the direction that the media has taken – but it is not leading me anywhere.

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  4. I had the same thought about CNN over-doing it…but by doing so they no-doubt increased their audience. Those who did not want to hear about Prince went elsewhere. It also occurred to me that they could have played Prince’s songs and videos instead of the infernal and eternal TALKING of the news commentators.
    They could have been showing us endless yak-yak about Donald Trump… or the Kardashions…hey!

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        • I generally avoid the Daily Kos … I did a bit of writing for them at one point and didn’t like the tone of the responses. Though I am a liberal thinker, I don’t care for ‘radical’ in either direction.

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          • the thing I don’t care for is how they are s0 one-sided in news.,,but there are interesting stories that often bear out a search for more “reliable” sources. I also subscribe to the Washington Post, and do some browsing. I have an ID to both the Post and the Kos, but I have not posted any comments because I don’t want to get into food fights. 🙂 About ten years ago I did some comparison papers about news coverage of certain subjects, and used my local daily newspaper, New York Times three days a week, and Newsweek (I think.)

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