> > > > > An excerpt from the link:
> > > > >
> > > > > 'I didn't cry like this when my son died'
> > > > > DUBAI -- Moideen had never cried in his life like he did
> > yesterday. He still can't believe the passing away of his beloved
> > master His Highness Shaikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum,
> > Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
> > > > >
> > > > > That's just wrong.
> > > >
> > > > In what way is that wrong? I don't see it.
> > >
> > > Yeah, I agree. I mean, I'm pretty sure there were people who
> > cried when Kennedy died. There were certainly a lot of people in
> > Britain who cried when Princess Diana died.
> > >
> > > National leaders are public figures, and it's very easy for
> > people to think that they know these people intimately. And
> > when someone you know intimately dies, then it's natural to feel
> > strong emotions.
> > >
> > > wintermute
> >
> > Added to that, there is a sense of uncertainty or instability. When
> > a friend or relative dies, you lose a beloved part of your life--
> > when a loved and trusted national leader dies, you also lose a
> > stabilizing figure in your society. It's a political calamity as well
> > as a personal one, and comes with all the anxieties of a political
> > calamity.
> >
> > If, as I suspect, zK was chiefly disturbed by the man's saying he
> > hadn't cried as much when his son died... well I don't know. But I
> > would suspect that this kind of anxiety would have something to
> > do with that. Also, how much someone cries is not necessarily a
> > measure of how much grief they feel.
> >
> > I personally couldn't imagine getting more upset over the death
> > of a public figure than over the death of someone I knew
> > personally... but I can see how someone might.
>
> i think people in our world today have so little by way of role models that they emotionally attach themselves to figures of great social standing (eg. movie stars, stupid stupid stupid). since they can't fill the need to importance in thier own lives, they live vicariously through others. also, most people i have seen merely want to put on an act of grievance for just such attention. it is a two-fold success for smarmy attention seekers to cry over figures who die. attention and psuedo-loss (for pity). i agree with "i didn't cry this much when my son died." not because of the real ramifications, but because of what that statement symbolizes: stop trying to bandwagon. i live in houston and there are people who stil have "Go Astros, ALL THE WAY" on thier cars. same basic principle, same basic sick feeling in my stomache.
edit: also, women cry when people die in movies. there is an emotional imbalance. gay men cried when mass. started allowing gay marriage. more imbalance. the liberal media has turned us all into panzies.