The Most Ignorant Comment About Celebrity Deaths That Appears All The Time

Somewhere during the process of Joey Feek's illness I came to know of Joey + Rory, an American country & bluegrass duo and married couple.  Joey was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2014.  Last year the cancer returned and spread to her colon and in October Rory announced that Joey's cancer was terminal and they were stopping treatment.

Joey died on Friday at age 40.

Over the course of the past six or eight months -- I'm not exactly sure of the timeline -- I shared stories from Joey + Rory on Facebook.  Despite the very worst news ever, their posts were always uplifting.  The couple were strong Christians and even released an album just weeks ago, 'Hymns That Are Important To Us,' their seventh and final studio album, called a "dream come true" for Joey, according to The Boot.

I shared an article from NewsBake on Friday night announcing Joey's death.

There were several shares, several dozen likes and even a handful of comments on my post.  Most of the comments were simple "RIP" sentiments, but there was one that I've seen before.  It shows up whenever any person of notoriety passes away.  The ignorant statement that goes along the lines of "Yeah, it's sad, but it's sad when anybody dies, why so much attention for this one person?"

I began to respond in the thread but decided to stop and address this question here.  My hopes are that if you feel inclined to ask a similar question now or in the future, you consider my response in advance.  So here it is:

You are ignorant.

The obvious answer as to why "so much attention," is because they are a celebrity, therefore, more people know who they are, therefore, there is more discussion surrounding their life and death.

Now, let's just pause here to point out that even if you completely disagree with any of the points in my rant or with my position in general, still, as a decent human being, following the passing of someone that I felt compelled to publicly acknowledge, wouldn't you find it appropriate to keep your Debbie-Downer, Negative-Nancy opinion to yourself?  I mean, there has to be some discernment between what is fair given that it's social media and what is courteous given that it's a delicate situation.

But, to further respond to this pathetic question related to this specific situation:

There is also "so much attention" because Joey and Rory not only kept everyone updated throughout the journey, but they developed a deeper relationship with fans because they completely opened themselves up -- constantly interacting and sharing personal, familial moments and feelings.

I'm not a country fan particularly -- I had never even heard of Joey + Rory.  I came to know of them during her illness and came to very much appreciate them, their hearts and feeling bonded to both them and the community of fans praying for them and their situation.  And then, by extension, understanding how cancer can and does affect us all at some point, and wondering if we as families or individuals will have the same faith and strength as Joey and Rory.

So again, you are ignorant.  You're ignorant for asking such a ridiculous question with an obvious answer, but even further and more importantly, you are ignorant for asking a question in such a manner that suggests you think that maybe because it's a story about a celebrity, that I, or anyone else, couldn't possibly be that connected to or invested in the situation.  Your thoughtless, discourteous comment is actually offensive.

No, it's not an innocent question, and no you can't qualify it with "Yeah, it's sad, but..."

Maybe you are one of those people who says things online that you wouldn't normally say in person.  At least, I hope that's the case.  I hope you wouldn't say to a grieving person's face, "Yeah, it's sad, but... everybody dies, so... let's leave this funeral and go have ice cream."

Regardless, you need a lesson in tact, fast.

RIP Joey Feek.  Prayers for Rory and Indiana, family and fans.