An Observation on the Freedom of Expression- Rest In Love: Paul Walker

As I sit here and type this, I am in shock upon hearing that Paul Walker's death has been confirmed. No I did not know the man personally, but yes I am feeling some kind of way (along with other folks). While I see on my timeline tweets about how fine he was, that 2Fast 2Furious won't be the same, there are folks who are shaking their heads at them. I can understand why that is: he has a real life family that has to cope with his loss, he is more than the character's he has played, and he certainly is more than just a fine face. While I can understand the shaking of heads, it needs to be understood that everyone has the right to feel whatever they feel about a person's death.

We may have not known the deceased on a personal level, but it is possible that they have affected our lives one way or another. Whether it be through music or television, their acting role, or their emotion through song, they have found a way to tie themselves to us. In the instance of Mr. Walker, I may not have known him, or known anything about him outside of a few of his roles, but he has had a part in putting a smile on my face quite a few times. Granted it may have been in a sneaky, licking of the lips way (see: Takers) he still allowed that feeling to happen. In the case of Ms. Houston, her music has reached the core of so many people and possibly gotten folks though some tough times. I won't go down the line of those lost, but I believe you can get my drift no matter who the person is. When we lose people who have had some kind of effect on us (minor or major) we are all going to feel some kind of way. Especially if we've grown up with them or spent time with them here and there. 

I mention all of this because usually after a celebrity death, those who are shaking their heads at those "mourning" on their timeline always have something negative to say about it. Asking why are folks up in arms about so and so's death but not about deaths over in [insert location here]. It is true that if it does not have any effect on our immediate lives, if we can't relate to it, chances are we will dwell on it for only a second and be onto the next subject.  As messed up as it sounds, there really isn't much we can do about that. All we can do is accept that folks do not value the same things/people as we do, and allow them to mourn and express sadness in peace. After all if the shoe was on the other foot, wouldn't you like the same treatment?


The piece above is crossposted from her site. Feel free to interact with her on twitter at @tiarahdenise.