Icons

[kashmirigirl]

The deaths of princess Diana and JFK jr…..seemed to affect the nation and the world….. creating a sense of personal loss for many.

I find it interesting how important icons have become in our world today…I wonder if this is the same throughout time or is this a modern occurrence.

I also wonder why the sense of personal loss.
Is it because we see these "beautiful people" as immortal…and their lives as a lovely paradise….when that image is smashed….we are then struck with the reality of our own existence.

Or do we need to have a "cult of personality" to make up for the loss of faith in other institutions.

[zman]

kashmirigirl : I think your analysis is great, but I think the media has a lot to do with it. Sifting through all the media hype, if you ask a regular joe or jane, I think the response will be what you expect, i.e., it was an accident and a tragedy, and that all there will be to it.

My Icon was my Dad. May Allah grant him a place in heaven - Ameen


Later on
Zman

[This message has been edited by zman (edited July 20, 1999).]

[Hinna]

I think itz because of the public service that both of them did.

Diana was involved with many orgz.

JFK jr. was in the district attorney's office

[Jat]

Oh, I thought you meant the icons in Windows 98! LOL.

Rab Rakha.

[Ananya]

Jat: very funny!

Well, those in limelight can mean different things to different people. A poor person, struggling to make ends meet, usually cannot afford the luxury of pondering over someone else’s life at great length.

Most of the middle class looks upon celebrities’ lives like an ongoing movie or …a fantasy if you will. The protagonists’ looks and lifestyles far removed from their owm mundane everyday existence. So they follow with avid interest as the fairy tale rolls along, just like a movie… its an escape from their relatively much less glamorous lives.

For rich and upper classes these icons often become a standard with which to compare their own lives with. Emotions vary from reverence to jealousy. This class can afford to emulate the lifestyles… fashions, clothes, jewels, hairstyles, designers patronized by the celebrities. A cult figure to follow.

Of course, in reality it’s a plain grim tragedy that has happened before and can happen to anyone. But since so many people form personal bonds with the lives of famous people, their abrupt end leaves a gap and a certain sense of personal loss.

I think its most certainly a modern day phenomena, heightened by media coverage, entertainment industry… that just wasn’t there before in such great proportions.

[ManiaX]

I think the media certainly plays a role in
potraying the positive and negative aspects of stars and celebrity's to the public. Thats their job. But the media cannot make a celebrity out to be a good person. That's something they have to accomplish on their own. Obviously, Diana touched a lot of people, but John Kennedy did far more than that. His death made us all remember that day in Dallas, Texas...a day that everyone has tried very hard to forget. Besides, his father's legacy and his family name, Kennedy was a star in his own right. His charity work was tremendous, and unlike Diana..his work was done without the publicty or the glamour. It certainly does feel like a personal loss, but thats more out of the love and admiration that people feel towards the family of
President John.F Kennedy rather than
a lack of a cult-hero etc.

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___________________
Believe In Angels.
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Laterz,
ManiaX.

[zaraatif]

Well, I agree with the stuff about JFK Jr., but shouldn't we give Diana a little more credit? She couldn't help getting all the publicity, the media followed her everywhere. Don't forget she didn't have to help AIDS victims and lobby against land mines. She could have spent the time vacationing or sitting at home. I admire her.
Zara

[ZZ]

Diana could not have got more credit for the small social work she did. In fact, the credit she got is itself unbelievably high.

Diana and Mother Teresa diesd in same period and while Mother Teresa was quickly forgotten the talk of Diana continues.

That Diana could no even save her marriage and her husband preferred an agly old lady when he could have even gone for another young girl. She must have some problems.

[Concerned Pakistani]

ZZ I have to agree with you that Mother Theresa deserved more than she got for her passing away. I still can't believe that the world has lost such an asset and has forgotten about her already. http://www.pak.org/gupshup/frown.gif
Makes me sad. But I think Mother Theresa would have wanted her funeral to be simple anyways. But it is upto us to let her greatness live forever, but sadly enough, we care more about people who could have been great, to people who were (are) great.

Take Care.

[zaraatif]

To the contrary, I think that Prince Charles' choice of this "older woman," with whom he had been involved BEFORE his marriage to Diana, shows that their marriage never had much of a chance. He was still in love with this woman when he married Diana.
Zara

[ManiaX]

Certainly, there's no harm in admiring what Diana did. But you have to remember, most of her charity work, and public appearances regarding good causes came after she split with Charles. So take that at face value.
Nevertheless, there's a big difference between Kennedy and Diana. Diana simply...does not even come close. But thats not to take anything away from her. She was
special in her own right. But nowhere near John F Kennedy.

Cheers.

[ZZ]

We educated Indians and Pakistanis make fun of our own countries and claim that rise of inexperrienced Rajiv Gandhi to prime minister or the of Benazir Bhutto is undemocratic, hereditary, bringing dynasty in politics or whatever. But when this fellow JFK jr. (or Diana) who made virtually no corntribtion, except a little charity which looks good on political resume, dies, our own media also starts mourning death along with BBC and CNN who try to milk sentiments as much as possible. If we accept dynasty, it is because our people are uneducated and illiterate and if America uses navy ship for JFK's burial, we appreciate it. (this US media cares two hoots about thousands of truck-drivers who die on over-working and accidents in US)

[Hollywood]

Do you care for the thousands of children who die of poverty and disease in India?No you dont.If,tommorow Sonia or Priyanka are killed in a plane crash then you'd be here writing about it and the tv networks would be going crazy over it as well.Theres a big difference between both situations,the death of poor children due to disease etc and the death of a son or daughter of a dynasty.We can sit here and debate the pros and cons of both,but the fact is,such an attitude exists.And we'd only be kidding ourselves if we do not admit it.


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I walked beside the evening sea;
And dreamed a dream;that could not be;
The waves that plunged along the shore;
Said only-
"Dreamer,dream no more".

[ZZ]

u did not read my message properly. i am saying that when this happens in our countries we criticize, but for west, we easily accept their icons and go gaga about them. it is not for everything abroad. will there be anything in desi media for queen of nepal or bhutan or even Japan dying? but diana is made to look like a role model for them.

[Hollywood]

Well,diana was not a role model.She slept around while she was still married and quite frankly,most people would not have remembered her too fondly had it not been for the charity work that her agents managed to publicize extremely well.But anyway,I see where you're coming from.

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I walked beside the evening sea;
And dreamed a dream;that could not be;
The waves that plunged along the shore;
Said only-
"Dreamer,dream no more".