When Heath Ledger died this week, the talking heads were falling all over themselves to see who could come up with the most entertaining speculation. Maybe he committed suicide. Some said he was depressed. Others said that playing The Joker in the new Batman film scarred him. Others said he was a drug addict. Rumors, rumors, rumors.
And one person actually mocked the tragic death. Fox News' John Gibson went on the air with "Brokeback Mountain" jokes, laughed that maybe Ledger killed himself after watching the Democrats debate, and generally dismissed the actor as a "weirdo". Links to stories about Gibson's horrifyingly inappropriate and callous comments are here and here and here.
But then came a gift, a series of eloquent words strung together that erased all the ugliness which has ensued, and immediately showed how ignorant, shallow, and cruel all the media types really are. On Oprah's show, actor Daniel Day-Lewis took a moment to comment on Ledger's death, and showed some true emotion as he reflected upon the death of a man.
"It seems somehow strange to be talking about anything else. Not that there's anything to say really except to express one's regret and to say from the bottom of one's heart to his family and to his friends that I'm sorry for their trouble," he said."The video link is here.
I didn't know him," Day-Lewis said. "I have an impression, a strong impression, I would have liked him very much as a man if I had. I'd already marveled at some of his work, and had looked forward so much to seeing the work that he would do in the future."
It really is not that hard to show some compassion when somebody dies. To most people, compassion comes naturally, it is simply being human. The 24 hour news cycle has spawned an army of robotic idiots, latching on to anyone's personal tragedy in order to compete for ratings. The more outrageous the comment, the more people tune in. Death is entertainment.
The real tragedy in Ledger's death lies in those who were closest to him - his daughter, his family, his friends - who have lost a father, a son, a companion. If we cease to be able to comprehend this clearly, then we have lost yet another slice of our own humanity, and are heading down a path of moral bankruptcy.
Thank you, Daniel Day-Lewis, for reminding us so effectively of what it is to be a gentleman.
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1 comment:
Amen...John Gibson's comments were totally out of line. The other development is that Fred Phelps is going to picket at his memorial service in LA another disgusting human being. He death was signficant for me because we are the same age, I lived in Australia and saw a great performance in Ned Kelly. And adored his part in Brokeback Mountain...It would be interesting if we find out the combinations of drugs killed him, not the overdose everyone seems to think happened. Thank you for including this story.
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