Let mourners grieve for celebrities

2016 had a rough start for a lot of people. We lost several great artists within the first couple of weeks of the year — artists who we had grown up with, who inspired us, brought our childhood dreams to reality. Social media sites were filled with touching eulogies remembering these icons, from celebrities and fans alike. Yet among all of the beauty, the pain and the fond memories, there came the internet trolls spewing hateful comments, criticisms and condemnations — “You didn’t even know him,” “Get over it, he was old.” Others are questioning why we mourn these celebrities when there are people dying all over the world.

I will fully admit, those people make a pretty good point. People die every day from illness, natural disaster, and acts of violence. There was a suicide bombing in Jakarta on the same day that Alan Rickman passed away. Four citizens died, including a Canadian citizen. On New Year’s Eve, a sixteen-year-old boy was killed in New York City. He was found only about a half hour before the ball dropped, in critical condition from a single gunshot to the head, and he died before he even saw 2016. Did these stories blow up our headlines? No, they didn’t. But that isn’t the fault of Harry Potter fans.

Rather than telling people off for their lack of knowledge, why don’t we educate them? Instead of calling them ignorant or conceited, or criticizing them for their appreciation of a celebrity, inform them of other events. Because when you call someone out on their mourning, you are making an assumption about their connections to the person they are mourning. By saying, “You didn’t know them,” you are assuming knowledge of the person you are criticizing — maybe they went through a rough period and Bowie’s music inspired them to accept themselves for who they were. Maybe their fondest memory of a deceased parent is dressing up for the Harry Potter premieres with them. The point is, you don’t know why they are mourning, so don’t take it upon yourself to tell them they can’t.

We can’t remove the influence that celebrities have had on our lives, and we shouldn’t judge people for being sad, but we can help to spread the word about lesser-known events that are taking place globally. We can be both sympathetic and enlightening. We can remember the everyday people who are suffering. We can be heroes — always.