A total of five dead last week, can you tell me who they all are?

If anyone was logged on to their Facebook accounts during the past week, they probably saw something related to the death of Hollywood actor, Paul Walker. Whether it was a picture of the car in smoldering pieces, a picture of Walker himself or even a video testimonial, it seemed everyone and their mother had posted something about the loss of the Fast and Furious superstar.

Walker’s death was neither important nor tragic, but why was it glorified more than anything else that happened that week?

Does anyone else realize who the other four deaths were that week?

In case you missed it, the day after Walker’s death there was a train derailment in New York leaving four dead and 63 in critical condition.

So, in the span of two days, five fathers, brothers, mothers or sisters were killed in tragic accidents. Even though the media covered the train wreck extensively, our social media outlets like Twitter and Facebook were completely spammed with anything and everything about Walker’s death, without a single mention of the derailment in New York.

Why is this? I believe we have ourselves to blame. Our generation fuels social media sites like Facebook. We compose its highest usership, and therefore, we are responsible for the information being shared and displayed.

I put the blame on us because we glamorize Hollywood. We immediately put anyone we see on the big screen on a pedestal as someone we aspire to. When we watch them fall off that pedestal, it fascinates us. When you hold someone to a high standard, they have further to fall in the end. To see someone whose life has been romanticized by the rest of America fall from grace, or in Walker’s case, have their life taken from them unexpectedly, seems more devastating than anything else.

Again, don’t get me wrong, Walker passing is tragic. He was a good actor. But what did either he or his movies actually do for you, besides take away a few hours of your life while lying on a couch?

Of the four people killed in New York, one was a nurse, another a paralegal and the other two businessmen. They weren’t killed in an overpriced Porsche while getting their adrenaline fix for the day. These people were killed during their daily commute, going to earn a living to support their family.

In the end, both accidents are terrible. Without a doubt each of the departed has plenty of family that are grieving over their loss. But where are our morals at as a generation? We, as millennials, are the next up in coming in whatever we do. If the majority of us are so worried about Hollywood falling apart now, what will it be like 30 years from now?

braber@mavs.coloradomesa.edu