The Milner Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 Why do people say we have lost a beautiful person in Philip Seymour Hoffman when he died or a heroin overdoes, yet we dont extend the same sympathy to a junkie off the street? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alkaline Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 Why do people say we have lost a beautiful person in Philip Seymour Hoffman when he died or a heroin overdoes, yet we dont extend the same sympathy to a junkie off the street? Probably due to his contribution to things other than drug use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TR!ΔNGL€ T€€TH Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 Aye, he was great at the old acting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TR!ΔNGL€ T€€TH Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 To be fair though, I think some sympathy is extended to someone who dies from drug abuse. Philip Seymour Hoffman was in the public eye, due to his acting talent, but leaves behind a family, which is a comparison that can be made to many regular people who fall victim of drug abuse and the problems which coincide with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Gold Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 Why do people say we have lost a beautiful person in Philip Seymour Hoffman when he died or a heroin overdoes, yet we dont extend the same sympathy to a junkie off the street? Buying heroin with money you earned from acting - fine. Buying heroin with money you earned by stealing from building sites - bad. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gladstone Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 It's surely just to do with being in the public eye and seeming like a nice guy as well as being a great actor.He isn't just a statistic when you've seen him on screen loads of times and heard about his personal life etc.I dare say that if he was portrayed as an utter cunt most of the time in the media / screen that the sympathy wouldn't be the same.A guy on the street who you've never met / heard of / spoken to just doesn't tug at the same heart strings. In a lot of ways that scenario is more tragic but it just doesn't touch people the same as losing someone they know or think they know through their TV screen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paranoid Android Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 People often seem unable to see a drug addict as nothing more than that. They hear of someone dying from an overdoes and just assume the person was some scumbag who got what was coming to them. It's only when it happens to someone they knew either personally or through the media that they appreciate the tragedy of the case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Milner Posted February 4, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 What about someone like Amy Winehouse? I dont remember the same kind of sympathy when she died. You could argue she was as talented a singer as he was an actor. Without wanting to come across as too much of an arse, but this was a guy who was taking heroin in the same house as his children, and was asked to leave his house because of that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paranoid Android Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 As far as I remember there was a huge outpouring of sympathy for Amy Winehouse when she died, at least in the British media much more than I've seen for Hoffman. From your first post I thought the point you were trying to make was that non-celebrities who have drug problems deserve as much sympathy as famous people but from that I'm guessing now you actually meant the opposite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Milner Posted February 4, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 To be honest, i dont really have a big point to make, it was just a follow on from a conversation me and a few mates had last night. Its tragic what has happened, as it is when any person dies of a drug overdoes, we were more just discussing why people seem to give some celebs more leeway when it comes to this kinda thing, than they do for others, or for the common man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stroopy121 Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 To be honest, i dont really have a big point to make, it was just a follow on from a conversation me and a few mates had last night. Its tragic what has happened, as it is when any person dies of a drug overdoes, we were more just discussing why people seem to give some celebs more leeway when it comes to this kinda thing, than they do for others, or for the common man. I guess it's just an extension of the fact that if a random stranger gets hit by a car, it's no big deal but if it's your mum then it's a tragedy... If you're a fan of PSH's work then you'd've been sad when he kicked it. Plus, lots of people like to appear grief-stricken as a way of making everything about them, so they'll also be contributing to the "IT'S THE WORST THING TO EVER HAPPEN TO BRITISH CINEMA" hyperbole. xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lyin Ryan Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 Yes, this public mourning/grief or "mourning sickness" as some have dubbed it is more about the grievers own importance than a display of condolence to the close relatives and friends of the deceased. It's about displaying herd mentality, wanting to be in the crowd. Media feeds it.Theres a whole wiki page about it.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mourning_sickness 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flights Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 Yes, this public mourning/grief or "mourning sickness" as some have dubbed it is more about the grievers own importance than a display of condolence to the close relatives and friends of the deceased. It's about displaying herd mentality, wanting to be in the crowd. Media feeds it.Theres a whole wiki page about it.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mourning_sickness Exactly this. Half the people commenting and posting RIP statuses would probably struggle to name more than 2 films he was in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colb Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 (edited) Exactly this. Half the people commenting and posting RIP statuses would probably struggle to name more than 2 films he was in. Boogie NightsThat one with Tom HanksThat one with KatnissErrrr GOODBYE THEATRES ROSE........... Edited February 4, 2014 by colb 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaaakkkeee Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 Red DragonThe Boat That RockedHunger Games 2 Titanic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monster Zero Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 Im finding it a strange occurence because I was completely unaware of his past struggle with addiction and so it came as a surprise when the circumstances became known. Im maybe a terrible person but my first thought was some sort of weight related heart failure given he was a bigger lad. I cant say I rushed out to see a film because he was in it but I cant think of any film that was made worse by his being in it, he was a great actor but one of those with a relatively low key presence.With Amy Winehouse it seemed inevitable she would be pegging it due to substance abuse eventually. I still think that was a real wasted talent even if she wasnt regarded in the same way as someone like Cobain.As others said I think its harder to relate to a random unknown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemonade Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 I always enjoyed him, Almost Famous, Capote and The Savages jump to mind immediately but he was good in most things I saw him in. Also I believe popularised the word "shart" in Along Came Polly. Sad that he died because I liked him as an actor, but beyond the initial surprise it hasn't affected me at all. I think it's to ok be sad when someone you really admire dies, I was gutted when Michael Jackson died, and Amy Winehouse, and I don't think there's anything wrong with that, I was a really big fan of both. I liked PSH as an actor but I wasn't rushing out to see his films. Not really sure where I was going with that ramble but there you go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paranoid Android Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 He was a great actor, one of the best of his generation. He's been in some great films, some not so great ones but even in the bad ones he did a good job. Most of the films I like with him he played a supporting role (e.g The Big Lebowski) but films he was incredible in the lead role of films like Synecdoche New York and Capote. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kybosh Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 Mission impossible 3 , he was a great "baddie" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirsten Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 I was wondering about the Winehouse thing today because I remembered searching her name on Twitter after she died and seeing far too many people saying things along the lines of "Stupid junkie had it coming". I can't imagine anyone saying that about PSH despite his death being the way it was. I guess it's because his deterioration wasn't as out in the open as her's or maybe that more fucking morons who would hold that view knew who she was because of the tabloids, whereas they might not necessarily be familiar with Hoffman. I think I've just come full circle and come to the logical conclusion of my own ponderings. That was quick. Cool. And now I'm hitting 'post'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Milner Posted February 4, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 I was wondering about the Winehouse thing today because I remembered searching her name on Twitter after she died and seeing far too many people saying things along the lines of "Stupid junkie had it coming". I can't imagine anyone saying that about PSH despite his death being the way it was. I guess it's because his deterioration wasn't as out in the open as her's or maybe that more fucking morons who would hold that view knew who she was because of the tabloids, whereas they might not necessarily be familiar with Hoffman. I think I've just come full circle and come to the logical conclusion of my own ponderings. That was quick. Cool. And now I'm hitting 'post'. Exactly my point really. I saw quite a lot of abuse towards Winehouse when she died, but ive yet to read a single bad post or anything towards Hoffman. Why has his heroin addiction more acceptable than hers was? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surfer_Rosa Posted February 5, 2014 Report Share Posted February 5, 2014 Exactly my point really. I saw quite a lot of abuse towards Winehouse when she died, but ive yet to read a single bad post or anything towards Hoffman. Why has his heroin addiction more acceptable than hers was?Geordi La Forge ain't afraid of nobody. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teabags Posted February 5, 2014 Report Share Posted February 5, 2014 (edited) Exactly my point really. I saw quite a lot of abuse towards Winehouse when she died, but ive yet to read a single bad post or anything towards Hoffman. Why has his heroin addiction more acceptable than hers was?Probably because her addiction was so public. Alot of people probably thought she was going to die of a drug overdose long before she did die.PSH...not so much.I'm not saying it was okay for him to take heroin. That was stupid, he's an idiot for it. But, the public perception of him wasn't, for example, something like this... EDIT: Shit post is shit, I should probably have the read the one you quoted first. Edited February 5, 2014 by Teabags 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaseyBoi Posted February 6, 2014 Report Share Posted February 6, 2014 I didnt appreciate him in life i dont appreciate him in death.. Apologies if thats harsh..But the first thng i said when i head he was deed was "WHO?" . Then a lassi at work said that guy fae titanic .. And i still didnt know...Sure i googled him... But when i saw his picture my heart did not break.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Gold Posted February 6, 2014 Report Share Posted February 6, 2014 I didnt appreciate him in life i dont appreciate him in death.. Apologies if thats harsh..But the first thng i said when i head he was deed was "WHO?" . Then a lassi at work said that guy fae titanic .. And i still didnt know...Sure i googled him... But when i saw his picture my heart did not break.... I wish I had the get up and go to spend some time making boring comments on the deaths of people I have never heard of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.