Reply #16: A Serious Response [View All]

[REP]

I've been wondering about his myself - why is this death getting so much coverage and discussion? Yes, being killed by a stingray is highly unusual, and a host of wild animal series being killed by a wild yet normally placid animal is highly unusual ... but is it worth this much coverage?

Reading the OP and other posts, and just thinking about seeing the guy on TV - he was one of those people whose personality made people feel more familiar with him than they really were. In the OP's case, this familiarity bred dislike, but many people found him likeable (I admit I am one of them) and rather than a stranger seen on TV dying unexpectedly, it seems more like an actual friend or acquaintance dying, even though that is not the case for most.

That he died in what is usually called the "peak of life" - 44 - must strike a nerve, too.

Yes, US soldiers and Iraqis died today. That is horrible and sadly at this point, predictable. This death 'feels' different, though when you get right down to it, just as pointless as the ones in Iraq.