I mentioned in an earlier post about the death of a central Arkansas high school student who was killed in a single-vehicle accident. News came later that this child was very drunk and also had traces of cocaine in her system. I wondered then why the news media would have decided that this news needed to be shared at all. Did this news diminish the worth of this young lady's life in any way? I think not.
This young lady was a very popular student, involved in many extracurricular activities and even did some volunteer work. This life was overflowing with potential! Yet we learn later that she was every bit as human as the rest of us, suffering from the same frailties and temptations that many of us battle every single day. Her drunkenness cannot be excused, but I also cannot help but wonder whether, if she had hit another vehicle and someone other than she had died, the community would be crying for justice to go easy on her because she was who she was?
I ask these questions only because the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette wrote a beautiful op-ed piece about her life and accomplishments. In the obituaries of the same section, however, was the story of a 19-year-old man who had died. The circumstances of his death were not mentioned in his obituary and there was no front-page headline heralding the world's loss of such a fine young man with so much accomplished and much more to look forward to.
Not to detract from this girl's death and her loved ones' anguish, but what does it say about us as a society that somehow her death was "breaking news" worthy of a headline, but this young man was nothing more than a blip in the obituaries? She was very pretty with long blonde hair and a very impressive resume. The young man's photo revealed a healthy and eager smile, a handsome young man who, judging by the obituary, had many loved ones who hurt just as much.
Did I mention that the young man was black?
4 comments:
Well-written piece, Michael. Your timing of the last line was perfect.
I actually debated about whether to add that but the more I thought about it, the more I wondered whether the only way that kid could have been given more "press" if it he had actually been involved in the girl's death. I don't believe it was intentional and I don't begrudge the girl's family her grief, but there was no other explanation about the high profile other than that she was pretty and popular - but only in one school in a large city.
Thank you for posting this.
I am nodding, and crying.
Thank you, Mike. I'm sure both kids had so much promise before them.
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