Which way are we going?

I am deeply saddened by the death of actor Heath Ledger. Not only was he a very talented actor but in the interviews of him I had seen he always came across as a really down to earth, funny and kind person. I thought he had a great career ahead of him and was really looking forward to seeing him portray the "Joker" in the new Batman film and to see what he had in store for us as viewers.

I have also been very saddened, but also very disturbed, by the media coverage I have seen on this. It's one thing to report the passing of someone who is in the public eye, talk about his roles, and I can even understand trying to interview people who had worked with him, etc, to help get across what kind of person he was. What really gets under my skin is not only paparazzi, but news reporters camped out outside Michelle Williams' home in New York in order to try and catch her and her two-year old daughter's reactions as they exit and enter the residence.

As Heath Ledger's ex-girlfriend and the mother of his child, I am sure that Ms.Williams is absolutely distraught at this time and I can't imagine what it feels like to have to deal with all this media attention right now. I think it is despicable and extremely disrespectful. What ever happened to common sense and manners? Have people simply lost a sense of what is right and what is wrong? Can these people camped outside her home hoping to snap a picture not realize that by doing so, they can only be adding to their grief?

This is something that has been bothering me for awhile now - people's fascination with things that are simply none of our business. The rate that people snatch up gossip magazines and log onto the Internet to see which celebrity was caught doing drugs in rehab or snapped by a paparazzi wearing no underwear while getting out of a car is astounding. I can understand the "average Joe" being interested in a celebrities life a little bit, such as watching interviews on TV or reading them in a respected magazine. It just seems that the line has been so far crossed in terms of what is acceptable and not nowadays that the line doesn't even actually exist anymore.

When we can no longer have the sense to realize that having a live stream on the internet outside the home of people who are grieving (something that we have all gone through and know that is one of the hardest things we ever have to process), it truly makes me wonder which way the modern Western society is going. Will we ever have a collective sense that we need to pull back on the reins and realize we are headed to a point where our sensibilites no longer make . . . sense? Or will we let this cancerous behaviour continue to build until we're no longer able to remember what it meant to truly care for each other and only want the best for others?

Something to think about . . .