Ep 32: Popular Tragedy; Do Celebrities Ever Really Die?

Welcome one and all to Professor Metal’s Irate Debate and Calamitous Commentary with the Philosophical Chain Gang

Today’s Episode is Popular Tragedy: Do Celebrities Ever Really Die?

The Philosophers discuss what we mean when we talk about popular tragedy

Sean brings up a situation in which a group of people seem to revel in a tragic event

Ryver questions why we care about tragic events in the lives of people we have never met

Bruce and Sean present a possibility as to why we react to events in celebrities lives

Ryver explains how these ideas pertain to celebrity culture

The Philosophers talk about how our minds react to celebrities and how that affects us

Sean and Bruce elaborate on how this creates a slightly awkward dynamic in interactions between celebrities and their fans

Ryver discusses how this relates to our obsession with tragic events in celebrity’s lives

Sean compares the way we treat death of celebrities and the historical deaths of monarchs

Ryver and Sean talk about the saturation of the media when it comes to popular tragedy

The Philosophers compare the cult of personality of deceased celebrities to the idea of deification surrounding certain historical figures

Sean brings up the negative reputations that can be left behind by these figures

The Philosophers speak extensively about the different legacies that celebrities leave behind, as well as the legacy of figures that refuse to fit the mould, such as Kurt Cobain

Ryver talks about depression and suicide and how this relates to the topics discussed thus far

Sean and Bruce expand on how this can bring to the forefront in the popular perception things that people may otherwise not be inclined to put thought into

Ryver and Sean debate whether or not this has to do with what we are comfortable looking at in our day to day lives

Bruce explains what he refers to as concern fatigue

Sean talks about how some of these ideas apply to the literary concept of tragedy

The Philosophers discuss the problems and appeal of tabloid magazines

Bruce points out the hypocrisy in our treatment of celebrities

Ryver talks about appeal of the positive events in our interactions with celebrity culture

Sean explain the concept of exceptionalism

 

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