The Death Of Cameron Boyce Has NOTHING To Do With You | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Entertainment

The Death Of Cameron Boyce, Or Any Other Celebrity, Has NOTHING To Do With You

It's commonplace for the public to grieve over notable deaths — but when does it go too far?

33523
The Death Of Cameron Boyce, Or Any Other Celebrity, Has NOTHING To Do With You
@thecameronboyce on Instagram

Inevitably, at some point, we depart our reality. It's the poignant undercurrent of everything.

While life at large is a circle — a profound cycle of life & death in lockstep with eternity —our lives are finite. The shadow of death actually looms larger-than-life on us still here.

With no way of being sure what happens after a person dies we are left with little recourse. Keanu Reeves said it best in an appearance on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert."

Keanu Reeves - What Happens After We Die?www.youtube.com

Perhaps the most important thing one can do to honor a life is to miss its Earthly existence. We can regret decisions' past. Even celebrate a human's life to amplify their message beyond belief. There are several paths to handling the death of loved ones, and *all* of them pass through grief.

Think of grief like the Atlanta Airport and death a journey — you'll always have a layover in grief.

This past month Disney Star Cameron Boyce tragically passed away in his sleep, in what seems to be a result of SUDEP (Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy). Admittedly, I didn't know much about the young actor, but I knew he was destined for success when I saw him in "Eagle Eye" in the late-oughts.

I had no idea the huge impact he had on so many notable lives. Adam Sandler, of my Sandlerst fame, posted a rare and heartfelt tweet dedicated to Boyce. Hell, even the most respected woman in the world had a somber message to relay.

While the realization of how impactful Boyce's death was washing over me, so to did the negative responses. I saw a similar reaction online to rapper Nipsey Hussle's murder earlier this year. Somehow people felt the need to call out others for just now celebrating the life of the recently deceased (I could link a ton of examples in the post but they're too many, it's easier to link them here).

Nip was in the exact converse situation to Boyce, in my perspective. I knew of Nipsey as a solid MC who was adored by LA and revered by most of his contemporaries. In my internet sphere, he was well-known, but to many he was anonymous. My girlfriend admitted she had no clue who he was until he passed. That is a glass-half-empty/full scenario. You could see an artist gaining in popularity postmortem as belated, deserved success ... or too-little-and-far-too-late.

Death makes people uncomfortable and everyone reacts to it differently, and I'm afraid there is a wrong way to handle it. The worst way to talk about the death of a celebrity, or anyone for that matter, is to somehow make it about yourself. It's gross and immoral.

"Don't Forget About Me Today"www.youtube.com

We all know someone who obnoxiously posted about the death of an extended family member they barely had a relationship with for attention. I mean, you may be going through that heart-wrenching process right now. It feels like a personal loss is being used as someone else's victim complex.

Everyone has a celebrity death that leaves a mark. For me, it was Robin Williams. I posted clips on my Instagram from my favorite monologue of his in "Dead Poets Society." I posted a picture of him from the movie "Insomnia" with a quote from "Good Will Hunting." I could see the argument that I was subconsciously reminding people of my existence though our beloved comedy icon who was no longer with us.

This is the monologue. RIP Robin Williams.www.youtube.com

Intentions matter — and my intentions were only ever to highlight the beauty Williams brought into my life and to spread that like wildfire. To post about another human being's death with the intent to shine a light on yourself is a dangerously self-obsessed precedent to allow in our culture. Even if it's an unconscious behavior, we have to un-train our brains. We can no longer accept people using famous deaths as beacons of attention. Furthermore, we must not let shame be our initial reaction to people who are legitimately grieving.

Maybe to understand death we have to make it about ourselves. Afterward, however, we are left with choices. As a society, we can demand from each other that the correct way to talk about death is to actually talk about it — not to let the conversation die while we're busy talking about ourselves.

Follow Alejandro on Twitter and Instagram @AtSignAlejandro or @WhyNautsComedy for more content.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Lifestyle

The Great Christmas Movie Debate

"A Christmas Story" is the star on top of the tree.

811
The Great Christmas Movie Debate
Mental Floss

One staple of the Christmas season is sitting around the television watching a Christmas movie with family and friends. But of the seemingly hundreds of movies, which one is the star on the tree? Some share stories of Santa to children ("Santa Claus Is Coming to Town"), others want to spread the Christmas joy to adults ("It's a Wonderful Life"), and a select few are made to get laughs ("Elf"). All good movies, but merely ornaments on the Christmas tree of the best movies. What tops the tree is a movie that bridges the gap between these three movies, and makes it a great watch for anyone who chooses to watch it. Enter the timeless Christmas classic, "A Christmas Story." Created in 1983, this movie holds the tradition of capturing both young and old eyes for 24 straight hours on its Christmas Day marathon. It gets the most coverage out of all holiday movies, but the sheer amount of times it's on television does not make it the greatest. Why is it,
then? A Christmas Story does not try to tell the tale of a Christmas miracle or use Christmas magic to move the story. What it does do though is tell the real story of Christmas. It is relatable and brings out the unmatched excitement of children on Christmas in everyone who watches. Every one becomes a child again when they watch "A Christmas Story."

Keep Reading...Show less
student thinking about finals in library
StableDiffusion

As this semester wraps up, students can’t help but be stressed about finals. After all, our GPAs depends on these grades! What student isn’t worrying about their finals right now? It’s “goodbye social life, hello library” time from now until the end of finals week.

1. Finals are weeks away, I’m sure I’ll be ready for them when they come.

Keep Reading...Show less
Christmas tree
Librarian Lavender

It's the most wonderful time of the year! Christmas is one of my personal favorite holidays because of the Christmas traditions my family upholds generation after generation. After talking to a few of my friends at college, I realized that a lot of them don't really have "Christmas traditions" in their family, and I want to help change that. Here's a list of Christmas traditions that my family does, and anyone can incorporate into their family as well!

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

The 5 Phases Of Finals

May the odds be ever in your favor.

2080
Does anybody know how to study
Gurl.com

It’s here; that time of year when college students turn into preschoolers again. We cry for our mothers, eat everything in sight, and whine when we don’t get our way. It’s finals, the dreaded time of the semester when we all realize we should have been paying attention in class instead of literally doing anything else but that. Everyone has to take them, and yes, unfortunately, they are inevitable. But just because they are here and inevitable does not mean they’re peaches and cream and full of rainbows. Surviving them is a must, and the following five phases are a reality for all majors from business to art, nursing to history.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

How To Prepare For The Library: Finals Edition

10 ways to prepare for finals week—beginning with getting to the library.

3309
How To Prepare For The Library: Finals Edition
Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

It’s that time of year again when college students live at the library all week, cramming for tests that they should have started studying for last month. Preparing to spend all day at the library takes much consideration and planning. Use these tips to help get you through the week while spending an excessive amount of time in a building that no one wants to be in.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments