Fame And Favouritism

This is gonna be a bit of a controversial post and I certainly don't mean any disrespect when I talk about the following issue, but I do want to question something. Yesterday marked the funeral of Mancunian Martyn Hett who was tragically killed in the MEN Arena terrorist atrocity. Martyn was known to be something of a media star and was a wonderful, bright, vivacious young man who was taken far too soon.

What has bothered me though is the fact that a few Coronation Street stars came to his funeral. Now, it's known that Martyn was a huge Corrie fan who even had a tattoo of Deirdre Barlow, so it does kinda make sense that some would be there to pay their respects. It was also noted that Mariah Carey even made a video tribute to him as he was also a big fan of the singer.

Why though? Why him? I'm sure all the other victims of the Manchester bomb were fans of something or someone or other? I've not seen any other celebrities turning up at their respective funerals, or receiving messages of love and sympathy from A list stars? Am I missing something here or what? Am I just being a cynic? Or is this symptomatic of celebrity culture?

Now you could argue that some of the victims families wanted to keep things as low-key as possible for their loved ones, and that's perfectly understandable but surely all those killed deserve equal attention? I noticed that in Martyn Hett's case, the speeches were broadcast and the congregation both inside and outside were filmed. I didn't observe that in some of the other victims funerals. Again, that could be just a case of respecting the grieving families wishes.

The gravitas of the extraordinary events that took place on the night of May 22nd in Manchester meant that these deaths were obviously going to meet with sympathy from across the globe. That saying, I do believe that Martyn's murder garnered more coverage from the media, possibly because of his fame as a minor celebrity. For me, all of those who died should've received equal recognition, and if anything, you'd have thought it would be the several children who passed away who received the greatest attention. That would be more emotionally impactful for obvious reasons.

Personally speaking, I do think that those people who live their lives in the limelight tend to get more attention than those who lead quite unassuming lives. I feel this isn't necessarily fair. There are so many individuals on the margins of society who don't get a break, don't get support and don't get the recognition they deserve. Whether this is due to ill health both mentally and physically, age, appearance, personal circumstances etc? Those who don't make a fuss or lead colourful lives seem to get very little back by way of personal acknowledgment.

As I've said, I don't mean to be crass and insensitive towards Martyn and his friends and family, but these are just my own thoughts on the matter. I'll close with a quote taken from the Manchester Evening News...

"Martyn Hett was someone who lived his life in the spotlight, and that's also how he ended it; fabulously and with the world watching 🐝"