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2016 was a year of RIP posts on social media. As the year drew to a close, the main thing people could talk about was the number of celebrity deaths that blighted the last twelve months. One must wonder, why do people in the public eye deserve our mourning, when hundreds of thousands die every day?
Therefore in 2017, I am hoping we can say RIP to celebrity pedestalling. I wasn't the only one who got a little sick of all those 'don't take any more from us 2016' posts regarding the death of celebrities. Just because they are celebrities doesn't make their passing any more of note than the swathes of 'normal' people that die every day. People that die due to things we can help stop: war, famine, poverty, climate change, disease. Moreover, things that we in the West cause!
The main problem with the world today is the superiority complex that still, after many years of the fight for equality, permeates society at multiple levels. The rich aren't better than the poor; light skin isn't better than dark skin; parents aren't better than the childfree; westerners aren't better than easterners; and famous people aren't better than the rest of us. We are all human, and we should all be equal in life and in death. Things believe it or not, are improving, but we can do more.
68 celebrities died in 2016. Over 56 million people died in total. So, the RIP posts spamming our Facebook walls are for 0.00012% of the people who actually passed in 2016. I get it, some celebrities have a profound effect on our lives through their chosen art (goodness knows where I would be without Eminem, Christina, or Gaga - probably 6 feet under with the other 56 million). But wouldn't it be better if we put all our 'mourning' energy into use, to combat some of the ills that contribute to the deaths of millions?
Instead of posting RIP, why not speak up about the fact that our government still sells big guns to bad people, or set up a monthly direct debit to cancer research. You could join a progressive political party that actually believes in equality and not elitism like the main two, or reduce the amount of meat you eat. How about switching to a renewable energy supplier, or consuming consciously? All of these things could in the long-term help reduce the number of unnecessary deaths across the world.
So I'm saying RIP to all those that we as humanity has failed to protect this year, and RIP to celebrity pedestalling. Turn on your brains, and off your tellies, and let 2017 be the year of action!