Is one death more tragic than another?

It was a bad week for celebrities last week. First Ed McMahon then Farrah Fawcett and finally Michael Jackson died.

Personally I don't believe that their deaths were any more tragic than anyone else's. Sad, yes, but no sadder than any other death.

If you want tragic go to Kenya. In the recent past 11 elderly people accused of being witches have been burned to death by a mob in the west of Kenya, according to local police. Anthony Kibunguchy, the provincial police officer, told the BBC that the eight women and three men were all aged between 80 and 96 years old. The Salem witch trials have come back to life on another continent.

Can you imagine being burned to death? What a horrible way to die. But these people weren't celebrities so there are no tributes, no memorials, no reporters, no outpouring of grief except for the families of the victims. It is merely a news story that is buried in a list of other world events.

We are a somewhat vicious species. We seem to be prone to injure anyone who does not fit our preconceived notions of how they should be. We have an affinity for creating scapegoats.

Have a problem? Blame it on anyone but yourself. It's the Jews, the Amish, the blacks, the poor, the rich, who is the source of whatever pain you feel. Nothing is ever our fault - or so we believe.

Guess what? Those folks are people, too. They hurt just like you do. They laugh just like you. They also have their own set of scapegoats to blame.

Back to the celebrities. These were people who had what many of the rest of us crave. They had fame. They earned more money than most of us will ever see. But were they happy?

All the evidence says they were not. Maybe Ed McMahon was but I'm not as sure about Farrah. Current reports are that Michael Jackson was heavily in debt when he died. I get nervous when I am a few thousand dollars in debt. He was millions of dollars in debt. Millions! How can anybody spend so much that they die owing that much money? It boggles my imagination.

Ed McMahon and Farrah Fawcett were sick before they died. Did all their notoriety make their deaths any easier on them or their families? How would you like reporters dogging you when you were sick? I wouldn't.

These three are dead. Next week, next month and next year we will put someone else on the pedestal of fame and then gleefully wack them like a pinata until they crack. Jon and Kate plus Eight? Old news. Why should we care that we contributed to the downfall of their marriage? It was just entertainment. No harm was intended.

We see these people on our televisions and movie screens and we think we know them. But we are not their friends. They are merely monkeys at the zoo, there for our entertainment. Who cares what the consequences are. They have money. They have fame. Isn't that enough?

Apparently it is not. Ed and Farrah succumbed to whatever ailed them. Michael ... well ... Michael was another matter. From all reports he was not a happy, healthy, well-adjusted guy. Perhaps now he is.

Perhaps now all the people who have died are at peace. There is only one way to know for sure and I'm not ready to find out yet.

May God rest their souls.[[In-content Ad]]