Reflections:
Ted Kennedy died last night and while I recognize the passing of a significant political figure and legislator I find myself fairly apathetic towards his death.
I think I feel this way towards most politicians. A couple of months back when President Barack Obama was inaugurated I watched coverage of people who were swept up by all of the emotion and energy of this figure. And as I said above about Ted Kennedy, I recognize the significance of someone like President Obama, but I have never been moved to tears or to such a degree that I feel the need to attend a speech or a rally.
I think that I am much too jaded for the world of politics and I distrust the politicians that represent me. Do not misjudge me, I vote and pay attention to the news and listen to the topics and issues that affect me. But I find myself unable to be moved emotionally in any way by most politicians.
Writers and authors are figures in our culture that inspire me. The deaths of David Foster Wallace, Susan Sontag, Arthur C. Clarke; these are the types of figures I tend to feel great emotion for, frequently because their passing is often overlooked or quickly forgotten and so too their contributions to literature, media, and culture.
But this should not be surprising as my blog focuses primarily on authors and writers that I’ve read and that I find inspiring. I have devoted my life towards English Literature and so I focus more on these figures.
Still, there is something very uninspiring to me about so many of the politicians I see before me. I will note their significant contributions towards society and history, but I have not been moved by such figures, at least not yet.
It is easy to fixate on Michael Jackson’s passing or Ted Kennedy when there is 24/7 news cycle of these figures, but a writer like Alexander I. Solzhenitsyn gets a few days and then the world moves on.
I figure Ted Kennedy should last towards the week’s end. Hmm, how sad that the media coverage a person receives reflects our current societies value of that person in our culture.
'ahems and ahahs' 
I think that Ted Kennedy should have resigned when he was no longer healthy enough to hold office. The sad thing about the American legislation is that there are no term limits, so you get people like him and Robert Byrd holding up seats when they’re practically already dead. Which isn’t all that good about passing progressive legislation that gets stuff done.
Casey
August 26, 2009 at 11:41 am
I agree with Casey in a general sense, but not in this case…to the end, Ted Kennedy was one of the most progressive, active voices in American politics.
More broadly, I think this sort of thing really struck me when Princess Diana and Mother Theresa died around the same time. Everyone sobbed for weeks over one, and not the other. I was in elementary school, and it was the first time I remember being disappointed in our society.
Faith
August 26, 2009 at 8:11 pm
Faith,
This is one reason I know we’re friends, we think a like at times. I commonly remind people of the fact that you mentioned. Mother Theresa who spent her life not being famous for being famous sake, but spent her life in poverty so that she could give her love and service to God was largely ignored, at least by the media that I watched. It is a shame.
thebeliever07
August 26, 2009 at 8:43 pm