By Geena Barret-Fernandez
Staff Writer
The real-life death of Whitney Houston brought to light an online problem: some users are angry regarding celebrities that pass away
getting more coverage on the news than the military. Other users feel like our
soldiers don’t need the coverage; they did not sign up for the media’s
attention, they signed up to protect our country.
Pictures
and status updates on Facebook are filled with anger over who’s being forgotten
and who’s not. Many people are mad over the media making Houston’s death such a
tragedy that will be covered in weeks to come, when the death of our soldiers
don’t get that same response. Especially when the possibility of Houston’s
death was from drugs- legal, yet expired.
Abbey
Newton, 18, said, "I don't understand at all why the death of a celebrity
is dragged on for weeks at a time... I don't see why it is so difficult to give
the men and women fighting for our freedom more than 20 seconds on the news
before going to a commercial break. I really believe that our military deserves
more recognition as it is... I, myself, am marrying into the military and I
have an overwhelming amount of support for our men and women in uniform... So,
for me to see the death of Whitey Houston being made into such a big deal truly
sickens me when fallen heroes rarely receive their names even mentioned."
Other
people share a different point of view. Many think Houston should be remembered
as the woman with the voice that many singers hope to live up to. The military,
on the other hand, play a big role in everyone’s lives. Without the military to
protect us, we wouldn’t feel safe in our homes, nor our country. We respect
them for what they’ve sacrificed to protect us. In our hearts, though we may
not know their names, we send prayers to the family and friends for each
soldier fallen.
Tyler
Barker, 20, said, "Heroes get remembered, legends never die. [Everyone]
complaining about Whitney getting more news than the military- calm down. Our
men and women who fight for our freedom never die; they are the legends that
push us to fight for liberty and freedom. Whitney is a hero; she made music
that changed the world. She suffered a lot of hardships. Does not mean she was
a terrible human being."
Craig
Andresen, from The National Patriot, said, "Those who think our military
dead deserve 'celebrity status' from the media…think again. There’s a reason
the pack swarming around the Beverly Hilton is called a “Media Circus,” and our
men and women, who have lost their lives to protect our nation, our rights and
our freedom deserve better."
Whether
you agree or disagree with how the media is handling the coverage of the
military versus celebrities is up to you. Either way, in our hearts, our
soldiers are never forgotten.
