Amid All the Celebrity Deaths, A Reality Check

Some have labeled the summer of 2009, the Summer of the Celebrity Death Watch, and one could successfully argue the point. Ed McMahon, Karl Malden, Farrah Fawcett, Billy Mays, David Carradine, Koko Taylor, Fred Travalena and, most notably, Michael Jackson – to name but a few off the top of my head – have all passed away over the course of June and July.

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While the mortality of a generation is always catalyst for priority re-evaluation and reflection, it is the caliber of “the catalyst” – those we have elevated to iconic status – that exposes just how superficial our American culture has become. This is not to say that I don't appreciate the successes and contributions, the talents and the prowess those who have passed over the last month and a half have shared with the world. As someone who was part of the entertainment industry in my youth, I certainly appreciate the talents of pitchmen, actors and musicians passed. And even though a few of those who are now celebrated had colorful and sometimes disturbing personal lives or political views that differed from mine, I am able to divorce the ugly flaws of man and political ideology (within reason) to appreciate the talents they shared with the world. But there is an enormous difference between sharing a talent and making a sacrifice, especially when that sacrifice comes in the service of our country and in the advancement of liberty and freedom around the world. It is because of this that I can empathize with families of fallen soldiers who have expressed their dismay with the over-abundance of adulation heaped upon the privileged of the entertainment world, especially when that adulation mutes or silences the heralding of the passing of someone who really should be elevated to iconic stature. A perfect example of this comes to us in the passing of Marine Corps Colonel Kenneth L. Reusser. More...