# I'm a heartless SOB. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 5, 2005, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-heartless-sob/297745 "2005-04-05T00:02:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2005, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-heartless-sob/297745/1 "2005-04-05T00:02:24Z")
Colour me heartless, but I genuinely don’t get the tears and personal grief people are exhibiting over the death of the Pope. I can understand people’s feeling of sadness over his passing but virtually no-one knew him personally. Where are these tear filled, heart wrenching displays of grief coming from? Is it partly mass hysteria? A similar thing can be said about the death of any number of world leaders and public figures: JFK, Reagan, the previous Pope, even my favourite politician P.E. Trudeau. My parents tell me that even when that bastard Stalin died, people in the former Soviet Union cried in the streets. Perhaps the latter were tears of relief and joy. 🙂 But I just don’t get it. I’m disappointed to hear of a truly great person dying, but I just can’t get even remotely choked up over somebody I’ve never personally known - no matter what his/her contribution. ---
**Author:** ![brickbacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@brickbacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brickbacon)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2005, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-heartless-sob/297745/2 "2005-04-05T00:05:25Z")
I’ve never been a recreational griever either. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2005, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-heartless-sob/297745/3 "2005-04-05T00:34:44Z")
Waitaminute. Didn’t we have this thread already, when Ronald Reagan died…? ---
**Author:** ![Amp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Amp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amp)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2005, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-heartless-sob/297745/4 "2005-04-05T00:38:50Z")
Same here. I have never really understood it myself. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2005, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-heartless-sob/297745/5 "2005-04-05T00:39:38Z")
Oh no. It was Christopher Reeves. [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=280465&highlight=Ronald+Reagan](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=280465&highlight=Ronald+Reagan) ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2005, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-heartless-sob/297745/6 "2005-04-05T00:48:29Z")
> [@Sattua](#): > > Oh no. It was Christopher Reeves. > [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=280465&highlight=Ronald+Reagan](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=280465&highlight=Ronald+Reagan) Alas. Everything worth a passing thought has already been hashed. ☹ I do like **brickbacon’s** “_recreational griever_” epithet. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2005, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-heartless-sob/297745/7 "2005-04-05T00:48:57Z")
Cried when they shot “Old Yeller” \*Didn’t/i] cry when the Pope died. Am I insane? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2005, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-heartless-sob/297745/8 "2005-04-05T00:53:34Z")
Is this why our flags our flying at half-mast? Color me 😕 but I rather thought this was a \*secular \* country. (Yeah, I know. We try to be, anyway.) I don’t have a problem even with public displays of grief, but shouldn’t half-mast flags be reserved for military people? ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2005, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-heartless-sob/297745/9 "2005-04-05T01:01:19Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Is this why our flags our flying at half-mast? > > Color me 😕 but I rather thought this was a \*secular \* country. (Yeah, I know. We try to be, anyway.) I don’t have a problem even with public displays of grief, but shouldn’t half-mast flags be reserved for military people? Someone will be along to correct me if I’m wrong, but they were at half mast after 9/11. It seem to be at the discretion of the President. ---
**Author:** ![lavenderviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/cdc98d/32.png) [@lavenderviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lavenderviolet)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2005, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-heartless-sob/297745/10 "2005-04-05T01:15:29Z")
Well, one factor is probably that some people are just more expressive about emotions than others are. With the Pope, I think a lot of Catholics are naturally going to feel a strong emotional attachment beyond what most people would feel for an ordinary celebrity. Many people looked to him for hope and comfort, and that sort of vulnerability tends to encourage an emotional tie. Even though we may not have ever met him, he was like a father figure to many Catholics. No, I was not sobbing about it but I was definitely emotionally affected by the Pope’s passing. Most celebrity deaths don’t really affect me, and perhaps the Pope’s death wouldn’t matter to me either if I were not Catholic. However, I do take Catholicism seriously enough to go to mass every week (though I don’t think of myself as particularly devout in most other ways). On the other hand, for me there are definitely reasons to be sad about his passing beyond just the religious aspect. First because he is the only Pope I’ve ever known so his death is further reminder that my own youthful innocent days are quickly fading away. It is the end of an era. I can see how some people might cry for themselves in that respect. Secondly, I think he was a good-hearted man who did many wonderful things (not to say he was perfect). I think it is quite sad to lose someone who was a great example of compassion, forgiveness (such as forgiving the man who shot him), and inspiration. However, then again, he certainly had a long, full life and seemed himself to be at peace with the idea of dying, so I can’t say that I am devastated about his passing. Actually, when I first heard the news, I was somewhat relieved that his suffering was over. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2005, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-heartless-sob/297745/11 "2005-04-05T01:17:02Z")
Insert any celebrity name there and I can easily echo your statement. I have never really understood this. But to each their own. ---
**Author:** ![Sample\_the\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8797f3/32.png) [@Sample\_the\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sample_the_Dog)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2005, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-heartless-sob/297745/12 "2005-04-05T01:23:27Z")
Whew… glad to know I’m not the only one who can’t muster a flip. I can understand why folks feel sad, though, when certain people die who they don’t know. I was sad when John Lennon was shot, and when Karl Haas died, to name just a couple. They brought joy to my life, and gave me music that made my pain easier, too. But the Pope… sorry, nada. What I don’t get, really, is all the praying. And all the requests that people pray for the Pope. I mean, c’mon folks… don’t you think the Pope already has a dialog going? If he ain’t got no enchufe, then who in the world does? ---
**Author:** ![monica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a183cd/32.png) [@monica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monica)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2005, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-heartless-sob/297745/13 "2005-04-05T01:25:30Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Is this why our flags our flying at half-mast? > > Color me 😕 but I rather thought this was a \*secular \* country. (Yeah, I know. We try to be, anyway.) I don’t have a problem even with public displays of grief, but shouldn’t half-mast flags be reserved for military people? I think that part of the reason is that the Pope isn’t just a religious figure; he’s also a political figure who affects millions all over the world. Perhaps this is in deference to the death of an influential political leader, not to the death of a religious guy. ---
**Author:** ![Sample\_the\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8797f3/32.png) [@Sample\_the\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sample_the_Dog)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2005, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-heartless-sob/297745/14 "2005-04-05T01:29:58Z")
> [@monica](#): > > I think that part of the reason is that the Pope isn’t just a religious figure; he’s also a political figure who affects millions all over the world. True. But now we’ve got some Miss Manners dilemmas up ahead. Will they fly at half mast when Billy Graham dies? Sure, he’s no Pope, but he’s American, and he’s the closest thing we got. ---
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2005, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-heartless-sob/297745/15 "2005-04-05T01:34:55Z")
I heard a woman say on the TV today that she was heartbroken over his death. I don’t get that at all. The man was 80-something years old. Did she think he was going to live forever? ---
**Author:** ![hermann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b487fb/32.png) [@hermann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hermann)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2005, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-heartless-sob/297745/16 "2005-04-05T01:35:54Z")
Here ya go: > [@](#): > > … The Vatican is a recognized country and has observer status at the United Nations, making the pope a head of state. As such, the Vatican sends its . > **[MAC Lipstick - Women's Group for Make-Up, Lipstick and Skin Care](https://womensgroup.org/)** > > Women have different personalities and lifestyles, and most likely they express their individuality in their sense of fashion. MAC lipstick has various types of collections that will suit one’s personality, mood and taste accordingly. However, every... As far as I know, Billy Graham isn’t a Head of State…so you’ve nothing to worry about. ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2005, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-heartless-sob/297745/17 "2005-04-05T02:10:29Z")
I can understand some people being sad that he died. But having no religious affiliation, the pope has never had an impact on my life or the lives of anyone I know. He’s just another man who died the other day. I have no feelings about it one way or the other. I guess that makes me a heartless SOB, too. Oh well. ---
**Author:** ![Cyros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@Cyros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyros)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2005, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-heartless-sob/297745/18 "2005-04-05T03:01:17Z")
I was watching the news this evening and it had a brief segment on a couple from British Columbia. The woman remarked that she felt the same kind of grief upon hearing of the pope’s illness (and subsequent death) as she did when both of her parents died. I cannot fathom. ---
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2005, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-heartless-sob/297745/19 "2005-04-05T03:05:32Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Where are these tear filled, heart wrenching displays of grief coming from? Is it partly mass hysteria? Remember the reaction to Princess Diana’s death? I was astounded, really, at the public displays of grief. I’d guess something to do mass hysteria. An urge to be part of some huge emotional event, that kinda sucks people in. I don’t think the ‘urge’ is necessarily a conscious one. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2005, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-heartless-sob/297745/20 "2005-04-05T15:51:47Z")
> [@fishbicycle](#): > > I can understand some people being sad that he died. But having no religious affiliation, the pope has never had an impact on my life or the lives of anyone I know. I would wager that’s not true. A liberal Pope would, I’m guessing, impact American politics. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-heartless-sob/297745.md?page=2)