Overzealous Nascar Fans

I’d rather not cut and paste a gazillion quotes, but just offer another personal opinion.

Lots of names got mentioned so far. John Lennon, Princess Diana, Mother Theresa, Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt.
All public figures with whom some of us deeply connected. For whatever reason, the mechanism of mourning makes us need to mourn with others. Hence the blizzards of flowers and mass gatherings, many simply spontaneous, for Princess Di, Mr. Earnhardt, etc.

Instead of getting into a pissing match about which public figure was more deserving of adulation and extremely overt and public mourning, how about if we agree that, as is the case with many other things in the USA ( and most other democracies world-wide), as long as you’re not harming someone else, do what feels right.

It’s an emotional response to death. Me, I was a wreck for days when the Challenger blew up. Not because they were some mythic heroes, but because human imprecision and other factors cost lives, when it mightn’t have. I don’t have an immense tattoo of the “Challenger” on my chest, however. ( Let’s not get into the “Solid Rocket Booster” imagery a few inches farther down :smiley: ).

But, ya know? Big fuckin’ deal if other people wish to gather, tattoo, WHATEVER. Deal with the minor inconvenience on Main Street, and maybe have a little respect for their grief. After all, this particular death may be of little emotional consequence to some ( including me, I’m not a fan but I still feel for his family and fans ), but everyone’s got their heros. Who’s yours? How will you feel when they die, and you get ridiculed for mourning?

After all, all of our time will come when we’ll badly need that respect to be returned in kind.

Cartooniverse

Well, I’ve braved the crowds to make it to work again. Seems this situation is getting worse, not better.

Cranky, you’re right. We have little to do (besides the all-important race twice a year) in this area. These folks really know how to pour on the melodrama. I thought we’d never hear the end of it when the police force’s prize dog was shot two years ago.

Milo: Man! And I usually agree with most things you have to say. I’m not trying to tell anyone how to FEEL. But the behavior around here since the weekend is unacceptable. If you were in the midst of this melee, you’d sure as hell want their ACTIONS to change, I assure you. Of course they’re upset. I was upset when Jerry Garcia died. I even cried. This, however, is bordering on hysteria. The same thing happened several years back when another driver (Allen Kulwicki? Sorry, I’m not a big racing fan)had a plane crash here and died. If you haven’t visited Southwest Virginia / Northeast Tennessee at a time like this, please consider it. I’d bet dollars to doughnuts you’d change your tune.

Richard Petty?

'e ain’t dead yet!

I think he’ll go for a walk now!

The world didn’t end when Payne Stewart died–what could be more tragic than that? Reigning champion, a man who found himself, his responsibilities, and rediscovered his game and the joys of playing, then a haunting plane ride across the country…

Still think about it most every tournament I watch, but I’m not wearing plus-fours every day…or any day, for that matter.

People do like to mourn, even if they’ve only seen someone on 15 second clips on Entertainment Tonight and on the cover of People.