Daily Archive

To talk a bit about Mike Warnke today. I still want to, as it is an interesting case, and really goes to the heart of my feeling that much of modern Christianity relies more on “exciting” stories to sell people on “the Faith”.

But I was simply taken aback by the death of Heath Ledger. Not because I knew him or anything. But 28 seems young, and truth be told, he was not an actor that came off as being on that path. Apparently he struggled with addictions, which is not surprising, as many people struggle addictions.

Still, overall, it saddened me to think that he leaves behind a very young daughter who will not have the opportunity to know him. For fans (and, I confess, I was not any giant fan, I enjoyed his work, but I was never someone who just had to see the new Heath Ledger movie) the loss is no where near the same.

We complain about celebrity in this country a lot, but celebrity is driven by us. We express the interest. And stars sometimes exhibit behaviour we are disappointed by, and we start presenting them as removed from society as a whole. As different. We shame them for making bad decisions in public. Honestly, the way some culture warriors tell it, you would think that the only place drug overdoses, drunk driving and affairs occur is within the city lines of Los Angeles (and maybe New York). It’s like these are not real people with real problems, rather just fodder for jokes. And, to a certain extent, that is the price of fame. You are watched, not just on screen, but off. You become an object of both admiration (by fans) and derision (by, well, non-fans). It’s all troubling. But seriously, a family lost someone they care about, a child lost her dad. People lost a co-worker. And that makes me sad.

It is hard to not speculate on what this means for his work…I have been anxiously anticipating his turn as the Joker in this summer’s the Dark Knight. Now it feels bitter sweet. When I see it, I wonder what impact it will have, will there be enough time between the death and the release? I don’t know, but honestly, it seems the least important of the issues surrounding Ledger’s death…

Addendum:Apparently John Gibson went on his radio show yesterday and told multiple jokes regarding Ledger’s death and mocked him as a weirdo.  Gee, Gibson, and you represent the normal people?  Also, I guess Fred Phelp’s people are suggesting the death is divine retribution for Brokeback Mountain.  Their’s is clearly a god unworthy of worship.