To be really fed up of people who claim 2016 to have been a 'horrific' year....

[Whatsername17]

Because, sadly, some famous people that they have never met have died? Once again social media is awash with 'fuck off, 2016', 'you'd better not take x, you or z from us' and 'this year is truly testing me now it has taken.....'
It gives me the rage. Firstly, I think the grief belongs to the families who have lost a person, not a celebrity ideal. But, secondly, I just think that, if the worst thing that has happened to you personally is that someone in the public eye has died, then you've been pretty lucky. Thirdly, so many other awful things have happened in the world; terror attacks, plane crashes, Syria, Aleppo, Donald Trump. Yet people don't seem to feel the same outrage. I will admit, I've had an awful year, starting with the loss of our baby at 13 weeks pregnant in January, followed by a huge crisis in my marriage and the loss of a loved one. I guess that could all be clouding my judgement. I dunno. I just hate social media inspired competitive grief I guess. Feel free to flame but I'd be really interested to know if others feel the same.

Oh you're one of those people.

The type that thinks you can't grieve for someone you've never met.

What utter bullshite.

David Bowie was the soundtrack to my teenage years. Me and DP first danced to a Leonard Cohen song in a bar. Star Wars is my absolute favourite film ever and Carrie Fisher's book really helped with my mental health. George Michael was a huge fixture of my teenage years too. Victoria Wood told me that women can be funny too. Alan Rickman was (and still is) my ultimate crush.

I still haven't gotten over their deaths. Are you seriously suggesting I am inventing this grief because I've never met them? You might be a sociopath.

Oh, and 2016 has been a monumentally shit year.

MrsMatt Oh you are one of those people.

The type that can diagnose sociopathy, from a few jottings of a random on an internet forum.

Bowie was the soundtrack to my teenage years too. He helped me through a lot of angst and confusion. I totally agree that the celebrities who mean a great deal to us and that we have meaningful and lifelong memories of, for all sorts of reasons, do leave a big hole when they are gone. You are not inventing your grief one bit. You feel how you feel. But I am quietly confident that David Bowie's wife, children and close friends, will be feeling grief at a totally different and more acute level. Same goes for those who personally knew and loved George Michael, Leonard Cohen, Carrie Fisher and Alan Rickman.

I'm sad that my EU citizenship is being taken away from me.
I agree with you about the deaths of celebrities. Sad for their family and friends rather than for me.