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.

It does strike me very much as people saying this like it really matters to them, have never lost anyone significant in their lives....

Well thats just not true is it. Bloody stupid comment.

So being, and staying, flattened becomes more of a long term thing. Where you sort of get used to being prone. And standing up again looks as feasible as taking flight.

So, so true Online. I'm very sorry for your loss, it's absolutely horrible.

Well I've had a bloody shite year for a multitude of reasons so I can actually say that yes, 2016 should feck off. And while it is sad that so many have passed away at young ages I can't get on board with the grief hoovering. In fact my husband just sent me something and I'm just going to leave it here....

almond that's beautiful. I so wish that could really happen.

These things always bring out the tossers. And I don't mean those who post "fuck off 2016" type things.

Christ smeggnog. Your husband is a bit of a cunt eh?

No I'm not taking the piss, I think it's distaceful and wrong to make someone who was a criminal and a drug addict a hero. If you're not happy with that opinion that is your perogative, but I hope his family are aloud to grieve etc. To me this man is not a hero or someone I would want emulating by others.

I hope his family are aloud to grieve

Or grieve quietly if they prefer

ivy maybe you could explain by telling us more about the criminal and drug aspects of his life.

Blimey ivy.

This thread is getting worse by the minute.

I think it's been a shitty hear for the world for lots of reasons - brexit, trump, Aleppo, Russia to name a few. The celebrity deaths were the cherry on the shit trifle to be fair. Of course if you've additionally had a shitty year for personal reasons then these things will pale in comparison.

ivy millions of people struggle with addiction, including me. There is a strong evidence base emerging that there is a massive genetic component to addiction which means that, whilst the addict is responsible from their recovery, it is not their 'fault' that they got addicted in the first place. Given that GM was massively rich, I seriously doubt that he was going around mugging old ladies to fund his addiction so who, apart from himself,was his addiction actually hurting?

dancing, I dont agree with you at all

I think all the fuck off 2016 comments in regard to celebrities dying is tedious and very much jumping on the bandwagon of supposed grief

I think the key here though is that people are making the "oh what an awful year" comments after the death of a celebrity, thus giving the celebrity death a higher level of importance in terms of where it sits within the year iyswim. I have seen comments on here from people saying things along the lines of "OMG who's going to be next?" And even one from someone yesterday saying "I don't hold out much hope for the queen."

WRT celebrities, the reality is that there haven't actually been signifficantly more celebrity deaths this year, it's just that those who have died have been better known, and in the first three months there was a particularly high level of celebrities who had died compared with previous years, but on the whole this year hasn't actually been that significant. And the reality is that many of the celebrities who have died in the past year have lived the kind of lives which, while they may not have been the cause of their death, may well have been the kind of lifestyles which lend themselves to developing illnesses or conditions which might hasten an earlier than usual death. And over the years it has been ever thus.

The entertainment industry is full of substance addiction issues. George Michael was well known to have drug addiction issues, he was arrested in 2006 for being in possession and banned from driving for driving under the influence, as well as being charged with possession of crack cocaine. Nobody is of course saying that it was drugs which killed him, but if you take hard drugs then it's a reality that you are opening up your body to potentially develop certain life-threatening conditions. And it says a lot about the industry that A, it would be quicker to name the celebs who don't drink and use drugs to excess, and B, that only 30 years ago we still lived in an age where public figures still felt unable to be open about their sexuality because of pressure and expectation to be seen as idols.

But I have been flamed elsewhere for saying that because people "are grieving." apparently it's judgemental to suggest that singers take drugs. .

People go through their own personal life struggles for whatever reasons. For me personally I very nearly died in September, and am now facing surgery at some point in the future. But I don't believe that celebrities dying is in any way indicative of what an awful year it's been for me or anyone else. Celebrities will continue to die. They always have and they always will. But their deaths are not indicative of the state of the world.

YANBU OP There was a random woman interviewed about George Michael on Radio this morning from Goring who actually said "he was a good kind man, of course I didn't know him..."

Ridiculous. I haven't have any of the bad stuff OP has had this year and I still think the stuff about 2016 is well overdone. I wonder if I can get odds on 2017 being worse for celebrity deaths - cos I might be tempted - this is happening due to the cult of celebrity combined with the fact that people die - it's not weird, nor is it odd that some celebs die young.

What? 2016 has been a shit year precisely because of everything that has happened politically and economically.

Try moving past the highly profitable fear based media. In 2016 the decades long civil war in Colombia ended following the government-FARC truce. Nigeria has nearly completely put down Boko Haram. Despite the constant news narrative to the contrary, there has never, ever been less war across the world than there has been this year. Pandas are no longer endangered. The tiger population has increased. The gene that causes ALS has been found. Discoveries made this year in DNA gene sequencing mean that many life ending diseases will be eradicated in the next few decades. The technologies behind renewable power have come on in a huge way in 2016, with Portugal being able to run the entire country for 4 days on solar power and an aeroplane flying around the whole fucking world on just solar. Sweden has become so efficient at recycling that they are importing rubbish. Climate change is very, very real but we are coming out fighting and the technology to save the world in all the different ways it needs saving is being worked on right this minute.

Yes certain things that have happened this year need to serve as a warning call, to ensure things stay good. But the simple fact is that never, ever before has life been so good or safe for so many. We need to work on sharing that fucking amazing good fortune and ensuring that it stays that way for the generations to come. Not falling foul to a stupid fucking narrative that tells us to fear, because it's that fear that puts people like Trump into power.

It has been a horrific year... Especially in Syria!!! 92 Russian military personnel died in a plane crash yesterday on their way to Syria, or how about those killed in terror attacks?! The list goes on. My thoughts are with these people and their families.

Round of applause for SpringerS

I'm kind of with you.

The RIP comments about people all year, kind of remind me of the Diana hysteria back in 97.

Each to their own

Taking drugs doesn't make you a drug addict

Sweden has become so efficient at recycling that they are importing rubbish
cor blimey I didnt know, thats great imo :)

What about the people who died in the Bataclan in 2015? Were there deaths not the fault of 2015? Planes shot down over the Ukraine, planes crashed by their suicidal pilots. Syria has been a nightmare for a couple of years now.

There is always horror. Blaming the year for it trivialises it, makes it about fate and bad luck and forces beyond our control.

People aren't genuinely blaming the year for it though (are they?!!) it's just an expression. (That started off wryly and has got less so)

That is really interesting, springer. I completely agree about the fear mongering media.