I am completely bamboozled and stumped by what seems like a loose cohort of folks on social media jumping from one horrible tragedy to the next horrible tragedy. I wonder why this is happening?
I think that being involved gives their lives meaning. In the past this meaning might have come from working or volunteering, more connected families and more cohesive communities. Now we have social media.
Particularly in deprived areas there is very little social cohesion - but the tragedy groups on FB have a common purpose and really strong cohesion. I saw a couple of AA posts along the lines of 'I've followed Alfie from the beginning!' The cause helped people feel good about themselves and important.
It's a shame that meaningful local projects couldn't be developed to create that cohesion instead - even well organised fund raising or volunteering where people have to leave their homes and interact with one another. I think the protests outside the hospital allowed for real life social interaction.
It's also a shame the little girl Kyrah is attached to the same hospital - the hospital desperately needs some respite from the attention.
I think Alfie's family gets a pass out on the balloons. They might be environmentally atrocious but they aren't illegal yet. For a family that struggles with literacy and won't be publishing long, beautifully crafted eulogies, the balloons in their theme colour are a really clear visual representation of how much Alfie meant to them.