Now that the fiasco is long over I can finally feel it is safe to voice how I felt about Princess Di's unfortunate car crash and death, which is not a popular view. Because "unfortunate" is all I see it to be. I'd rather it didn't happen, that is it. I did in no way really grieve for Di or really even feel treamendously sorry for her. (I did, BTW, feel sorry for her kids)
But the uproar that was sprung by her death was absolutely ridiculous! All that over a hounded aristocrat that neglected to wear her seatbelt? It's time to dismantle some of the Di-myths that I have recieved in harsh criticism for dismantling before.
Nonsense. There was nothing in any way about her that was similar to the common working-class person. She was a multi-millionaire divorced from a multi-millionaire about to mary another multi-millionaire. If she had decided to marry a steel-worker or computer programer or something that can at all be considered middle-class then you could make a valid argument for her being any sort of people's princess. But that simply was not the case. While the people went shopping at Wal-mart, she went shopping at Paris.
Myth #2: She was killed by the ruthless paparazzi.
Partial Nonsense. Though I'm no fan of paparazzi, and though they did contribute to the problem, you must not forget to include that the driver had been drinking, the car was speeding and that the only person to wear a seatbelt was the only one who survived the crash. In fact, if the media had nothing to do with the accident it would not have become the media frenzy the death became, which was very ironic. She was not glorified due to her age, her regalness, or her actual deeds. She was glorified becuase of the incredable hypocrisy in humanity concearning how much we resent the media's actions sometimes yet buy their juicy newspapers or tabloids anyway.
Myth #3:She did some good things, like trying to ban landmines.
I never really have made criticism of her character. She may very well have been a very nice person with some honorable virtues. But then again - so do many other people, and whole nations do not grind to a halt and weep collectively when they die. The only reasons she got the attention was becuase of her celebrity status and the paparazzi issue the accident sparked. I agree, give her her respects, but the huge uproar over the death and funeral were absolutely absurd. If you love her so much, let her rest in peace.
As Columnist Jimmy Breslin once pointed out while all this was going on, when Winston Churchill died he wanted a quick funeral so that people who wanted to pay their respect could, but still get home to catch a sports game or spend time with their families and go on with thier everyday lives.
Myth #4:She deserved the huge ceremony because she's a woman whose life was ruined by her jerk of an ex-husband.
There are women who take beatings from their husbands or boyfriends every day out in the world of actual societal turmoil. Di suffered somewhat from the constant invasion of privacy which was spawned by her personal problems and I do not necesarilly think it was right for her to be subject to that. But my heart is way more likely to go out those women who really suffer. Unfortunately, when they die there will be little if any media publicity for them. After all, they're not famous ex-members of a figurehead monarchy.
Sinistral, 1998