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April saw the tragic death of model and TV presenter Peaches Geldof. Peaches, daughter of Sir Bob Geldof and Paula Yates, left behind two young children. As with many celebrity deaths, people were quick to log onto social networks to post messages of condolence about the young star; people who had never met Peaches soon filled the internet with tributes, pictures and thoughts as the rest of the world nodded along.
§Unsurprisingly, opinion-for-hire Katie Hopkins had a different view on these events from the rest of the population, but one which was surprisingly well-judged and thoughtprovoking. Hopkins, who notoriously clashed with Peaches on ITV’s This Morning said this in The Sun:
‘Death is a strange thing. Despite it being part of everyday life, we still find it hard to come to terms with. But death at 25 is shocking. Most fall to a stunned silence at the news, disbelieving at first. But celebrities scramble to their Twitter accounts, rushing to outdo each other in public displays of distress. Peaches didn’t want a tweet from me. She didn’t welcome it in life. She certainly didn’t need it in death. She was tough enough not to seek approval from anyone. I admire that trait in others. When terrible things happen, our job is not to cause a fuss but to leave people to their grief. Now Sir Bob, her husband and the children need to be left in private to clutch on to anything that keeps them afloat. Growing up without a mum brought heartbreak into Peaches’ life. Her death threatens to do the same for her boys. History has done a terrible thing and repeated itself. Peaches didn’t need tweets from celebrities or strangers - she just needed a mother’s love.’
Discuss these questions:
• What do you think about Katie Hopkins’ comment?
• How do you feel when you see celebrities or other people posting messages of condolence on the internet?
• Why do you think people do it?
• Have you ever done it yourself? Why?
• Has this article made you feel different about it?
People respond to death in different ways; some funerals are strangely upbeat affairs as people gather to celebrate a life well lived, while others are tinged with tragedy. Read John 11:1-46 to see how Jesus reacted to the death of one of his friends and then discuss these questions, while being aware that this may be a difficult subject for some people:
• What do you make of Jesus’ reaction?
• Why do you think he reacted in that way?
• What would you do if you saw someone react to death like that?
• How have you reacted when someone you’ve known has died?
• Can death ever come with hope?
