By now, we have all seen the terrible news that actor Paul Walker died this past weekend in a fiery car crash in California. Anyone dying before their time in such a violent way is never good, and I can't imagine how scary it would be to be in such a crash. But we are living in the internet age, which means that for better or for worse, things are online fast.
When news of Walker's death first hit, there was a lot of talk of it being a hoax because apparently, the day right before, there was a hoax notice of his death in a car crash. WTF? Anyways, after hours of speculation, his death was confirmed. I went to bed.
Sunday, I decided to look at the #RIPPaulWalker hashtag on Twitter. I wish I hadn't. Someone posted a photo supposedly of Walker in the morgue. The photo went viral. While it was later confirmed that the photo was not of the actor, it was of a person who died under extremely violent circumstances. This made me pretty angry.
First of all, posting the photo of a deceased man online without anyone's consent, regardless of who he is is downright despicable. Secondly, knowing the photo would go viral means that many unsuspecting people would be forced to look at the photo without that being their intent (the way Twitter's "discover" tab works, there is a photo preview that you can't turn off). Thirdly, what world do we live in? I am saddened that someone stole a man's morgue photo and tried to make money or gain notoriety by passing it off as the actor's.
And the fact that everyone was floundering on Saturday trying to find out if he'd actually died or if it was a hoax? These lunatics who keep saying actors and celebs have died need to just stop. It seems like the lowest form of disrespect.
By all accounts, Paul Walker was a generous man who ran an amazing charity, and was loved by his colleagues and fans. It's a shame his death had to be mired in such weirdness. And that it won't stop with his death, either.
What do you think about celebrity deaths and the occasional hoaxes?
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