Morbid Curiosity

[dolorous_ett]

I had been living abroad for a year and a half when Princess Diana died. As far as I can remember (and my memory is hazy on this point), I went "Oh well. What's for supper?" and forgot all about it.

A few weeks later when my Guardian Weekly arrived, I realised that apparently all of Britain had been caught up in a grief-induced frenzy. I suppose it must have been true because I read it in the papers (right? Right). Again, at the time I think I rolled my eyes and said "Oh well. Is there anything good on the telly?" and didn't really think about it again.

Anyway, it seems the anniversary of all that has come round, and people in the media are reminiscing about the grief-crazed behaviour of those days. My main reaction is mild horror is that ten years have passed already - someone has pinched at least two years out of my life, that's for certain! - but now I find myself mildly curious.

Were you really that upset? Were the people around you really that upset?

Comments

[jin-fenghuang.livejournal.com]

10 years, ey...
So what's for dinner?

[dolorous-ett.livejournal.com]

A very good question. I think it's my turn to cook, and I haven't a clue - if I don't move quickly I could end up very hungry!

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

No-one I knew was the least upset. I was at the time going round to a house to open it up etc. when the neighbours were on holiday, and I remember an answerphone message from some Canadian friends of theirs extending their sympathy with our grief, to which I essentially thought "WTF - oh, better buy some papers, because he is a sociologist and will be interested." There were condolence books in town centres to sign (I remember notices outside that big black church in the middle of Harrogate - must have gone shopping with Mum), but whilst many people behaved dramatically, some of whom may have been genuinely grieved, I don't think this can be the story for everyone, and many no doubt had a primary interest in participation in a Public Event. As mass mournings go, I remember Hillsborough and the Bradford football stadium fire as having real 'playground' impact as awful things to have happened provoking a lot of real grief, and I did know a few people who were genuinely upset at the death of John Smith in 1994 (which again was perhaps symbolic as much as personal), but Diana was just all a bit wierd and embarrassing.

One other thing. As you might imagine, all normal TV scheduling was suspended for suitable grief-stricken solemn stuff and The Sound of Music (you know the sort of thing). This had of course been planned in advance. In actual fact, so many people complained about the interruption to regular service that far from being extended the "mourning broadcast" schedule was rapidly scaled back, and existing plans for deaths of other major figures were revised, so that when the Queen Mother died a few years later, the scheduled sad stuff was far less than had been planned before. Diana's death showed - perversely - the lack of appetite for it.

Given that Mother Teresa died the same week, Herbert Karajan's also doing so was really bad luck for him on the coverage front.

[bookwormsarah.livejournal.com]

I was devastated when John Smith died. I can remember being personally surprised by my reaction, but I did cry. I think partly because it was such a huge shock.

[dolorous-ett.livejournal.com]

I remember an answerphone message from some Canadian friends of theirs extending their sympathy with our grief, to which I essentially thought "WTF - oh, better buy some papers, because he is a sociologist and will be interested."

Something similar happened to me from an American friend of my mother's over some other national tragedy. I can't remember what it was (yes, it was that tragic), but I do remember being very baffled for a second while the condolences poured in...

I remember notices outside that big black church in the middle of Harrogate - must have gone shopping with Mum

I have to say that the lack of hordes of mourners going on the rampage in Harrogate town centre, rending their clothes and pouring ashes on their heads, does not really surprise me. That is not the Harrogate Way. Not unless you have lost money, anyway.

That's interesting about the calls for less grief on the TV. I had no idea - and interesting to see that people noted those comments and reacted on them.

Given that Mother Teresa died the same week, Herbert Karajan's also doing so was really bad luck for him on the coverage front.

Very bad timing. Ironic, really, considering that he was a conductor.

[dolorous-ett.livejournal.com]

I can't remember John Smith's death at all beyond feeling a bit shocked. Then again, that was my year from hell in which everything was All About Me and it was all ghastly, so perhaps it's not surprising I missed it.

[aella_irene]

I was having lunch in an Irish Pub in Wanchai (Hong Kong) . I looked up at the television on the wall, said to my mother, "Princess Diana's dead," and went back to eating. And trying not to fall off the seat. It was about 2am in England, so it was breaking news.

[dolorous-ett.livejournal.com]

That's a very exciting location in which to learn the bad news! Still, you seem to have been admirably phlegmatic about the whole thing. I take it your Mum didn't get upset either, then?

[pennswoods.livejournal.com]

I too had been abroad (in Japan) for about half a year at that point. And it was all over the news there as well. I felt quite sad at such a tragic end but rather put out by what I regarded as a rather cheesy gesture on the part of Elton John when he rewrote the lyrics to Candle in the Wind.

However, I was also greatly disturbed and disgusted by the excessive hype, particularly in light of the fact that I was still trying to get used to the idea of Mother Teresa's passing, which had happened only shortly beforehand.

[dolorous-ett.livejournal.com]

It wasn't all over the news in China, I can assure you. Nothing that goes on overseas ever gets more than a couple of minutes' coverage, no matter what it is. Most of their news is about meetings of the Communist Party, so you can imagine how un-schmoopy the report on it all was there. Sounds like a relief, from what you say.

[trickofthedark.livejournal.com]

I was bowling when Priness Diana died. There was an announcement on the giant overhead televisions that held the bowling scores. And then the bowling scores came back and we shrugged and just kept bowling...

[dolorous-ett.livejournal.com]

Sounds fair enough to me.

Did you win?

[ignipes.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the fact that it has been ten years is the most alarming to me. I heard about it during my first week of college, and I remember watching the news with a bunch of people I didn't know, because we had all been there for about four days and nobody knew anybody. But nobody was upset, more like, "Huh. Weird British people."

[dolorous-ett.livejournal.com]

Fair enough, really.

After all, you'd hardly catch touch American heroes like the Winchesters behaving in that way, would you?

[aerama.livejournal.com]

Oh my, 10 years. Suddenly this silver cover of Time - or is it People? - magazine flashes into mind because I've been seeing it in the supermarkets. Part of me - a lot of me - wondered why all the fuss, but then again people like round numbers when it comes to anniversaries of things, morbid or otherwise.

Still a shame that all of that had to happen to her, when I think about it. And to those she left behind.

And of course you have to have "Candle in the Wind" for music choice. Avast ye!

[dolorous-ett.livejournal.com]

It's all a bit peculiar, isn't it? You'd think they'd give it a rest, since it made them so unhappy the first time.

And agreed - it's not something I'd like to happen to anyone in my family, or anyone close to me. They do deserve some sympathy (though arguably also some privacy).

And of course you have to have "Candle in the Wind" for music choice. Avast ye!

Well, bearing in mind that when I posted this I genuinely didn't know if people were going to start weeping all over my LJ, I thought that most of my other possible choices were a bit too tasteless... ;)

[dolorous-ett.livejournal.com]

I don't know if this makes me a bad person, but I actually LOL'd when I saw this.

(I like the Gollum!kitty icon, by the way. Very appropriate...)

[bookwormsarah.livejournal.com]

Scene: a car en route to a garden centre a week or so ago
Radio: "...tenth anniversary of the death of Diana ..."
*pause*
Me: Do you know, that means it is ten years since my first trip to Ikea?

We were staying with family friends and I picked up the paper from the doorstep and read that Dodi Fayed had been killed and she was injured. I mentioned this as we sat down to breakfast, C switched on the television, called out that she had also died, and we watched for a while. There is something fascinating about watching news unfold and 'breaking reports' coming in.

Then we went to Ikea. It was packed.

I had a Saturday job in Boots and we were due to launch the Advantage Card on the Bank Holiday Monday. My locker was next to the mirror in the changing room, and a woman was fixing her make-up when another person said something about the news being a shock. The make-up woman started to dab her eyes and spluttered that she didn't want to talk about it, it was too upsetting. Later we had a talk from the store manager who stated that we would still be going on with the launch (cue many thought bubbles "why would we cancel?") but that it would happen 'in a subdued manner'. Huh? The following Saturday the city was shut for the funeral and Boots didn't open until about 3pm. I remember hanging about waiting for the shop to open thinking how creepy the city was when deserted.

I cried more when Granny P, and even Mark Hebden died (TA)...

It was a strange time.

[dolorous-ett.livejournal.com]

I remember the first time I went to Ikea vividly, because I was practicing for my driving test, and my Dad misdirected me onto the motorway, which meant I was both in mortal peril and driving illegally. By the time we got off the motorway I was a gibbering wreck.

I cried more when Granny P, and even Mark Hebden died (TA)...

I remember all the hoo-hah that followed Mark Hebden's death, but not the death itself.

Yes, strange times. Of course, these are strange times too.

[straussmonster.livejournal.com]

I remember being more interested in the whole bizzare apparatus around the thing, sitting on the living room floor working on assembling a 3-D puzzle while watching the news coverage. What sticks with me most are the excellent and interesting musical choices at the memorial service.

[dolorous-ett.livejournal.com]

I had a similar experience with the fiftieth anniversary of the People's Republic when I was in China - I had no real feelings either way, but watching people react to this special day was really something.

What sticks with me most are the excellent and interesting musical choices at the memorial service.

I didn't know that. Interesting. What were they?

[themolesmother.livejournal.com]

Sad, yes. Grief stricken, no. I'd always felt a great deal of sympathy for Diana who seemed a rather fragile person who got a raw deal out of her marriage. The whole Diana adoration thing didn't seem unusual to me - it came across like standard celeb-worship. What was unusual for this day and age was the celeb in question happened to be a member of the Royal Family. They've been a rather dull bunch since the days of Queen Victoria.

I admired Diana because she pulled herself together and used her fame to highlight some important issues, particularly the land-mines campaign. She should be remembered for that, at least.

MM

[dolorous-ett.livejournal.com]

I agree completely that Diana had a very raw deal for the Royal Family, and that what she did for land mines was completely admirable. It's all the other stuff that surrounded her death that I found over the top. But that was why I did this post, not out of a desire to Diana-bash, but to try and get some feeling about what it was like in Britain at that moment, because I honestly had no idea.

[erised1810.livejournal.com]

well, i jsut woke up and my mu mread the very first lien on our dutch versio nof ceefax and me and dad wehtn' hunh?"
i was 18 back then. cna't remember beign really struck by this fora day or so. mostl yi got weirdl ymad wheni heard soemoe nfirstole her necklace and then too ka picture and so forth.
i do remembe a week later we fell int he midst of the funera lbecause of the nice music...and m ydad got into arant aboutthe less good and juicier bits. i knwo i'd laug hatthat nwo but back the niwas liek 'hello ,we're watchign soemoen beign buried. is this the righttiem to pull outthe dirty laundry.'

and ok, i read andrew morton's biography which as abok itself sorto f made me sick o nhwo unauthorized it felt to em and how tablod-like parts of it read. i msotl yordered it for mthe library becaue i got sick of conflicted opiniosn for mother about who she was.

[dolorous-ett.livejournal.com]

I don't blame you for getting irritated with your dad - it was probably all true, but coming out with this stuff at a funeral is a bit much.

It's hard to know the truth about any of these people, really - there was so much stuff going on in the background, and so much plotting in the CHarles/Diana camps to make the other one look good. I've heard similar things about the Morton book, though.

[bufo-viridis.livejournal.com]

I know the question is not addressed to me, but I must confess the death of Diana hardly moved me at all - probably because I was in China, too :) Which doesn't show me, a self-proclaimed fan of British monarchy, in a good light.

Speaking of 1997 deaths, I still regret I haven't got this edition of Renmin Ribao with full-frontpage funerary portrait of Deng...

Late as usual, I now hasten (my, that's ironical) to congratulate Mr. Q on his teaching appointment. Better late than never, huh?

[dolorous-ett.livejournal.com]

Well, I'm not a fan of the monarchy, so the death of Diana was never going to really move me. But to see British people getting so worked is highly unusual - that merits investigation, if nothing else!

I did notice the death of Deng though - could hardly help it. Some of my students were in tears. There was this huge "What next?" feeling - though the answer of course turned out to be "Business as usual".

Thank you for the congratulations! I hope it's better late than never - he's got a lot to adjust to very quickly!

[ms-wanderlust.livejournal.com]

I heard the news about Diana's death as I woke with a mild hangover on the day after my sister's wedding. Everyone else had had breakfast together and heard the news....I heard it in passing as I went through the hotel to help my sister move out of their suite. I was sad because two young lads had lost their mother, but not for any other reason. I remember being really hacked off because my optician cancelled my appointment for the Saturday of the funeral as so many people didn't want to attend/work so they could watch the funeral. And many of my friends went up to the banks of the motorway near where we live to watch the funeral car drive past....
I was genuinely upset about the death of John Smith, as I felt he was our best hope for the future. And I can share your "out of it" feeling in two other ways....I was in South America on 9/11 so didn't experience the UK atmosphere, and was away in a remote Nepali village after the tsunami and didn't even hear about it for over a week.

[dolorous-ett.livejournal.com]

It does seem strange to imagine people sitting on a motorway verge to watch anything. Must have been a very surreal few days.

And I can share your "out of it" feeling in two other ways....I was in South America on 9/11 so didn't experience the UK atmosphere, and was away in a remote Nepali village after the tsunami and didn't even hear about it for over a week.

Then you know exactly what I'm talk about. It's a very odd feeling, isn't it?

[tree_and_leaf]

No, and no, and add me to the group of people who were more upset about John Smith.

I even wrote a very emo poem about Tony Blair betraying Smith's legacy... heavne help me!

[dolorous-ett.livejournal.com]

An emo poem on John Smith? That would be a thing worth seeing - though it sounds like we might be agreed on its content, if nothing else.

I was very shocked about John Smith, but at the time it felt like my entire life was falling to peices around me (1994 was not a good year for me), so I tended not to pick up on things that were not All About Me....

[waterbird.livejournal.com]

Interesting. It seems most people say they weren't affected by Diana's death, but almost everyone can recall exactly where they were and what they were doing when they heard about it. Like September 11th or the Challenger space shuttle explosion, it instantly became one of those moments most of us will always remember.

I was in the middle of moving house, and my (now) husband walked in and held up the front page of that morning's New York Times:

Princess Diana, 36, dies in a car accident in Paris

My jaw dropped. It was shocking news. Only two and a half months earlier one of my best friends had been murdered, so I was hyper-sensitive to that kind of unexpected loss. I felt especially bad for William and Harry -- survivors, like me, left to make sense of the unthinkable. And I felt for Diana, another young life cut so cruelly short.

The outpouring of public sentiment did get tiring, though, as it stretched from days into weeks, and I didn't pay it much attention apart from wondeing why it was still making the top news headlines every day.

Now, ten years later (so hard to believe a decade has passed so quickly), I still think it very sad. She was only 36. And I'm now 35. We never know what's going to happen -- or how, in a split second, life might be suddenly turned upside down.

[dolorous-ett.livejournal.com]

Interesting. It seems most people say they weren't affected by Diana's death, but almost everyone can recall exactly where they were and what they were doing when they heard about it. Like September 11th or the Challenger space shuttle explosion, it instantly became one of those moments most of us will always remember.

A very perceptive comment. Even if people say they don't care what happened, they know exactly what they were doing when it did!

Given what had happened, the whole thing must have come as a big shock to you.

She was only 36. And I'm now 35. We never know what's going to happen -- or how, in a split second, life might be suddenly turned upside down.

I'm the same age as you, and I noted her age as well - not that I really think the same thing is going to happen to me.

Of course, lives get turned upside down all the time - we just get used to living with the possibility. So when something comes along to remind you of this, it does come as a shock. A big shock.

[snorkackcatcher]

Shocked and rather sad, yes, but that was it. I heard about the crash on late-night radio when it was 'Diana taken to hospital', and when I tuned in again the following morning it was all Hushed Tones and news of the Tragic Death. (At one point the announcer -- on Virgin Radio, back when it was worth listening to -- said something like "and this next song asks the question we're all asking" in serious tones. As they played the first few bars, for one glorious moment I thought it was Drive by the Cars -- "who's gonna drive you home tonight" -- and that they'd dared to break the mould on coverage style. Sadly, it was Annie Lennox singing Why, which has a similar intro.)

Much to my surprise, I ended up watching the funeral on TV, and the public grief was actually quite affecting. The most jawdropping moment was when Earl Spencer actually got a round of applause for his remark about the princes being looked after by their 'blood family' (on that side), showing how much anti-Royal sentiment on the issue there was around. (And for possibly the only time, making Spencer a public hero -- apparently he's usually a complete shit.) As for the anniversary stuff, I really can't get that interested.

[dolorous-ett.livejournal.com]

(At one point the announcer -- on Virgin Radio, back when it was worth listening to -- said something like "and this next song asks the question we're all asking" in serious tones. As they played the first few bars, for one glorious moment I thought it was Drive by the Cars -- "who's gonna drive you home tonight" -- and that they'd dared to break the mould on coverage style. Sadly, it was Annie Lennox singing Why, which has a similar intro.)

This probably makes me a bad person, but I laughed at this!


Much to my surprise, I ended up watching the funeral on TV, and the public grief was actually quite affecting.

Rather my reaction to the death of Deng Xiaoping, which happened earlier that year, and affected me far more because of where I was living. Because a lot of poeple near you are upset, that reaction tends to rub off on you.

[lyras.livejournal.com]

Sorry for the belated comment...

Where I was, everyone was upset about Diana's death, and I hated it. I remember doing overtime on the day of the funeral and a friend (a strapping Geordie lad who was generally only interested in drinking beer and pulling women) brought in a portable television specially so that he could watch the build-up to the funeral while he worked. When I got home that night, there was nothing on telly except the funeral or discussions about Diana/the funeral.

I felt like I'd slipped into another dimension somehow; I was mildly sorry Diana had died, but also cynical about the way the tabloids who had been slagging her off a few weeks earlier (for taking the underage princes to a +15 film, or something) had fuelled this 'national outpouring of grief'. But it seemed as if everyone around me was having this weird transportational experience that I felt totally cut off from.