If They Only Had a Brain. Or a Heart.
When someone dies, it is terrible tragedy. That person leaves behind a family, loved ones, and - especially when they die young - their future. If someone dies as a result of diabetes, or due to complications from diabetes, or from something else entirely but they happened to have diabetes, and you decide to exploit their death to gain pageviews for your website? (See also: Brittany Murphy, Casey Johnson)
Come on.
There's a difference between passing on information that could help people improve their lives, and then there's pure, TMZ-style exploitation. Diabetes advocates writing about their lives with this disease, like the blogs that many of us write every day, actually do some good for some people. People reading it could be helped to feel less alone. People writing could achieve the same goal.
It's important to consider the source of your information. And it's important to remember that there are PEOPLE behind every news story about someone dying or getting sick or dealing with emotional or physical pain. Have we become so immersed in the gossip that we forget how to treat people kindly? And compassionately?
You're better than that.
(It's also important to not mess with a pregnant woman. Please don't email me shifty press releases. You know who you are.)
/rant
Comments
w00t!
Posted by: SuperG | January 6, 2010 04:29 PM
Amen. Thank you, Kerri.
Posted by: Colleen | January 6, 2010 04:45 PM
I wrote the PR Pro right after I received it and told her that promoting her client's website via someone's death is disgusting!
And yes, her client will certainly get some posts generated regarding said PR- but not the ones they may have had in mind!
Go Girl!
Posted by: k2 | January 6, 2010 05:14 PM
I'm almost glad that I have absolutely *no* idea what's going on...
Posted by: Leigh | January 6, 2010 08:17 PM
Leigh - People using the tragedy of Casey Johnson's death to gain page views. It's a disgrace. And when PR companies lead with emails to that effect? Even worse.
I have no patience today. :)
Posted by: Kerri. | January 6, 2010 08:28 PM
I agree 100 % was just complaining about this nonesense today!!!! While very tragic these girls both abused drugs and alcohol and diabetes was NOT the cause.
Posted by: stacy | January 6, 2010 09:52 PM
Thanks for saying that Kerri, it was spot on
Posted by: Scott | January 6, 2010 10:39 PM
Thanks for writing that. What still bothers me is that no one has said whether or not Ms. Johnson and Ms. Murphy were diabetics (type 1, 2, borderline, etc).
If they were not diabetics, then it scares me to ask what would make them have possession of insulin if they are non-diabetic.
I hope they are not using insulin as a means to abuse it in anyway.
Posted by: R.H. | January 7, 2010 12:37 AM
ooooooooh.
Sometimes, I'm glad I am out of the loop. That just makes me disgusted with people.
Eew.
Posted by: Leigh | January 7, 2010 08:15 AM
RH, Casey Johnson did have Type 1 diabetes. She was relatively upfront about it, and her family is asking for donations to JDRF in her memory.
But Brittany Murphy? I've seen a lot of mentions of her having "a history of diabetes", whatever that means.
In any case, it's sad all around.
Posted by: Jacquie | January 7, 2010 10:01 AM
Thanks for the rant Kerri. There's entirely too much misinformation about diabetes to have PR firms taking advantage of these poor sick girl's unfortunate deaths. Don't ever forget addiction is also a disease! It's not just a matter or poor character or willpower.
Posted by: Dave | January 7, 2010 10:25 AM
Double woot! Woot!
Posted by: Cherise | January 7, 2010 12:25 PM
Guilty!
Of all the interviews done, we posted one on my blog that I saw on the Today Show by Dr. Drew Pinsky. We felt it was done very tastefully. But now you've got us feeling guilty and I think we'll take it down. Thanks!
Posted by: Traci | January 8, 2010 12:40 PM