Nov. 28, 2007
Misplaced mourning
The death yesterday of Washington Redskins' safety Sean Taylor was undeniably a tragedy. Taylor was a mere 24 years old and left behind a young fiancée and an infant daughter. But the response to his murder has provoked in the community calls into question society's tendency to mourn the death of a public figure while ignoring the everyday passings of ordinary people.
A moment of silence after InfoFlow yesterday morning gave more attention to Taylor's death than was given to the ten Washington-area teens killed in car crashes in the last two weeks. While the death of such an accomplished player requires proper mourning, the response shows a neglect of issues more relevant to the Blair community.
Where was the moment of silence for Christian Cruz, Alyson and Ryan Purvis, Tavonne Alston or Jonathan Chapman, just five of the most recent teenage car crash victims in the area? Why is it that we don't recognize the people close to our age, who could have been Blair students, who could have been any one of us, but instead honor a man none of us will ever be or know? We choose to honor Taylor simply because of his work at FedEx Field.
Heroes can take any form, from parent to teacher to tabloid-friendly celebrity. Taylor's skill and accomplishments on the football field make him worthy of all the praise he received and the hero-status he attained. But blindly accepting and idolizing a hero can be dangerous. Taylor's death must serve as a reminder to the masses that heroes, too, are mortal, and can experience life and death like any other, and the school community has no need to aggrandize his death to a God-like fall.
Taylor, the Redskins' number 21, was a great football player, and he will be missed. However, moments of silence should be reserved for a significant event, lest people numb themselves to deaths or the meaning behind such silences. Blair's last moment of silence was held on the anniversary of Sept. 11 – a far greater tragedy than Taylor's death. And if we're not ready to take a moment for our peers who have been killed throughout the county, we shouldn't be taking a moment for a football player who was an icon, but also a stranger. Research teacher Kevin Shindel may have put it best when he said that the moment of silence was "emblematic of our tendency to worship entertainers and athletes instead of people that are a lot more like us."
Like any other death, Taylor's should be remembered and honored. But it's one thing for the Redskins football team to take a moment for their lost player - and it's another for a high school to do such a thing.
A moment of silence after InfoFlow yesterday morning gave more attention to Taylor's death than was given to the ten Washington-area teens killed in car crashes in the last two weeks. While the death of such an accomplished player requires proper mourning, the response shows a neglect of issues more relevant to the Blair community.
Where was the moment of silence for Christian Cruz, Alyson and Ryan Purvis, Tavonne Alston or Jonathan Chapman, just five of the most recent teenage car crash victims in the area? Why is it that we don't recognize the people close to our age, who could have been Blair students, who could have been any one of us, but instead honor a man none of us will ever be or know? We choose to honor Taylor simply because of his work at FedEx Field.
Heroes can take any form, from parent to teacher to tabloid-friendly celebrity. Taylor's skill and accomplishments on the football field make him worthy of all the praise he received and the hero-status he attained. But blindly accepting and idolizing a hero can be dangerous. Taylor's death must serve as a reminder to the masses that heroes, too, are mortal, and can experience life and death like any other, and the school community has no need to aggrandize his death to a God-like fall.
Taylor, the Redskins' number 21, was a great football player, and he will be missed. However, moments of silence should be reserved for a significant event, lest people numb themselves to deaths or the meaning behind such silences. Blair's last moment of silence was held on the anniversary of Sept. 11 – a far greater tragedy than Taylor's death. And if we're not ready to take a moment for our peers who have been killed throughout the county, we shouldn't be taking a moment for a football player who was an icon, but also a stranger. Research teacher Kevin Shindel may have put it best when he said that the moment of silence was "emblematic of our tendency to worship entertainers and athletes instead of people that are a lot more like us."
Like any other death, Taylor's should be remembered and honored. But it's one thing for the Redskins football team to take a moment for their lost player - and it's another for a high school to do such a thing.
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while their deaths are tragic, they do not deserve to be turned into heros anymore than sean taylor, he at least served as a role model on the football field
That being said, I don't think 10 seconds is ever too much to ask for remembering someone that no, people didn't know personally, but that was a popular figure in many of our lives. Every Sunday for the last two years many of us watched Taylor on the football field, and I know that his death hit many students harder than the non-football-watching student can imagine.
Isn't talking about how we shouldn't have had a moment of silence that already passed a little heartless? Ok, you may disagree, but those 10 seconds at the beginning of 4th period that you would have spent goofing off will never come back. Many people at Blair were genuinely affected by Sean Taylor's death and saying you're against this moment of silence seems, to me, to be disrespectful of the young man who was murdered and had his life cut short at 24.
Maybe for the next moment of silence that you disagree with you can just talk right through it - that'll show 'em.
Based on the fact that the announcement on the loudspeaker was made by a student (possibly a Blair football player?), it doesn't seem likely that Principal Williams sat down w/ his staff and decided to dedicate 10 seconds to Sean Taylor's memory.
More likely than not, a small group of students who were deeply affected by Taylor's death (as many of us were), went to the main office and asked if they could make an announcement and hold a moment of silence for Taylor.
What do you expect the Blair main office to say?
--No, you can't hold a moment of silence, because it shows "a neglect of issues more relevant to the Blair community."
That wouldn't be right and I'm glad the administration was able to see that. Furthermore, if there had been no announcement at all about Taylor's death, I think a lot of students would feel that the school had unfairly ignored the death of someone who (though only a sports icon) still meant a whole lot to a lot of people...
While I can understand the arguments of those who opposed the moment of silence, I think 10 seconds of respectful silence for a local sports icon and father of a one and a half year-old-girl is not too much to ask.
that said, it was literally less than 30 seconds out of our day. I absolutely do not mind losing those 30 seconds to remember someone who was an important figure or even role model to many. I think it was a nice gesture.
That said, I do agree that there are many other recent deaths - such as the five teenagers who were killed in our own community - who also deserve moments of silence or some show of rememberance. I think it's also import to reccognize, though, that we can't have moments of silence for everyone. It would take forever.
in short, it was a nice gesture, personally it didn't bother me, and as long as we don't start every day with a moment of silence for whoever died yesterday, I don't mind losing those 30 seconds.
Why pay more respect to someone you don't even know than to those in our area? Not to say that it isn't ok to respect everyone, but it seems like the only reason we had those 10 seconds is because he was a football player...
"More relevant issues to the Blair community" like what? The Washington Redskins are an area sports team that is followed by many members of the Blair community.
If YOU have a problem with the fact that there has been no moment of silence for teenagers who have been killed, why don't you initiate one by bringing it to the attention of administration instead of targeting the specific issues you disagree with?
The fact that you felt it necessary to write this article so soon shows how unappreciative you are of the response from students, which is inconsiderate and rude.
Also to Kate and Miriam, I was first resistant to this article and it really made some good points. Good Job
I didn't even knew this person and I'm sure there were other students like me.
Sept 11 was a major tragedy and was treated the same way???
-with respect to others.
so with that i think it was very nice that blair took the time to remeber sean taylor who left behind friends and family, not only that but a 1-year old daughter who never got to no him.
I commed these authors for speaking up.
This is in such poor taste and I am really surprised that no one prevented it from being printed.
Can you even imagine if we had a moment of silence for the local students who passed away in car accidents and someone wrote a story the next day saying that those 10 seconds were a waste of their time?
To those who think that he is no more important than the soldiers in Iraq and victims of other crimes, I totally agree. He is every bit as important as them, no more, no less. His murder and the Darfur situation are totally unrelated and it would be ridiculous to group them together as they have nothing to do with the other. I do believe that our soldiers do not receive enough support and that not enough is being done about the Darfur crisis, but this has nothing to do with that.
Personally, I find this article and many comments below direspectful and frankly, in some cases, stupid and uninformed. The writers of this article have interesting points but they have one fatal flaw: They clearly do not care about football. This is important because fans of football understand who Sean Taylor was and why his death is so tragic and important, while those who do not can never, ever, understand our sadness. I guarantee that if people who do not care for football did, this article would never have been written. As such, this article and many posts below are uninformed and so should be dismissed without another thought. That being said, this whole concept that mourning has been misplaced thoroughly irritates me and makes me very angry. It disgusts me that some people could question the moment of silence and even think about talking through it as an act of defiance; you are ignorant people and i cannot express my contempt for you on this chat. Sean Taylor deserves respect. Is 10 seconds of silence too much to ask for?! If you do not understand the subject, then don't say anything: Thus, this article is, simply, a load of crap.
God bless the dead
R.I.P. Sean Taylor, Darrent Williams, all Iraq soldiers, Darfur victims
All lives are equal, a point you fail to understand
even if it was their fault, even if they completely screwed up, that doesn't invalidate their lives and the saddness and the tragedy. they were still people who will be missed and loved.
in the end, it doesn't matter. it was ten seconds out of the day. a student came into the office and asked for a moment of silence, and I am really happy the administators were willing to fufill a students request like that. it was a nice gesture, for the student and for Sean Taylor.
Furthermore, I am proud of Silverchips for publishing the article. it's in the opinions section, you guys, it is an opinion. They did not criticize those who mourn for Taylor, and they certainly did not criticize Taylor himself. They questioned the moment of silence for Taylor in _our school_ only, not overall. They talked of Taylor with respect and even praise.
I mean, of course it's okay if you're offended, you're certainly entitled to an opinion as well, but... ultimately, I don't see anything wrong with the way the situation was handled, from the moment of silence to the publication of this article.
I am not emotionally invested in the life of Sean Taylor, and I think that the deaths of normal citizens are very tragic and deserve attention just as much as the death of Number 21. I also think that it's true that people tend to idolize public figures for reasons that may be less than sufficient (i.e money and status). However, I am disgusted by this article, and those who have complained about the moment of silence that was held in honor of Sean Taylor's death. First of all, Sean Taylor was not killed in a car crash, or any other sort of accident. He was murdered. This was no accident and despite any past troubles, no blame can be placed on Taylor for this incident. In addition, I ask those who speak out against Taylor's death being publicized: If the President was murdered, would we hold a moment of silence? The tendency of people to de-value the influence of sports figures in the community is misguided and ignorant. Sports figures, perhaps more than any other public figures, have the power to be role models for young people. I think that many people's need to speak out merely to have an opinion is pathetic, and that arguing against respecting a dead man is pretty shameful. If someone felt that the murder of Sean Taylor did not warrant 10 seconds of silence, than they could have used it to show respect for the teens who died in car crashes instead. Perhaps the moment of silence should have been for Taylor and other victims of gun violence. But there was no reason for the writers of this article, and everyone who posted in support of it, to spark controversy about this moment of silence.
I'm not saying that you should go around drawing faces on corpses, I'm merely pointing out that this article is hardly disrespectful, it's just an opinion.
Disrespectful to say any moment of silence is unwarrented.
If I walked into the main office and asked for a moment of silence for a family member of mine, who contributed to the school and community, would they acquiesce to that? I doubt it. It's a matter of importance to the school as a whole - and honestly, that's reasonable, too. It's not to say that any death is unimportant: it's the exact opposite, in fact. But we can't have a moment of silence every day; it's not conducive to the school enviornment. And however important Sean Taylor may have been, the moment of silence for his death is still a heavily divided issue.
For the most part, I'd suggest that an announcement be made that a vigil is going to be held, instead; or a gathering so that those who are grieving can come together over it. And in the future, cold though it is, perhaps moments of silence should be reserved for those within our school and national tragedies, so that divisions of this magnitude don't continue to occur.
On a side note: Edmond Dantes is the actual name of the Count of Monte Cristo. Scroll down and you'll see that the Count posted 2 minutes after Edmond. Coincidence?
I complete agree with you. Don't let some of these comments get you down.
It is an opinion. People have different ones. I didn't insult the SCO article about Sean Taylor's death; why are you insulting this one?
im a nonfootballer, like i dont even know what it is. when I heard the guy died, I didn't know why it was such a fuss. What did he do to help society?
apparently he has had a few problems- DUI, assault, armed assault, is this the guy that a school should be commemorating?
I feel sorry for his death, but really, as the article says, a school?
And as Terribly insensitive says, yes, people do have no right to tell us who to honor.
Finally, yes, I may not know anything about football, and how incredibly amazing this guy was at football, but that's football. From news reports, he was a jerk in real life, though recently reformed. So why should anyone who doesn't know him or have any connection to him feel like he's some role model? because he's good at football?
to student- u dont know the whole story. he made a few mistakes earlier in his career but started to turn things around after the birth of his daughter who will now be forced to grow up fatherless. poor girl. know the whole story before criticizing.
whether i agree with this issue or not, i'm not going to hate on the writers. they have their own opinions. it is foolish to write mean things in the comment section just so you can make yourself feel better. this is well written, nicely argued, and posted in a timely fashion. keep up the good work silver chips
Key word is ANNIVERSARY. We had a moment of silence for Andrew Helgeson as well as the Virginia Tech victims. I'm sure we won't have a moment of silence for Sean Taylor next year. 9/11 was important enough to have moments of silence on the anniversary, Sean Taylor's death was not, therefore they are NOT putting it on the level of 9/11.
On putting it out too early, it's news now, it would be irrelevant next week.
That said, he was more than just some sports player. I graduated from Blair last year and go to school outside the State. I know several people from Maryland however that simply idolize him. It would be similar to Cal Ripken Jr. being killed in his prime on the O's. No matter how sick you think it is, people don't care about the anonymous teens that died. When people in Darfur die, they're just more people. When a person, and yes an athlete, like Sean Taylor dies, many peoples' role models, their idols have died. My life doesn't change when some kids die while driving, my life does when a man like Sean Taylor dies. You can argue about the detriments of a society that values celebrities higher than ordinary people, but that's the way it is.
And to Mr. Shindel, you say it is "emblematic of our tendency to worship entertainers and athletes instead of people that are a lot more like us."
The reason we worship them is that we want to be them. How many kids when they're young dream of a 9 to 5 job in an office? How many dream of being a teacher (yes some do, and it's certainly a noble profession)? How many dream of being a construction worker? How many dream of being an NFL star? So who do you expect them to idolize?
"However, moments of silence should be reserved for a significant event..."
They literally say it isn't significant enough for a moment of silence, this idol of many.
Something more than mourning is misplaced here.
I am pretty sure we had a moment of silence for Andrew Helgeson. And the Virginia Tech students as well.