This over identification with remote celebrities is a sufficient explanation for the massive emotional outpouring of sadness that occurred here and with the Wellstone death. It also occurred similarly with the Diana death.
While people can recall up to 2500 people by name and face, they actually interact with no more than 25. This is why substituting real people for politicians and celebrities has such a deleterious effect on our public life. Bowling Alone is more than a catchy book title and has more ramifications than "ain't it awful" type rhetoric.
I don't have a solution, only an observation but this centralization of feeling into politicians may have an ominous outcome. A real crisis-domestic or foreign-could result on the white horse being given over weening power by public acclimation. Mass psychology not only decrees that it is less moral than individual psychology but also less reflective and demanding of immediate action.
It seems to me that during the early years of the country it was very common for families to name children and pets for the POTUS. I don't think the identification with politicians is peculiar to the modern era.
"This over identification with remote celebrities is a sufficient explanation for the massive emotional outpouring of sadness..."
Move it slightly to the right a bit.
The identification is of empty vessels with their power center.
As the Left's policies have failed and S-L-O-W-L-Y lost traction with the voters, these self centered people (in the religious sense of the term) experience massive frustration.
This election nonsense is a manifestation of their rage.
Another may be throwing in with America's enemies to attack America in the old fashioned, leftist way: terror bombing.
In the latter case I would hope that we have enough intelligence network to make it unlikley that amatuers could enter the 'chatter stream' w/o being bagged.
Everytime I see this stuff, it shocks me. When did all this begin? I keep wondering where have I been that I missed the development of this behavior? I didn't notice it until it was full-blown. Has this been encouraged by some in society for some purpose, is it related to the age of TV, or is it just part of the general societal breakdown? I would appreciate any background on this as it is so alien to me. (And yes, I'm old, a Boomer.)