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Well, looks like another death from (accidental) prescription medication overdose (following in the wake of Britney Murphy and Heath Ledger deaths).
Hard to believe Giraldo is dead after just watching him on last season's Last Comic Standing. He seemed perfectly healthy, which goes to show how dangerous prescription medications can be if not taken properly (and even if taken properly sometimes, hence the need to be monitored by your doctor and to understand all possible health risks associated with any medication).
My only PR comment on this unfortunate event is on the press coverage. I was really impressed by the way the press covered this story. They didn't sensationalize it. They reported the facts in a very sober and respectful manner.
I almost got the sense that this issue, overdosing on prescription medication, is being treated with the soberness it deserves. Often times when a celebrity dies from a drug overdose or complication, the story is more than happy to delve in to all kinds of past tales about excessive partying, emotional issues, reckless behavior, etc. - basically paint as vivid a picture as possible of the anguish associated with a drug abuse lifestyle.
I've always thought this urge to sensationalize drug abuse deaths to cause more harm than good. It basically creates a 'them' category for drug users. There's 'us' (non-drug users) and 'them' (drug users) - which generally only serves to heighten stigma and entrench polarizing views.
Yet with prescription overdoses becoming more and more common, or at least reported on, that barrier is slowly starting to disappear and the media seem to be realizing that there is no 'us' and 'them' - that this is an issue that can affect any family, anywhere.
When a problem gets isolated to a specific demographic, it doesn't get covered in the appropriate context. I think back to when I was growing up and AIDS was first seen as a homosexual disease. The coverage at that point was very different than when it became seen as a disease anyone can get - it went from inspecting the gay community and their lifestyle to simply seeing AIDS as a societal health issue. And it was when this shift occurred that society really started to get serious about addressing the problem (or at least that's my recollection).
So hopefully we are on the verge of making that same kind of shift in the media with drug abuse, where it's no longer seen as an issue specific to any demographic, but an issue that affects all strata of society.
That being said, it's a process. Lindsey Lohan coverage for instance still tends to be sensationalistic. But on the whole I do think we are seeing a shift in how the media see this issue and a reticence to play-up the stereotypical views of who a drug user is and the role drug abuse has in society as a whole.
Well, looks like another death from (accidental) prescription medication overdose (following in the wake of Britney Murphy and Heath Ledger deaths).
Hard to believe Giraldo is dead after just watching him on last season's Last Comic Standing. He seemed perfectly healthy, which goes to show how dangerous prescription medications can be if not taken properly (and even if taken properly sometimes, hence the need to be monitored by your doctor and to understand all possible health risks associated with any medication).
My only PR comment on this unfortunate event is on the press coverage. I was really impressed by the way the press covered this story. They didn't sensationalize it. They reported the facts in a very sober and respectful manner.
I almost got the sense that this issue, overdosing on prescription medication, is being treated with the soberness it deserves. Often times when a celebrity dies from a drug overdose or complication, the story is more than happy to delve in to all kinds of past tales about excessive partying, emotional issues, reckless behavior, etc. - basically paint as vivid a picture as possible of the anguish associated with a drug abuse lifestyle.
I've always thought this urge to sensationalize drug abuse deaths to cause more harm than good. It basically creates a 'them' category for drug users. There's 'us' (non-drug users) and 'them' (drug users) - which generally only serves to heighten stigma and entrench polarizing views.
Yet with prescription overdoses becoming more and more common, or at least reported on, that barrier is slowly starting to disappear and the media seem to be realizing that there is no 'us' and 'them' - that this is an issue that can affect any family, anywhere.
When a problem gets isolated to a specific demographic, it doesn't get covered in the appropriate context. I think back to when I was growing up and AIDS was first seen as a homosexual disease. The coverage at that point was very different than when it became seen as a disease anyone can get - it went from inspecting the gay community and their lifestyle to simply seeing AIDS as a societal health issue. And it was when this shift occurred that society really started to get serious about addressing the problem (or at least that's my recollection).
So hopefully we are on the verge of making that same kind of shift in the media with drug abuse, where it's no longer seen as an issue specific to any demographic, but an issue that affects all strata of society.
That being said, it's a process. Lindsey Lohan coverage for instance still tends to be sensationalistic. But on the whole I do think we are seeing a shift in how the media see this issue and a reticence to play-up the stereotypical views of who a drug user is and the role drug abuse has in society as a whole.
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