Posthumous Popularity?

Ah, now this is something I have been wanting to rant about for some time now. I wish it was more fresh on my mind, but when this atrocious deed occurred I was without an outlet. Thinking back to high school, I remember that the drivers were never good. Come to think of it, high school drivers are hardly skilled. Many wrecks occur with students leaving or returning to an open-campus school every year, though only a small portion are fatal. This is the portion on which I'd like to focus my rant.

The first fatal wreck I remember hearing about was during the middle of my senior year. "Chris" was the passenger in a car that was struck overnight by a believed drunk driver. His funeral was held at the Lyle Boren Activity Center at the school, but not many attended. He received a page in the yearbook as a remembrance. Ah, a kind gesture. The year continued on, and graduation night came. The next day, all of the seniors were let out of normal schooling to attend a "Senior Brunch" where we would bowl and eat for free. Overnight, however, something happened that would send that all crashing down.

I awoke on the day of the brunch to a phone call from a senior sponsor who was sobbing heavily on the answering machine. The message said we were to meet at the Activity Center instead of the bowling alley. I arrived at the LBAC and met with friends before entering the building and seeing tables and chairs full of people crying. On the previous night, "Zach" had attended a graduation party and gotten drunk off his ass. For some idiotic reason, he decided to drive home...WITH THE KEG. Along the way, he swerved off the road and into a tree. It has been said that when he hit the tree, the keg flew toward the front of the vehicle, decapitating him. Needless to say, there would be no bowling, there would be no fun.

Here were hundreds of seniors, juniors and sophomores crying at what was supposed to be my senior brunch. SENIOR brunch. So why was everyone up in arms about this person, who stupidly killed himself, receiving more grief and attention than someone who was killed by a possible drunk driver? Ah yes...popularity. My friends and I, whom were all quite angry about missing out on free bowling, left to find our own fun on our day off. Oh, I already know what you're saying..."You're so selfish, you heartless bastard!" Feel free to think that, but why should I pretend to care about someone that I didn't know and who killed himself ruining my fun? But the best was yet to come...

You learn a lot of things growing up. Be polite. Say no to drugs. But there's one that many teens never get through their heads. Buckle Up. One day in the 2003-2004 school year, senior "Brad", a very popular guy, got into the SUV of his craptastic driver-of-a-friend and they headed to Midwest City for lunch. On the way, the driver decided a bus was not moving swiftly enough and decided to pass. Why was the bus moving so slow? Oh yes, because it was turning...left... The SUV crashed directly into the turning bus, sending Brad flying out of the windshield to his death. The other passengers and the driver escaped with only minor injuries, but why was "Brad" ejected? Ah...of course...because he had entered the vehicle of a friend, who he knew drove insanely bad, and didn't buckle his seat belt. Everyone at the school was distraught. The "Buckle Up for Brad" campaign began, reminding everyone to buckle their belts. Many blamed the driver for the death, which ultimately led to his attempted suicide, but was it his fault? I say it wasn't. Sure he could drive better, sure he could have made sure his friend was wearing his seat belt, but isn't it ultimately the responsibility of the "self" to do such a thing?

So the question I pose is: would all of this hoopla have been incited for someone that wasn't so popular? Would anyone outside of their small circle of friends have even cared? Popularity is a great injustice in life...and seemingly...in death. It may not be fair, but it's human nature, and we'll have to learn to deal with such hypocrisy.