By Amanda Eldreth
Staff Columnist
On Nov. 1, I was overwhelmed with news of the death of Mitch Lucker, the front man of the band Suicide Silence. Following an unexplained motorcycle accident on Halloween, he passed away from his injuries, leaving behind his wife and five-year-old daughter. While I am not an avid fan of Suicide Silence, I was a affected by his death. The music scene lost a talented and highly respected man.
Every social network site I belong to was stunned with Mitch’s death and even weeks later all of the fans in the metal genre are in disbelief, posting “Wake up, Mitch. Wake up” (from the band’s single “Wake Up”). Family, friends, and fans are still mourning, which is understandable because a human being lost his life. People looked up to Mitch and many have stated that his lyrics saved their life. Despite the attention, he was humble and sincerely cared about his fans.
Now cue the derogatory statements aimed at bringing down the music that Suicide Silence produced. Directly following his death announcement, disrespectful comments spammed the Internet, subtracting from the mourning period. Simply because someone is not a fan of heavy-metal, does not explain some of the atrocious statements I have read online.
The name of his band, the genre of their music, and his tattooed body has nothing to do with his death. What’s worse is that these kinds of statements circumnavigate the entire web when a person of some sort of higher social standing dies. If you strip away everything that gives a celebrity their fame, you are still left with a human being. So why has it become more and more acceptable for people on the internet to post comments that dishonor someone’s death?
People can hide behind their computer screens and wish for more death because they don’t like something or don’t understand the weight of their words. They see no real harm. As a society, it would seem that we have become more apathetic towards death and, by extension, life. Fans from One Direction recently tweeted that Mitch’s daughter should go kill herself if she missed her dad so much. Never should comments like that be tolerated or excused. Instances like that just prove that the people saying these things aren’t thinking; the fact that someone in one of their favorite bands’ could just pass away out of nowhere should constitute understanding and not hate.
The excuse that “the Internet will be the Internet” should stop being used to justify comments that rejoice death or are posted simply to generate reactions. Should people be bothered by these comments? The answer is yes, because no matter what anyone says , words hurt. When someone loses an idol, someone who made them feel important in life, everything changes. To those who listened to Suicide Silence when they didn’t want to feel alone, now when they hear Mitch’s voice, it will be a reminder that only his legacy can touch someone’s life now. Affected by this realization or not, it baffles me that people cannot respect that.
Mitch was known for embracing our one chance at life, something people need to do more : “I mean, reality sucks. The world is a cancer, and [stuff’s] so bad it’s scary. Everything’s filthy. But you know what? One day, it’s not going to be here. So be glad you know what life is. You’re alive. Live.”
At the risk of sounding like a fortune cookie, life should not be taken so lightly. So maybe some of you will feel no personal emotion about his death, but that does not mean there is a right to attack and slander the emotions and memories of those who will be affected.