[Ted]

Why is it that whenever a tragedy befalls a black person, such as a death or a murder of a family member, the victim’s family members are immediately on the evening news, sometimes a half hour later, talking about it? I would be so grief-stricken I would not want to talk to anyone.

User Detail :  

Name : Ted, Gender : M, City : Wayne, State : MI, Country : United States, 

[ED25501]

This is not a question of skin color but of socioeconomic status (or lack thereof). If you notice, most of the people you see talking on the news immediately after a horrible event live in poorer neighborhoods and are less well-educated (white folks included). Tragedies happen everywhere, but the news media knows better than to try to exploit the misfortunes of the middle and upper classes in this manner.

User Detail :  

Name : ED25501, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Age : 45, City : Kansas City, State : MO, Country : United States, 

[Lisa22816]

I’ve often thought, ‘How do they do it?’ Right after a family member has died, they’re speaking to the media or going back to work the next day (i.e. JFK Jr. after his mother’s death). I’d be so grief-stricken I wouldn’t want to talk to anyone.

While there are differences among all cultures regarding death, I’ve always thought white Americans tend to grieve differently than black Americans. When my high school friend (who was white) committed suicide, his parents shed not one tear and sat there so composed. Not to say his parents weren’t grieving or didn’t care, but he was their only child. I didn’t get it then, but I’ve come to understand that everyone has their own way of grieving. My step-grandfather passed away nearly a year ago, and I didn’t attend the viewing or funeral. I just couldn’t bring myself to go to another funeral, but I grieved his passing. It all depends on the family’s history, spiritual beliefs and inner strength. But I still don’t understand why some families bury the deceased on Tuesday when they died on Sunday.

User Detail :  

Name : Lisa22816, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Christian, City : Gaithersburg, State : MD, Country : United States, 

[Steve27690]

I don’t think it is just blacks or poor people. I live a few miles from the woman who drowned her five children in her bathtub. The family was white. The very day it happened, the husband, a NASA engineer, was hawking his grief on every single media outlet to the point that he was viewed with suspicion. We were quite relieved when a judge finally put a gag order on him to shut him up.

User Detail :  

Name : Steve27690, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 45, City : Houston, State : TX, Country : United States, Occupation : Corporate Cubicle Kind of Guy, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper class, 

[K.C. Hunsaker]

I agree with Lisa in Gaithersburg. Black people and white people grieve very differently. I’m a hospice nurse so I’ve seen this first hand. Black people tend to be more vocal, more public, and more immediate with their grieving. This almost seems healthier to me. They get it out rather than holding it in. I’ve seen black women wailing and even climbing into bed with the dead person. White people might feel uncomfortable around this intense display of grief. Just different ways of doing thigs, I think.

User Detail :  

Name : K.C. Hunsaker, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Unitarian, Age : 41, City : san diego, State : CA, Country : United States, Occupation : registered nurse, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

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