Overdosing on the irrelevant

While it's always sad to see so much talent and potential go to waste, and there is no question in our minds that the media coverage did in fact mirror genuine grief at witnessing someone needlessly self-destruct right before our eyes, two things about this intense media coverage merit further discussion.

The non-stop, almost morbid TV coverage of Ledger's death (You Tube footage of the paramedics wheeling his lifeless body was on the internet probably before his next of kin were even notified) was in complete contrast to –and in such violation of-- the actor's well-documented desire for privacy while he was alive. Particularly on the entertainment shows, news of his death (cue in the sad and/or dramatic music) repeatedly shared back to back footage with highlights from the ongoing Sundance Film Festival (cue in the happy/festive music to indicate that a change of subject matter has taken place) and must have undeniably left many a viewer slightly sick to their stomach.

We are reminded of a Kurt Vonnegut quote, originally written decades before the media even became as invasive as it is today: "One of the few good things about modern times: If you die horribly on television, you will not have died in vain. You will have entertained us."

The second issue that merits further discussion is how little the issue of prescription drugs being the cause of Ledger's death was covered by the media. Speculation about whether or not the actor's death was accidental or not –although certainly of grave importance for his immediate family-- completely misses the point with regards to the real issue.

His body was found next to bottles of FDA-approved, legally-purchased pharmaceuticals; some of them even innocuous-sounding over-the-counter medications that you and I could get our hands on by simply strolling through a pharmacy on our lunch break.

Has no one noticed that the real issue this story brings attention to is that we live in a society where anti-depressants, anti-anxiety meds and sleep aids are popped like Pez candy? Zoloft, Prozac, Paxil, Zyban… the list goes on and on and the variety of over the counter and prescribed medication readily available to us in today's world is simply staggering.

Here in Quebec alone, the number of anti-depressants prescribed has more than doubled in the past seven years, according to figures from the Régie de l'assurance maladie. It's become commonplace to medicate at the first sign of discomfort, uneasiness, distress, pain and restlessness. We have become a society unable to cope without the aid of chemicals; quick to endorse the easy fix.

Heath Ledger may have been born and raised in Australia, but he died from a malaise that is distinctly North-American; over-medicating (deliberately or otherwise) on perfectly legitimate, aggressively marketed, widely available drugs. This is what the media should be focusing on, because, whether or not the man's last act was intentionally destructive or not, the end result was still the same.