Linking Two Deaths

I know this may seem completely unrelated, but I can't help but look at the synergy between the deaths of J.D. Salinger and Corey Haim. Those of us from the thirty something crowd will recognize the name Corey Haim right off. Movie producers and directors love to use actors and actresses again and again and those of us that grew up in the 1980s will always remember the Coreys. Corey Haim and Corey Feldman starred in too many movies together to count. Looking back, the talent was always somewhat elusive. Both seemed to play the same character over and over again.

If the formula works then why mess with it right? Well, as time went on and the Coreys grew up, those roles became more and more elusive. That could have been from the lack of talent or it could have been their behavior off the set. Both Coreys became heavy into drugs and neither has done anything (outside of a reality show here and there) of consequence in 20 years. Well, Corey Haim's acting days are definitely over until Fox finds someway to shape a reality show around cadavours. Don't mock it folks, I'll bet it's just around the corner.

Corey Haim and J.D, Salinger are practical mirror images of themselves. Haim more closely relates to Salingers most famous character, Holden Caufield, from his reknown Catcher in the Rye than he does Salinger himself. In fact, they are polar opposites. No one will deny Salinger's talent even if no one knew him well outside of his family. People will struggle to find the authentic talent in Corey Haim and because of tabloid journalism and reality TV, everyone knew him. It has been said by others that it was ironic that Salinger wanted no part of the society that he helped create with his book. I can't say as if I hardly blame him.

The world seems to be full of Corey Haims nowadays. People milk the modicum of talent they have for every penny it is worth and keep coming back for more. They are saddened when the world wants no more. To be famous now doesn't mean you actually have to do anything worthwhile. It means simply going deeper into the gutter than anyone else is willing or able to do. The so-called "Guidos" on Jersey Shore make everyone of Italian or Sicilian heritage (like myself) want to crawl in a hole and die. I can only imagine the represented groups from Flava of Love, Rock of Love, and Telia Tequila feel the same way. Some day they will all realize that we aren't laughing with them. We are laughing at them.

We should have seen this coming. In the late 1980s and early 1990s it was strange people agreeing to go on Geraldo Rivera and Ricki Lake. In the 1990s and early 2000s it was even stranger people wanting to go Jerry Springer. I guess the price of dignity is only worth a plane ticket and hotel room for some people. This is what makes the stories of the Corey Haims and triumverate of Kim Kardashian, Paris Hilton, and Lindsay Lohan that much more sad. They didn't have to surrender their dignity. They could live in relative obscurity and live more comfortably than 99 percent of us. Something inside of them forced them into the limelight like a moth in the burning blue light.

This is what makes the case of J.D. Salinger that much more unique. He had talent and chose a life of solitude instead. He didn't even have to go any reality television show to keep his celebrity. He could have simply published books. He didn't want to do even that. He just wanted to be left alone. He once said he didn't want to share his writing with anyone. He wrote for his own enjoyment. Here's to a man that understood that we aren't required to bear all to everyone. There are some things we should keep to ourselves so we can retain our dignity. Funny how a former teen star and great author from a bygone era can combine to give us a great life lesson.