General Chat

What is it with this fashion of making shrines at the place where someone has died? The residents of Rothbury have taken it upon themselves to get rid of the candles, flowers and assorted tat placed at the site where the murderer Moat met his end. People were coming from miles around to stick their plastic rubbish on a bit of grass. Most of them never knew him and had no connection at all with either him or the town. I find it utterly bizarre behaviour, way beyond my comprehension. People are standing there, gawping and generally acting as if they had suffered some enormous personal tragedy, when in fact they have nothing to do with it at all.

Can anyone shed any light on this trend?

Some sort of mass hysteria I should think.

Sue x

It started with Diana surely? I don't remember many incidences before that certainly... maybe it is down to the increased accessibility...the camera on the ground bringing the person into the living room where they bizarrely become somehow 'connected to you' , in a way that didn't happen in the past.

edit sorry corrected typo

I don't recall it ever happening before the death of Princess Diana, but since then it seems to be *the thing to do*.

I've never understood it myself and find it all rather bizarre - as you rightly point out - most of the people placing flowers etc have never even met the deceased.......strange!

Mary

Edit: But still, the florists do well out of it ;-)))

I think your right PP. IMHO there's nothing worse than seeing a battered and weatherbeaten display of plastic flowers next to the roadside or wherever. It's totally undignified and I can't see that it serves any purpose at all. But to travel hundreds of miles to light a candle at a spot where a murderer committed suicide is behaviour that utterly goes way above my head.

rather than leave flowers for a narcissistic psychopathic murderer, better send flowers to the poor policeman who was blinded - make sure they are scented though cos he'll never see again - or send them to the parents of the man he killed

I cant think of any reason why anyone would want to lay a shrine to a child beatting murdering coward or why anyone would travel miles and miles to visit one, I think people see the laying of flowers as a mark of respect.


I feel for the poor people of Rothbury not only invaded by the media they are about to be invaded by coach loads of strine worshipers through the day and then the lunies who claim to see his tormented spirit through the night.....by this time next year Itsmytelly and I would of purchased a little weekend cottage for 2 and 6 in Rottenbury :)

Many areas of the world have small shrines on the roadside, and they are used to light a candle or give offerings to the various gods and goddesses of that religion... some religions have a god or godess for everything... but they weren't for any one person, just to the god... you'd leave an offering to the god of something in honour of a person you loved.

I do not think I am being clear here.... lol

Love

Daff xxxx

Perfectly clear Daff but some people deserve shrines this one didnt.

Absolutely.... I totally agree with you. That there is any tribute to him is an obscenity, to me... I was just answering the question about where it all started, and forgot the rest, lol.... sorry!!

Love

Daff xxxxx

i think its defo beacause people like the hysteria behind it all, oh look iv been n put flowers down etc, but in reality its a total watse of time effort n money for the likes of him! xxx

wait to the gift shop attached to it opens..

I understand family wishing to mark the place where a loved one died in a tragic accident, I watched a TV programme last week on the subject. Have to mention though that a young lad died on our local road, I was driving home from work and rounded the blind bend to be met with a heap of his friends' cars and friends blocking my lane. I narrowly avoided an accident! I did report them to local plod who went out to talk with them and they moved them to a safer place.

Why anyone would want to make a shrine to a killer is beyond belief, even his family would surely appreciate just how insensitive it would be. That said I guess it's some sad people who want their 15 minutes of fame.

Sue

yeah i can understand if its a fmaily memeber, and thy lost someone and go lay flowers on anivesrys n birthdays, but to do it for this man pfft x

If Rothbury wasn't so far away, I'd go there and SPIT not lay flowers for that murdering, maniac no mark piece of scum.


I'm watching David Rathband's wife being interviewed on TV now, it's heartbreaking.

I think there are two different questions here really.
1) Why would anybody want to lay flowers on the site of the death of a murderer, unless they were family/knew him personally?

2)Why do people feel the need to leave flowers by the roadside after fatal accidents?

Personally I would do neither and I hate to see the remains of dead flowers or bedraggled silk flowers by the roadside months after the death. I would hate it id I thought anyone would do that for me. To me flowers are for the living. And, yes, if they must, send flowers to the policeman who was injured, or to the family of the man who was killed.

I don't understand it either and, to be honest, find it rather creepy. I can sort of understand family/close friends leaving flowers but apart from that, no, especially teddies and such with inane messages from people totally unconnected with the deceased. And if people must leave flowers, can't they remove the plastic wrapping? Anything other than bio-degradable stuff amounts to no more than littering, imho.

A lady from Rothbury was the first to lay flowers I belive,,,,the council should have removed any from the onset and put a notice up that no tributes are allowed.

That bit of area wants replanting with shrubs so no trace can be seen of it.


No I cant understand peoples conception of it all.!!!!and how they want to take on the grieving of someone who has no bearings to them at all.

It seems the norm now at given spots where someone who has died to lay flowers,teddies all manner of stuff and if theres a tree close by that get a hug from a great big ribbon tied to it,!,I actually find it all beyond me.and a vicar once told me that its the rememberance for the human first regardless.!