Kobe's Death, Celebrity, and the Distraction of a Shared Trauma

This thread is not about Kobe being a 'ritual sacrifice' so much as defining "what is the purpose of a ritual sacrifice to begin with"?

There is a psychosocial value to killing off a single person for the sake of the larger whole, or rather, for a whole whose existence benefits a very small proportion of powerful individuals with a major stake in maintaining its future viability. A group consciousness, or those most intimately in touch with the consciousness of a group, very often determines the more significant events that can happen in the world around us.

When JFK was killed, there are arguments that can be made that his death disabused people of the belief that the world could be made into a better place. Even the direction, or the particular object of attention, that a society pays attention to can be severely redirected through the power of a collective trauma - and there is arguably no more effective and efficient a trauma than the killing off of a famous individual that many people have a personal "relationship" with. Knowing someone makes their death more real to you; and the more famous and consequential a person has been in a person or social groups world, the more people will identify - or empathize with - whatever happens to them. The chieftain or leader in many pre-industrial societies was ritually killed; was this mere habit and superstition? Or rather, a sort of psychosocial "hygiene" which when periodically enacted, kept the larger masses hyper-identified with the hierarchical structure which makes the fate of some people "so much more important than others"? When a very famous person dies, the net effect is basically to reinforce the status differences between individuals, and in todays day and age, we don't quite feel right until we've learned what other famous people think and feel about the death of an important person.

Was Kobe Bryant's death accidental? Let me just say that his death couldn't be any more advantageous for those republican senators eager to exonerate Donald Trump but uncomfortable with the high level of public scrutiny they're facing. The death of someone of Kobe Bryant's celebrity status is more than sufficient to drawn out any attention and keep the media less focused or concerned with what, relatively speaking, is astronomically more significant than Kobe Bryant's tragic passing.

Is it so beyond the capacity of the intelligentsia within the CIA to monitor the comings and goings of a famous basketball star, and to, if they so wished, plant an explosive on a helicopter, which then creates the fire that creates the chaos and havoc that results in the helicopters crashing?

At such a pivotal time in American history, it seems deeply odd that something as unlikely as this - Kobe Bryants death - should occur at exactly the same time that one of the most corrupt and consequential presidents is facing impeachment, and is predicted to be exonerated by a republican led senate that would very well prefer less public attention.

The Roman coined the phrase, "qui bono", because when something unlikely or improbable happens, they typically assumed that it wasn't a coincidence, but probably engineered to create exactly the effect that we're currently perceiving and experiencing.

Accidents do genuinely happen. People do die in accidents; errors happen, and this may ultimately be a error. But it seems even more probable - given the unbelievable timing of its occurrence, and the sorts of people it benefits - that Kobe Bryant's death has been calculated by very smart people to create the distraction required to allow this Donald Trump impeachment to come and go with less attention than it otherwise would have.

OMG, did you just blame Kobe’s death on Trump?

I’ve seen it all now..... 🤦‍♂️

Trump gets blamed for everything.

Nonsense! # happens, that's life. There were already other things going on that detracted from the impeachment crap, like this Wuhan virus for example. Now that has more likelihood of being some conspiracy than this.

I'm sure he was a great guy, but to compare him to JFK is ridiculous. # happens, it was a helicopter accident, no more.

a reply to: KKLOCO

Not to mention that distraction propaganda doesn't work like this anymore.

A 24 hour constant news cycle and social media make it easy for people to follow whatever news stories are trending all at the same time. They can "thoughts and prayers" the Kobe stories, as well as add their 👍❤😂😭😡 to the Trump stories, not to mention their rambling, misspelled opinions... about everything.

Kobe Bryants death is a teeny, tiny distraction, a blip in a regular persons day.

Trump, or Trumps associates had nothing to do with it.

a reply to: Astrocyte

That's a very long winded way of saying Reeeeeeeee

a reply to: Atsbhct

Right, if you’re going to have someone killed, at least make it someone that openly opposes you. Why waist it on a retired athlete.

I’m a big basketball fan. I don’t think I’ve ever heard Kobe talk politics. He was all about basketball and business.

originally posted by: watchitburn
a reply to: Astrocyte

That's a very long winded way of saying Reeeeeeeee

LOL Exactly LOL

That's just saying RREEEEEEEEEE! with more steps.

I don't think so. All you essay does is prove that you can tie anything that happens in the world to Trump. It's just a figment of your own TDS. Why don't you try again, but use the Corona virus this time around? I'm sure you could make a case.

Two things here. 1. The Trump impeachment is just about to wind down to the zero nothing burger it is. Read the transcripts. This is laughable. Only the most rabid Trump haters don't know it. 2. Kobe was flying around in his fancy helicopter in the friggin' fog when every other helicopter in the area was grounded and it crashed. Duh. He was a member of the privileged class, a 1%er, avoiding LA freeways. His death is sad and all, but only basketball fans are having coronaries over it. It was front page news yesterday. Tomorrow it won't be. He was a basketball millionaire, but certainly no JFK. His impact on the 'national psyche' is minimal. The majority of people don't care and he made no real impact on their lives. Unlike JFK, the fate of the nation does not hinge on what happens to him.

And, of course, you have zero proof--just an over active imagination.

a reply to: KKLOCO

Exactly. Could it be "sports mafia" money related? Maybe, probably not, but unless Kobe was secretly a trial witness... I'm no Trump stan, but he loves celebrities that don't hate him. If anything, he'd be more likely to attempt to propagandize his image to earn the people of colour vote.

I think if you don't have any evidence it's all just conjecture and wild speculation. And has no point.

Not everything is a conspriacy.

Think the best of the situation. Don't impute bad motives where there are none. Only take action when evidence is given to prove that a heinous act has been committed purposefully.

How would you like it if you went into work, or to the grocery store, and someone you knew, or perhaps didn't know, accused you stealing something you did not. Perhaps a personal item of theirs, or something else. And they came to the conclusion you did it for whatever reason. And you didn't do it. You are not a thief, and never will be. Would your sense of justice not be indignant at the unjust accusation without proof? Would you not even wonder what type of a person would just assume the worst and falsely accuse you of something?

When you ASSUME a person was murdered because of an agenda, without evidence, you ARE that person. It tells others around you a whole lot more about you than the ones you are accusing. Like the saying, what you say about others says more about you than them.

lmfao

i have heard it all now.

kobe byrant randomly killed by trummmp.

you have succumbed to pro-paganda.
congratulations npc.

a reply to: schuyler

I didn't present it as fact, and may have exaggerated its likelihood by claiming it was 'very probable'; all I really can say it is plausible.

Whether or not Kobe was JFK is irrelevant. Go by every news site in the US. Every front page is dedicated to Kobe. It wont be done by tomorrow - you're sorely out of touch with the popular culture if you think Kobe's death wont persist as front page news for the next week, maybe even two.

The effect, ultimately, is not directly about him - he has nothing to do with Trump, for instance; the effect is only the way it dissociates people from the more significant matter.

But what you said about the fog I suppose renders much of what I've written less plausible. I forgot about the fog and momentarily got entrained by a narrative that seems far more plausible without the whole fog issue.

originally posted by: Astrocyte
a reply to: schuyler

Whether or not Kobe was JFK is irrelevant. Go by every news site in the US. Every front page is dedicated to Kobe. It wont be done by tomorrow - you're sorely out of touch with the popular culture if you think Kobe's death wont persist as front page news for the next week, maybe even two.

I don't know if you have noticed, but your theory is not receiving widespread acceptance on this thread. In fact, as of this writing you have NOT ONE FAN of your theory. EVERYONE so far has labeled your theory nonsense. Kobe's death is a flash in the pan. I'm sure Sports Illustrated will have a big cry over it, but other than that, stick a fork in it.

originally posted by: KKLOCO
a reply to: Atsbhct

Right, if you’re going to have someone killed, at least make it someone that openly opposes you. Why waist it on a retired athlete.

I’m a big basketball fan. I don’t think I’ve ever heard Kobe talk politics. He was all about basketball and business.

“A potus whose name alone creates division and anger. Whose words inspire dissension and hatred can’t possibly “Make America Great Again.”
Kobe Bryant

www.newsmax.com...

This theory is ridiculous. Those who are (for some reason) interested in the impeachment news, are not suddenly forgetting about it because of Kobe.
Especially with nutzo news network CNN. I'm quite sure they are currently droning on at great lengths about the impeachment. Killing Kobe for that purpose, would be a huge waste of time.

sometimes, accidents just happen.

a reply to: Sookiechacha

I figured someone would dig up something about Kobe talking politics.

Okay, you’re right. Trump had Kobe killed. LOL

Most basketball players are dems. Why you may ask? Because of the Hollywood influence. They lose credibility when they go against their celebrity buddies.

And then there’s the fact that 90% of them are black. And Trump is supposedly a racist. Right....

I love basketball. Fortunately, I could care less what their political affiliations are.

Tldr?

Got you....

"The evil orange cheeto killed Kobe to distract from impeachment."

a reply to: Astrocyte

Or... When someone dies who you've been seeing on TV for decades, people feel more of a connection. Maybe you didn't know them, but you think about it more. When it's as horrific as this, you think of what was going through their minds while it played out, feeding the terror of thought more so than a heart attack in someone's sleep.

If this was a crash with names people weren't familiar with, if would make the news, but for a shorter cycle.

Crashes happen... Every once in a while, a famous person will be involved.

I suppose we have a new game to play in addition to the old stand by, 10 Degrees of Kevin Beacon. It should be called 100 Degrees of Donald Trump and include events and people. Link as many as you can, it’ll be fun, even if completely bogus.

Having been part of a crew of both military and civilian helicopters, I can say that there are a myriad of reasons without weather that can cause one to go down. This was a tragedy and 9 people perished. Yet 24 hours later, we are playing games attempting to link a tragedy to political BS ?

Could we at least wait until the 13 year old and her Father along with the 7 others are at least laid to rest. This is as stomach churning as all the tweets screaming why Kobe and not Trump instead. Just shameful