Would You Go Into Mourning If David Cameron Died?

Photo by bisgovuk

This week, a much-loved national leader who transformed the hopes of a country by funnelling oil profits straight into improving the lives of his most impoverished subjects passed away. Everyone in that country was very sad. I'll bet that reminds you all of someone slightly closer to home, huh? No? Well, I'm referring to David Cameron – a man as adored as he is up to date on pop culture and connected to the real needs of the country he governs.

The widespread mourning of Hugo Chavez brings a question to light: would you have a meltdown if the leader of your country passed away, or would you just not give a shit and get on with your life? London, would you go into mourning if David Cameron died?

Sam, works at the bike shop: No. I don't think I'd care too much.

VICE: So how come Chavez gets a whole country mourning his death?
I think he was more a representation of their country and more of a leader. He appealed to them more on a personal level than David Cameron does to this country. He just sits there in his suit and doesn’t really encourage nationalism in the way that Hugo Chavez did.

Are there any world leaders whose death you would care about?
I think I would care, but I don’t think I'd necessarily go into mourning because it's not as important as people make out. Some leaders, like Hugo Chavez, are more outstanding leaders for their countries. David Cameron is definitely not in the same league.

If you were to die tomorrow, how would you want people to mourn you?
I don’t think I'd want people to mourn me, just to remember the good times and not be sad about it for ages. Get over it.

Good attitude. 

Georgie, works at a business card company: I’m Australian, so I certainly wouldn’t.

What about if Julia Gillard died? Would you go into mourning?
I think I would, but not because of the loss of her personally, more because I remember being really proud when we had our first female prime minister. No matter how hard she might be to relate to, she's done some really hard work, like introducing the carbon tax, which wasn't very popular but was a great idea. She's one of the bravest leaders Australia has ever had, so I'd mourn her death for Australia.

What about celebrities? Would you go into mourning if any of them died?
Oh my god, I would cry for days if Oprah died. We need more people like her in the world. She puts her money where her mouth is and uses her influence without any agenda and without trying to push her political or religious beliefs on anybody. She really does good in the world.

If you were to die tomorrow, how would you want people to mourn you?
Well, I’ve already written my eulogy. Is that weird?

Kind of, yeah. 
I did it as part of a business development programme. I chose my fictional husband to speak at my funeral and I wanted him to talk about how much fun we had together and how it was worth putting up with all my idiosyncrasies. But yeah, if I died I'd want people to have a celebration.

Yan, assistant administrator: He’s a political figure, right?

Yeah.
He’s probably done more good for the country than most people realise, so yeah I would mourn him. I don’t think Britain would go into mourning like Venezuela, because people don’t really like politicians, especially the one who's in power right now.

David Cameron. Are there any public figures you'd mourn if they were to pass away tomorrow?
I think England would be more affected if Obama died than if David Cameron died, which is quite ironic. I think Obama is a lot more popular due to the fact that we have a lot more investment within American politics than we do our own.

Matt: No. I don’t know him and I have no emotional attachment to him, so it wouldn’t bother me in the slightest.

Do you think a lot of people in Britain would care and mourn?
I don’t know. It would be a huge thing in the newspapers, I guess. But I can only speak for myself and I personally wouldn’t give a shit.

Fair enough. So, if you were to die, how would you want people to mourn you?
Ah, that's an interesting question. I think I'd want everyone to have a huge outdoor event with dance music and drugs, and everybody celebrating life rather than getting depressed. How about that? Oh, and maybe I'd have a picture of David Cameron on the stage, too.

Laura, artist: If he died? No, I wouldn’t go into a complete meltdown about that. I mean, I would feel sorry for his family, obviously. But, other than that, no.

Do you think people get too emotionally attached to politicians and celebrities?
With the Chavez thing, I think different cultures react very differently to different scenarios. I mean, Chavez was iconic, wasn't he? He's a saviour of their nation. I think it would be the same if Obama died, being America's first black president and everything. I don't think anyone in Europe would have such a strong reaction if one of their leaders died, though.

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