Whilst everyone will of course empathise and sympathise with those who have been the unfortunate victims of terrorist activities and other tragedies that befall them, just why is it that nowadays it is fashionable to display and promote your grief in the full gaze of the public arena?

In the Dorset Echo on May 22, there was a small piece about one of the Grenfell Tower fire victims.

Again, we all sympathise with what must have been and still is, a tragic happening. None of us can possibly imagine what it’s like to lose a loved one so young. However, putting this exceptional case to one side, the main stream media is awash with the ongoing personal tragedies that beset so many people.

It seems that almost every day, public grief is portrayed as if it is a macabre form of entertainment. And much the same thing happens on social media.

There they all are, posting an avalanche of photographs and stories about their personal tragic circumstances. Why? And not satisfied with the glare of the oxygen of publicity from Facebook and Twitter etc to most corners of the world, they then set up campaigns to raise money for their own particular tragic circumstances.

A few hundred thousand pounds here or a couple of a million pounds there. Why can’t people just get on with their grief in private? Why must everybody else get involved with it?

As if it is now a mandatory requirement to dish out cash to every victim of unfortunate circumstance. Personally, I think in many instances it would be far better for the victims of some tragedies if they grieved in private rather than bearing their grief in public - because the opportunity to do so is there.

I can remember when people were victims of tragic circumstances they wouldn’t dream of inflicting their pain and angst on a public platform. On the contrary, they would do so in private, not publicise or promote their grief on a daily basis via a convenient media.

So let’s put a brake on it, shall we?

ANDREW MARTIN

Kitchener Road

Weymouth