Re: Christie Blatchford’s “Layton’s death turns into a thoroughly public spectacle”

In regards to Christie Blatchford’s piece on the late Jack Layton’s so-called “public spectacle” of a death, I must say Ms. Blatchford has, like many of the people she criticizes in her article, failed to consider the future impact of this tragic event. Instead she chooses to focus on the initial reaction, a relatively miniscule amount of time following the death of Mr. Layton. Such is the way of the “modern world” as Ms. Blatchford so cleverly states.
The media’s, and therefore public’s attention, maybe focused on Mr. Layton’s last letter for the moment. But a man’s lasting legacy comes from what others say of him, not what he says of himself. Soon we will feel the loss of such a great man. Soon we will see the difference he made.
His passion and personality is why he will be remembered and missed, not because of the letter that he wrote and not because he died too young from cancer. The pain of Mr. Layton’s wife, family and close friends will be the same that we all feel when we lose someone who is dear to us. But for the rest of people who mourn Mr. Layton’s death, it is the politician that we will remember. And that is a part of Mr. Layton that we cannot and should not ignore.
That, Ms. Blatchford, is why I disagree with you when you say that Mr. Layton’s specific accomplishments have been somewhat diminished because of the initial fanfare of mourning. His death was a public ordeal because he had a public personality. And that’s not a bad thing. He will not be remembered for his letter; he will be remembered for his legacy.